Real-time evaluation of Norway’s international climate and forest initiative: Guyana
As a high forest cover/low deforestation rate country, Guyana has been keen to engage in a pilot of reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD) to utilise payments for the environmental services. This paper aims to determine the relevance, effectiveness and efficiency of Norway’s support to Guyana in terms of REDD aspects, and draw preliminary lessons and recommendations.
Guyana has huge interest in capturing REDD payments as a means of protecting its forest resources, as well as using generated funds to support a Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS). The memorandum signed in 2009 between Guyana and Norway arranged for financial mechanisms and secured the important safeguards required for REDD purposes. Particularly, the agreement covered the issues of reducing deforestation against an agreed baseline rate, as well as the fulfillment of a set of 'enabling activities'.
Norwegian support to Guyana is judged moderately or highly relevant and effective, but of rather limited efficiency. Nevertheless, it has huge potential to assist wider development within the bounds of appropriate, mutually agreeable safeguards. The most notable changes that can be linked to the support relate to much tighter control at field level of both forestry and mining, the two major drivers of forest loss and degradation.
Recommendations for the partners include:
- identifying activities proposed in the LCDS where there could be potential conflicts with agreed safeguard requirements, and agree on this with the government
- prioritising efforts to build capacity and leave local communities in charge of their own affairs
- discussing the situation of the urban poor and give more consideration to the lack of direct benefits from REDD to forest users
- considering permanent representation by Norway in Guyana
- discussing revalidating the National Forestry Standard with a view to securing verified certification for production forests.
