MRV and forest monitoring for REDD+ in Bangladesh

1. MRV and forest monitoring for REDD+ in Bangladesh Key-issues in forest monitoring and MRV for REDD+ (based on principles and provisions of Article 4 of the UNFCCC) Nationally tailored: The MRV System will be robust, flexible, transparent and country-driven, to respond to national circumstances. Operational: The MRV System will result in a GHG Inventory reported to the UNFCCC every four years and updated biennially. Leverages existing competencies, capacities and information: Institutional arrangements shall be based where possible on existing institutions, with the creation of new ones being the result of necessity. IPCC compliance: The MRV System must be in line with the most recently adopted or recommended IPCC Guidance and Guidelines and IPCC reporting principles (consistency, comparability, transparency and accuracy). Cost-efficiency: Activities will seek out the most cost-effective solutions at all stages and structural levels. Multiple benefits: The MRV System, together with the Safeguards Information System and monitoring system, must go beyond carbon and become a multifunctional instrument, aiming to serve as a guide for social, economic and environmental policies and provide information on forestry-related fields such as biodiversity. The system should be useful for multiple functions where appropriate, by linking into and interacting with existing initiatives. Phased approach: Following the three phases of REDD+, development and implementation of the MRV System, Safeguards Information System and forest monitoring will be undertaken in phases. Participatory: involvement of local people and communities. V R M REDD+ in Bangladesh Deforestation and forest degradation are major sources of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The total forest area is about 1.4 million hectares (year 2010), or 11% of the total land area. The combined effects of indiscriminate illicit felling, high and rapidly growing population, low productivity and poor management, inadequate forest protection, expansion of upland agriculture, land degradation, fires, pests and diseases, and unplanned land conversion put forest at risks. On one hand, people are getting more and more aware about the forest protection and particularly biodiversity. As a result of greater consciousness, agroforestry systems become more productive. On the other hand, the rapid climate change strongly necessitates the implementation of long term programmes. However, it appears that inadequate availability, reliability, and quality of data and information relating to the forestry is a major concern for policymakers and scientists. A new mechanism is emerging under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), to undertake actions to reduce emissions from deforestation and forest degradation; conservation of forest carbon stocks, sustainable management of forests and enhancement of forest carbon stocks. In 2010, the country formulated the Bangladesh Climate Change Strategy and Action Plan (BCCSAP) which aims to promote climate resilient development and low carbon economy. REDD+ is one programme under the BCCSAP and can provide significant technical and financial resources to develop national systems to measure, report and verify emission reductions from the forest sector.

2. MRV for Green House Gasses (GHG) Forest monitoring and MRV for REDD+ in Bangladesh REDD+ will be fully integrated with other mitigation mechanisms under UNFCCC. The MRV System will become fully operational. Activity data (AD) and emission factors (EF) will be assessed to generate the national GHG inventory. This will require a LMS and National Forest Inventory (NFI) becoming fully operational. This Phase will result in payments for verified performance. The results will be verified by a roster of experts coordinated by the UNFCCC Secretariat. Year 7 Year 6 GHG Inventory CO2e Phase III Payments for verified performance MRV System Monitoring of Policies & Measures NFI: EF Year 5 LMS: AD This is a transition phase focusing on the implementation of results-based demonstration activities. The net outcomes of these activities will be assessed by a Land Monitoring System (LMS). The LMS will also contribute to providing information on some of the REDD+ Safeguards (such as biodiversity conservation and displacements). Multiphase implementation of REDD+ through MRV development and components of the Monitoring and MRV Systems. Countries will have to implement results-based demonstration activities during the second phase, and implement fully measured, reported and verified results-based actions at the national level in the third phase. Year 4 Phase II Result based activities Implemented by predictable funding Year 3 Monitoring of Demonstration Activities Countries will need to define their national system for forest monitoring forest, safeguard’s information and MRV and initiate capacity building of all the institutions involved, with a view to operationalising these institutional arrangements in Phase II. Another area of work I is the development of a national framework for REDD+ Policies and Measures to define the ways in which the REDD+ will be implemented. LMS Year 2 Capacity building & development Phase I Readiness Year 1 REDD+ PHASES MRV PHASES

3. MRV for Green House Gasses (GHG) Forest monitoring for REDD+ in Bangladesh Acquisition Management Reporting Development Interpretation Country boundaries Verification The land monitoring system (LMS) will be a crucial element to monitor the implementation of the REDD+ policies and measures and to provide forest cover area change data generated through remote sensing. RS) The operationalisation of the LMS will be required in Phase 2 to provide RS monitoring data of sub-national demonstration activities and national coverage data for basic land use indicators (such as forest cover). This LMS should become fully operational in Phase 3 of REDD+ when it will need to provide AD across the entire national territory (wall-to-wall) as part of the MRV System. Remote sensing to detect forest cover changes RS techniques are well adapted to fit the data principles of adequacy, consistency, completeness, and transparency required by the IPCC Guidelines. In addition, RS can provide consistent historical land representation. As biennial annual reports are required (according to the Cancun Agreement), the LMS will need to cover the entire territory at least every two years. Integration of different types of RS information will be needed to overcome the constraints of cloud cover, detection of rapid forest cover change (e.g. forest degradation) and seasonal and climatic variations. Land monitoring system for REDD+ policies and measures The LMS provides data on the net outcomes of policies and measures through provision of land use and land use change data for sub-national demonstration activities during phase 2 and at national level for phase 3. In Phase 2 the country should begin to implement national policies and sub-national REDD+ demonstration activities – ensuring they are results-based through a monitoring system – and implement a system for providing information on how the REDD+ safeguards are being addressed and respected, as set out by the UNFCCC. The use of forest monitoring data in national REDD+ frameworks The LMS will be the key element to support and operationalise any national subsidy or payment distribution scheme. The LMS has to be country-specific in order to better consider the national specificities in term of anthropogenic activities and interactions with the forest. The LMS will also contribute to providing information on Safeguards, specifically those Safeguards which will require geo-spatial referencing.

4. MRV for REDD+ in Bangladesh M R V The purpose of an MRV System is to assess and report on anthropogenic GHG emissions by sources and removals by sinks related to forest land during the third phase of REDD+. This system must enable identification and tracking of actions and processes related to the five activities identified under REDD+, following the most recently adopted or encouraged IPCC methodological approaches. Refers to information on the extent to which a human activity takes place (activity data – AD) combined with coefficients that quantify the emissions or removals per activity unit (emission factors – EF). For REDD+ this translates into measurements of forest area and forest area change (AD) and forest carbon stocks and forest carbon stock changes (EF). Together, this information provides the basis to compile a REDD+ GHG inventory. Countries may also be required to measure indicators of REDD+ safeguards and other forest benefits. Measurement The compilation and publication of national data, statistics and information in the format of a GHG inventory. Reporting requirements to the UNFCCC (National Communications) may cover issues other than just those subject to measurement. The core elements of the national communications are information on emissions and removals of GHGs and details of the activities a country has undertaken to fulfill its commitments under UNFCCC. Activity data Reporting x GHG inventory Emission factors IPCC Public awareness = Measuring National circumstances Reporting GHG inventory Financial resources Refers to the process of independently checking the accuracy and reliability of reported information or the procedures used to generate information. The verification process concerns all the variables that were reported under REDD+. All the data, including the satellite and national forest inventory data are made available in order to allow the verification of the GHG inventory. The UNFCCC Secretariat, through its experts, will verify the reported data. Safeguards Vulnerability assessment Other forest benefits Transfer of technology Verification Submission For more information, please visit www.UN-REDD.org Independent Reviewers