Readiness for reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation under uncertain, national circumstances

Readiness for the climate change mitigation scheme; Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation is a multi-disciplinary process. Linking the science, technical training, institutional support and wellbeing of populations, under conditions of information uncertainty can be challenging. Since 2010, the World Resources Institute and partners have been implementing a project in the Republic of Congo, Central Africa. To facilitate ownership a 'dismembered' approach, focusing on the science, technical training, stakeholder participation and institutional support was adopted. Dismemberment is differentiating actors into higher institutions of learning, government agencies and civil society organizations, improving understanding by a diversified range of beneficiaries. Diversifying actors ensures knowledge and information are processed at different levels of interest. Uncertainties are appraised, tolerated and accommodated even by competing actors confronted by different types of decision-making prerogatives. Open and iterative assessment of Readiness realities by the project; the science, policy and wellbeing, is encouraging a critical outlook to information incompleteness. This can facilitate trade-offs in resource management decisions and choices. Our deductions are that, Readiness for Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation at national level is a coordinated process. It comprises methodological, wellbeing; decision-making and land use considerations. Readiness is therefore, essentially about, building resilient human-ecological systems, under conditions of scientific uncertainty. Donors can therefore; positively influence a national Readiness process by targeting support to critical components of the process to enhance their function. Readiness experts on the other hand can help ensure donor effectiveness by robustly researching these critical components and actors thereby facilitating targeted support. Copyright © 2013 IJED (CESER Publications).