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the conservation of forest biodiversity and ecosystem services
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, such as water regulation, soil
conservation and the provision of timber, food and other non-timber forest products.
There is a risk of environmental harms, as well as an opportunity for multiple benefits, from
REDD+. These harms can include adverse impacts on areas not targeted by REDD+ activities,
for example arising from displacement of land-use change, and direct impacts of REDD+ activities
such as the development of planted forests in areas of importance for biodiversity. Understanding
the potential for benefits as well as risks from REDD+ can help in the planning and
implementation of the mechanism. Here we present selected results from spatial analyses on the
potential for REDD+ biodiversity benefits and risks as a contribution to REDD+ planning
processes in the DRC
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.
REDD+ and the UN-REDD Programme in the DRC
REDD+ presents an opportunity to address the issue of deforestation and forest degradation in
the DRC, while at the same time supporting sustainable development of the country. The UN-
REDD Programme, i.e. the United Nations Collaborative Programme on Reducing Emissions
from Deforestation and Forest Degradation in Developing Countries, assists countries to prepare
for REDD+. The DRC was one of the first nine countries to receive financial support from the UN-
REDD Programme for its REDD readiness activities. The country’s REDD+ strategy has two main
aims: (1) reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation, and (2) reducing poverty
in line with the DRC’s Poverty Reduction Strategy (Ministry of Environment Nature Conservation
and Tourism, 2010). To make it possible to achieve these aims, the DRC’s Readiness Plan for
REDD includes activities addressing the country’s governance system, economy, socio-cultural
context and its environment. It also recognises the importance of understanding and addressing
the synergies and trade-offs between REDD+ and both ecosystem services and biodiversity
conservation in the DRC.
Forests and biodiversity in the DRC
The Democratic Republic of the Congo, covering more than 2.3 million square kilometres of land,
is the second largest nation in Africa. The country is located in the heart of Sub-Saharan Africa
and is bordered by the Central African Republic and South Sudan to the north, Uganda, Rwanda,
Burundi and Tanzania to the east, Zambia and Angola to the south, and the Republic of Congo
and the Atlantic Ocean to the west (figure 14)
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Ecosystem services are the benefits people obtain from ecosystems. These include provisioning
services such as food, water, timber, and fibre; regulating services that affect climate, floods, disease,
wastes, and water quality; cultural services that provide recreational, aesthetic, and spiritual benefits;
and supporting services such as soil formation, photosynthesis, and nutrient cycling (Millennium
Ecosystem Assessment, 2005).
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A more detailed report will be published in early 2012 (Musampa Kamungandu
et al.
in prep.).