What’s the problem? 

Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) are the cornerstone of the Paris Climate Agreement. They are voluntary pledges which outline progress towards tackling the climate crisis, and – if successful – provide a path out of it.  

The protection, restoration, and inclusive management of forests helps address the causes and consequences of climate change. Several countries included forest adaption and/or mitigation targets in their first NDC. But many NDCs were developed with little or no engagement from civil society or forest communities. And many states had not considered improving forest governance.

For NDCs to tackle the climate breakdown, they must be strengthened and involve all stakeholders, including forest communities and local activists.

Vietnam group photo

Fern's work on this issue

What do Fern and our partners want? 

Fern wants good forest governance to be a cornerstone of NDCs which are negotiated and implemented with input from civil society stakeholders and forest peoples.

This will reduce emissions and help secure the rights and livelihoods of those who are often disenfranchised such as Indigenous Peoples, local communities and women.

What are we doing? 

We work with partners in tropical forested countries to monitor and strengthen NDCs. We assess the quality and transparency of the process and push for civil society and community stakeholders to be included, specifically focussing on gender.

Together with our national partners, we then provide recommendations to governments, international funding initiatives and European policy makers on how climate ambition within future NDCs can be raised and what initiatives they can support on the ground.

What needs to happen to achieve our goals?

Efforts to improve forest governance should be fully integrated into countries national climate pledges, and civil society and forest communities must be included in designing and implementing them. Particular attention should be given to making sure climate policies consider the different impacts on women and gender focal points are empowered to act.

 

Talk to us

Rudi Kohnert

Rudi Kohnert

Forest Governance Campaigner, Monitoring & Evaluation Expert

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