The Norwegian government will fund $100 million to help Vietnam implement the second phase of the Program on Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation in Developing Countries (REDD). The information was released at a recent meeting between senior consultants from the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (Norad) and leaders of the central highlands province of Lam Dong to review the program’s outcomes. The second phase of the program will be carried out in six other provinces in the next five years while the $4-million first phase have been carried out in two districts of Lam Ha and Di Linh in Lam Dong province since Sept 2009 with the aim to cut greenhouse emissions and deal with global climate change. The consultant group hailed initial results of REDD program that the province has achieved, including attracting over 5,000 local people and organizing more than 80 community references in efforts to raise the public awareness of forest protection and greenhouse emission mitigation. Lam Dong province was selected for the program because it has the largest forest coverage in the country and experience in implementing major forestry programs. Vietnam is one of nine countries in the world chosen by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) to implement the UN-REDD program. (bee.net.vn Mar 17, Tien Phong – Pioneer Mar 18)
