Prospects for REDD+. Local Forest Management and Climate Change Mitigation in Burkina Faso

Summary

The purpose of the report is to provide an up-to-date overview of issues relating to forests and livelihoods in Burkina Faso, and to provide guidance in relation to the development of pro-poor REDD policies in the light of that overview. The two main parts of the report are a literature review of rural livelihoods literature in Burkina Faso from a REDD+ perspective and a local case study of a forest management area. The report concludes with a discussion of the implications of the report for future policy and research agendas.  Burkina Faso is one of eight pilot countries of the Forest Investment Program (FIP). Although the country’s forests have relatively low carbon content, there is hope that Burkina Faso can provide lessons learned to be replicated in other countries with tropical semi-arid lands. Burkina Faso is believed to have good institutional capacity for dealing with issues of rural development, forests and environment. However, our study indicates that the reality is not quite that simple.  Burkina Faso is one of the poorest countries in the world. Fifty-six point five percent of the population live on less than 1.25 USD per day and over 81% live on less than 2 USD per day (UNDP, 2009). Agricultural productivity is generally low. In the northern parts of the country, agriculture and other land-use activities are threatened by decreased rainfall and recurring droughts. Forestry is deemed one of the sectors most vulnerable to changes in climate because of its direct dependence on rainfall and temperature and its importance for the rural population as well as the country as a whole (Burkina Faso, 2007).