Nigeria has underscored the need for the industrial nations to support the developing nations to fast track the pace of activities to reduce carbon emissions through deforestation and forest degradation.

Minister of Environment, John Odey, made this submission recently in Oslo, Norway while addressing the Oslo Climate and Forest Conference. The conference was organised by the Norwegian Government as part of international efforts to combat climate change.

According to Odey, support to the developing countries for Reduce Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+) would be a critical factor in the efforts of such nations to develop national strategies for climate change mitigations.

He noted that the Nigerian government had initiated a multi-stakeholders sensitisation and awareness creation programme on the importance of REDD+ as part of preparation for the National REDD+ strategy.

He said, "The REDD+ strategy will be structured along the newly approved National Forest Policy, which has been put in place to address the problems of deforestation, desertification and climate change effects. The policy would enhance stakeholder participation in forest resource management, strengthening institutional capacity on forest resources, promote research and regulations and enhance forestry industry development."

Giving a profile of the forest resource in Nigeria, the minister said, "Nigeria is well endowed with forest resources, accounting for about 2.5 percent of the Gross Domestic Products."

He however added that Nigeria was experiencing an annual rate of deforestation of about 3.5 percent, resulting from illegal and uncontrolled logging, incessant and uncontrolled bush burning, overgrazing, unsustainable fuel wood gathering, oil spillage from exploration activities and inappropriate agricultural practices.

He noted that a National Technical Committee and National Steering Committee on REDD+ had been established so that Nigeria could properly key into the REDD+ programme.

He added, "The committee structure is being replicated at the local government levels across the country. Nigeria supports a performance-based and transparent approach in the REDD+ programme. We have also expressed interest to participate in the Forest Carbon Partnership Facility and the Forest Investment programme. Nigeria currently works with the Prince of Wales Rainforest Project and we firmly support this partnership being advanced in Oslo today."

The Oslo Conference drew delegates from 55 countries from several civil society organisations and the private sector. Addressing the conference, the Prince of Wales, Prince Charles, warned that unless nations rose up to contain the growing rate of deforestation, the entire world would soon reach an irreversible point of climate change calamity.

The Oslo Conference established a voluntary, non-legally binding framework for the REDD+ Partnership among nations ahead of the Sixteenth Conference of Parties (COP 16) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) scheduled to hold in November/December 2010 in Cacun, Mexico.