PNG has been a leading proponent of REDD+ at the international level and was one of the original UN-REDD Programme "pilot" countries. UN-REDD activities have to date focused on supporting effective stakeholder engagement, including through the development of guidelines for Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) and on developing technical elements of the country's national forest monitoring system. In 2013, the Programme provided technical input to the methodological design of the country's first national forest inventory, in collaboration with PNG Forest Authority. It also supported the operationalization of PNG's satellite forest monitoring system with the Office for Climate Change and Development.

Progress against the Warsaw Framework for REDD+

Apart from its National Programme, PNG is also involved in the regional initiative “Strengthening Regional Support to National
Forest Monitoring Systems for REDD+ in the Pacific” and supported on FREL/FRL with Fiji, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu (joint targeted support). (Section 4.50).

National REDD+ Strategy/Action Plan (NS/AP)
While work has not yet started on PNG’s National REDD+ Strategy (NRS), progress was made in 2015 towards the assessment of national circumstances that will feed into and inform strategy options that ultimately will be detailed in the NRS. A study was commissioned on the assessment of the drivers of deforestation and forest degradation in PNG, with the analytical work completed before the end of 2015 and consultation and presentation of the findings due to take place in early 2016. The study is accompanied by a long-list of policies and measures (PAMs) that address the country-specific direct and indirect drivers of deforestation and forest degradation that will be subjected to a consultative process in 2016 to select priority REDD+ actions. These in turn will form the basis of PNG’s NRS, a draft of which will be ready by the end of 2016 and which will undergo consultation and finalization in 2017.

Safeguards and Safeguards Information System (SIS)
The draft National Guidelines on Social and Environmental Safeguards were field tested in Milne Bay province at the end of 2014. The indicators identified in the current guidelines need
further detailing to cater for regional or provincial circumstances. The Web-portal will be one of the major REDD+ information dissemination tools in PNG, and includes information relevant to the national REDD+ safeguards processes. The Web-portal with forest and land use maps and REDD+ information was launched online in 2015 as described in the NFMS section below. A draft of the National Guidelines on FPIC for REDD+ Implementation is available, with sections of the operational guidelines field-tested in 2015.

Forest Reference Emission Level / Forest Reference Level (FREL/FRL)
A national consultation workshop was held in 2014. The purpose, scope, scale of PNG’s FREL/FRL was discussed and provisional agreement reached. The road map was also produced. Historical forest and land use assessments using Collect Earth and Terra PNG are planned in 2016. The historical average and trend of GHG emissions of forest and land use change in PNG will be assessed later in 2016. National development plans and the economic, social and political circumstances, and their influence on future land use change and the impact on GHG emissions were assessed in 2015 of which the report is currently under preparation. GHG emissions from forest degradation caused by commercial logging were also assessed in 2015. After the information of historical forest and land use change in PNG become available later in 2016, PNG’s national FREL/FRL will be documented for submission to UNFCCC by the end of 2016. The country is also supported together with Fiji, Guinea, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu through a joint targeted support on FREL/ FRL.

National Forest Monitoring System (NFMS)
Satellite Land Monitoring System (SLMS) in PNG is nearly established. PNG SLMS consists of two different RS/GIS systems using Collect Earth (point sampling) and Terra PNG (wall to wall mapping). PNG Forest Authority (PNGFA) has completed the national forest and land use assessment using Collect Earth in 2014 and the draft publication was prepared in 2015. The Climate Change and Development Authority has completed the Terra PNG assessment in January 2016. Both organizations will conduct historical land use change assessment in 2016. The two different Remote Sensing/GIS monitoring systems operated by two different government organizations provide in-county verification system for ensuring the accuracy and the reliability of the forest and land use information.

The methodology of National Forest Inventory was established, forest was stratified based on the Collect Earth assessment, 1000 clusters to be surveyed were selected and mapped, the capacity of PNGFA and collaborating organizations were built through numerous trainings, and the field sampling was commenced in December 2015. It will take a few years for NFI to be completed. However, the preliminary NFI data and information of previous studies in PNG will contribute to develop tentative Emission Factors to estimate GHG emissions on forest and land use change.

Web-portal including forest and land use information and maps produced by Collect Earth and Terra PNG assessment was developed and launched on internet in October 2015 for testing and consultation purposes. All the stakeholders agreed to make the Web-portal available to public and it will be officially launched by the Prime Minister on 9th March 2016. The Web- portal disseminates the land use and REDD+ information for ensuring transparency of PNG REDD+ process. PNG is also involved in the regional initiative “Strengthening Regional Support to National Forest Monitoring Systems for REDD+ in the Pacific” (targeted support).

Challenges and Solutions
REDD+ is a cross-sectoral issue and as such it is always challenging implementing activities with multiple partner organizations. The establishment and launching of the web- portal was one of the most difficult cases because the data and information shown in the Web-portal were provided by many organizations from both the government and private sector. Numerous meetings and consultative workshops with all relevant stakeholders were held. It was a lengthy process but ultimately agreement was reached to launch the Web-portal to make the information publicly available. Such processes often taken longer than anticipated, however this is a necessary process and it is important to spend sufficient time and effort to ensure all stakeholders understand the necessity and importance of the work.

National REDD+ Strategy/Action Plan (NS/AP)

While work has not yet started on PNG’s National REDD+ Strategy (NRS), progress was made in 2015 towards the assessment of national circumstances that will feed into and inform strategy options that ultimately will be detailed in the NRS. A study was commissioned on the assessment of the drivers of deforestation and forest degradation in PNG, with the analytical work completed before the end of 2015 and consultation and presentation of the findings due to take place

in early 2016. The study is accompanied by a long-list of policies and measures (PAMs) that address the country-specific direct and indirect drivers of deforestation and forest degradation that will be subjected to a consultative process in 2016 to select priority REDD+ actions. These in turn will form the basis of PNG’s NRS, a draft of which will be ready by the end of 2016 and which will undergo consultation and finalization in 2017.

Safeguards and Safeguards Information System (SIS)

The draft National Guidelines on Social and Environmental Safeguards were field tested in Milne Bay province at the end of 2014. The indicators identified in the current guidelines need

further detailing to cater for regional or provincial circumstances. The Web-portal will be one of the major REDD+ information dissemination tools in PNG, and includes information relevant to the national REDD+ safeguards processes. The Web-portal with forest and land use maps and REDD+ information was launched

online in 2015 as described in the NFMS section below. A draft of the National Guidelines on FPIC for REDD+ Implementation is available, with sections of the operational guidelines field-tested in 2015.

Forest Reference Emission Level / Forest Reference Level (FREL/FRL)