ECOWAS Capacity Building Workshop on Sustainable Management of Forest (SMF) with a focus on REDD+

A workshop on sustainable management of forest with a focus on REDD+ was organised by ECREEE and its partners in Niamey from 27-29 April 2015 with the aim of enhancing capacities of member states on sustainable supply of woody biomass. The objective of the workshop was to share information and knowledge to enhance capacities of relevant actors within the wood energy sector value-chain.

Specific objectives of the workshop were as follow:

• Sensitize participants on the menace of unsustainable production of wood resources leading to deforestation and ecological degradation.
• Build capacities on sustainable management techniques of forests, particularly for stakeholders from local communities where charcoal production and firewood cutting are their main source of livelihood;
• Share best practices and challenges related to sustainable management of forests from within and outside the ECOWAS region;
• Inform and discuss integration of clean cooking energy into national energy policies and strategies as linkages between clean cooking and sustainable supply of woody biomass is undeniable; and
• Discuss the integration of sustainable management of forest into national forest and agricultural policies and strategies.

The workshop was held against the backdrop of high dependency of the region on traditional biomass use for domestic energy supply. The harvesting and use of biomass remains largely unsustainable with adverse consequences on the health of women and children with resultant degradation of the ecosystem. It is in this view that, the ECOWAS REDD+ activities was launched to support the supply side value chain of the ECOWAS bioenergy programme, with the demand side covered by the West Africa Clean Cooking Alliance (WACCA), established to promote clean, safe, efficient and affordable domestic energy solutions. More information on the WACCA and REDD+ activities could be obtained at www.ecreee.org.

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