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Congo Basin Forests & Climate Change Adaptation (CoFCCA – Central Africa)
Kick of Meeting
Background
There is great concern of the consequence of climate impacts on national development and livelihood in Sub Saharan Africa under their current vulnerability and inability to respond adequately. Creating both public and policy awareness therefore, is an important step in raising the profile of climate change implications on other national development programs like poverty reduction, food security and public health which presently constitute greater proportions of national spending priorities.
The Congo Basin Forests represent one of few major global potential routes in responding to climate change. The forests have important roles to play in reducing both current emission levels, and in safeguarding various carbon pools in stable forms from contributing to increase emission levels if anthropogenic perturbations are minimized or kept out completely. How to achieve this under fragile social systems and institutions surrounding the forests basin, remain a major challenge especially under emerging market opportunities for both timber and non timber forest products. These carbon stocks in plant biomass also provide livelihood and national development opportunities crucial for adaptation to climate impacts. It is important therefore to find appropriate ways in balancing activities for carbon retention for mitigation and sequestration, and carbon use for adaptation and economic growth and development.
There is a growing need to integrate climate change adaptation into development decision-making. In the case of the Central African region, forest is at the nucleus of economic and other development activities and also harboring a greater proportion of the population most of whom are highly vulnerable to climate impacts. Thus, it is primordial to effect this integration of climate change adaptation into forest decision-making and implementation policies in the region.
As an ecosystem surrounded by multiple stakeholders sharing resources, there is still an opportunity to respond to climate change under the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities in a creative way that allows for mutual co-existence. This would require an increase in the momentum and strives for an equitable, affordable and acceptable approach that does not harm the forest ecosystem and is driven by participatory action and dialogue process.
The Congo Basin Forests & Climate Change Adaptation (CoFCCA) project in Central Africa will hold its first regional kick off meeting on June 23-25, 2008 in Yaoundé, Cameroon, to formally lunch its activities in the region. This meeting will also provide the following opportunities:
- Jointly identify and prioritize highly vulnerable forest goods and service sectors to climate change at both national and regional scales,
- Share views on a common methodological approach in evaluating vulnerability and adaptation of key sectors of national and regional interest to climate change, and
- Initiate regional policy dialogue on climate change adaptation.
During the meeting, various stakeholders, experts and policymakers including invited participants will share their national, regional and international experiences on adaptation to climate change. The meeting will also explore opportunities for a regional framework on adaptation building on the regional policy platform (COMIFAC) for the management of the Congo Basin Forests. Other transboundary activities crucial for biodiversity conservation, natural resource flow and transhumance activities which are directly relevant for climate change adaptation in the region will be discussed. The outcome of the meeting is expected to involve jointly prioritized forest-based national development sectors for adaptation focus of the project; networks with national and regional climate change adaptation initiatives for implementation, and a set of future milestones and follow up mechanisms.