**6. Conclusion**

With the Kyoto protocol failing to meet its goal of reducing emissions of greenhouse gasses below the pre 1990 level by 2012, the IPCC now sees REDD as an indispensable element for the success of a post-2012 climate regime. After many decades of neglecting the importance of avoided deforestation and forest degradation in the fight against climate change, the IPCC in 2000 began integrating degradation schemes in its emissions reduction regime; thanks to the empirical evidence that deforestation and forest degradation accounts for about 17 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions, and that the world's forests sequester more carbon than it is in the atmosphere (Rogner et al., 2007; IPCC, 2007). The integration of REDD in the global emissions reduction regime does not only contribute in reducing carbon emissions and conserving biodiversity and sustaining ecosystem services, but also presents a tremendous opportunity to enhance living conditions for the world's poorest people, most of who live in forest communities in the tropics. The Congo Basin region of Central Africa in

Fig. 1. Influence Diagram of Direct and Indirect Causes of Deforestation/Forest Degradation

With the Kyoto protocol failing to meet its goal of reducing emissions of greenhouse gasses below the pre 1990 level by 2012, the IPCC now sees REDD as an indispensable element for the success of a post-2012 climate regime. After many decades of neglecting the importance of avoided deforestation and forest degradation in the fight against climate change, the IPCC in 2000 began integrating degradation schemes in its emissions reduction regime; thanks to the empirical evidence that deforestation and forest degradation accounts for about 17 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions, and that the world's forests sequester more carbon than it is in the atmosphere (Rogner et al., 2007; IPCC, 2007). The integration of REDD in the global emissions reduction regime does not only contribute in reducing carbon emissions and conserving biodiversity and sustaining ecosystem services, but also presents a tremendous opportunity to enhance living conditions for the world's poorest people, most of who live in forest communities in the tropics. The Congo Basin region of Central Africa in

in Cameroon and the DRC

**6. Conclusion** 

particular, has a lot to contribute and benefit from REDD. The vastness of the forests in this region means a significant amount of carbon could be sequestered here if REDD were to succeed in the region. The Democratic Republic of Congo alone, it is estimated, has a REDD potential of over 400 million tons of CO2 per year through 2030 (Kabila,15 2011). In spite the tremendous opportunity REDD presents to reduce carbon emissions and foster sustainable forest management in the Congo Basin region, the obstacles discussed in this paper (and can be extrapolated to all the countries in the region) must first be overcome. Although the region faces techno-scientific problems, the biggest obstacles to meeting the goal of REDD are of socio-economic and political nature. To overcome these obstacles, a number of measures must be taken by the national REDD Coordination and Management Teams (CMTs) of various countries in the region. First, is the need for capacity building of the various CMTs. At moment, the CMTs are made up of officials from two or more government ministries and representatives from a few national and international non-governmental organizations, whose lack of coordination is, itself, an obstacle to the national coordination effort the teams are charged with. A CMT whose activities are well coordinated is more prepared to deal with socio-economic and political issues that are a potential hindrance to the success of the national REDD strategy. Second, all stakeholders must be included at every level, and at all stages of development and implementation of the REDD strategy. This will help move the process in the direction of a pro-poor approach in which, traditional farmers, hunter-gatherers, community forest managers, indigenous peoples (especially the pygmies), traditional leader, municipal councils, regional councils, etc. contribute in making decisions that directly relate to their needs. Third, countries in the region must adopt a coherent policy to address the issue of tenure and other related rights of the indigenous forest peoples to access forests and its resources. This will give REDD's investors (public and private) and its global partners a sense of security when it comes to possible tension with local groups. This will also empower the local peoples as secure tenure provide them "more leverage in relations with government and the private Sector" (Cotula & Myers, 2009). Fourth, to jointly address climate change and rural poverty under REDD would require sustainable forest management practices that confirm with the market tenets of ecosystem services. For this to be achievable, countries in the region will have to adopt measures that improve their economic and financial systems; specifically, measures that will enable them to uphold their "socio-environmental services and capital in [their] economic and political choices." Finally, REDD CMTs in the region must learn from the past successes and failures of other resources management initiatives in the agricultural and forest sectors, and the global carbon market. Specifically, attention must be given to issues related to capacity building and incentives (e.g. developing effective arrangements to channel benefits to the local level), legal framework and policy (e.g. connecting national laws and policy to relevant international principles and norms), education and information and culture (e.g. support for training workshops on resource knowledge, ecosystem management, biodiversity conservation, and cultural integration).
