Peter Stephen, the IDSS Manager for Environmental Programs has recently developed a number of important training and resource manuals on Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation (REDD) and facilitated several influential training programs.

 

Late in 2008, Peter led a global training program to enhance the understanding of the critical issues surrounding the development of REDD processes for staff and partners of Climate, Community, and Biodiversity Alliance (CCBA); Conservation International (CI); German Technical Cooperation (GTZ); The Nature Conservancy (TNC); Rainforest Alliance (RA); and the World Wildlife Fund (WWF).This important capacity building program was complemented by the development of two important publications: (1) a REDD resource manual, and (2) a REDD training manual. Both manuals are now available on the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCC) website, including French and Spanish translations of the REDD resource manual. A Portuguese translation is expected to be available soon and GTZ Germany is planning to translate the manuals into Vietnamese to support their forestry work in Vietnam.

 

The REDD Resource and Training Manuals were officially launched by TNC at the combined thirtieth session of the UNFCCC Convention subsidiary bodies – SBSTA and SBI, the sixth session of the AWG-LCA and eighth session of the AWG-KP (informally known as the recent ‘Bonn meeting’). Both manuals can also be downloaded from the TNC website. 

 

The resource and training manuals have been successfully used by The Forest Biodiversity Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity UNEP at their last Sub-regional Capacity Building Workshop on Forest Biodiversity and Climate Change and are now keen to use it again on a further training in Singapore in September.

 

Due to the success of the ‘global’ training program, Peter has also been asked to develop up regional and country specific REDD capacity building programs, including a specific program for grass-roots forestry stakeholders in the Lower Mekong Countries for the Regional Community Forestry Training Centre (RECOFTC) and a specific Indonesian manual for GTZ (currently underway).

 

As a further aid to promote Sustainable Forest Management in the Asia-Pacific region, IDSS, through Peter, is currently working with the Asia Pacific Network for Sustainable Forest Management and Rehabilitation (en.apfnet.cn/) and TNC on the development and implementation of a capacity building program on “Methods, Tools and Skills for Promoting Legal and Sustainable Forest Management and Trade in the Asia-Pacific region.” This training program will be held in Lijiang, China in early September.

 

For further information on IDSS environment programs, please contact –

Peter Stephen
Manager-Environmental Programs
PT IDSS, Indonesia
T +62 (0)361 289 735
Mob +62 (0) 815 575 3412