REDD countries

The Forest Department under the Ministry of Environment (MoE) is currently the focal point for all REDD activities. The draft NJP proposes the establishment of a multi-stakeholder National REDD+ Programme Management Committee (NPMC) under the leadership of MoE to oversee the REDD readiness process. A special REDD Programme Management Unit (PMU) is to be set up in the Forest Department under the supervision of a Conservator of Forests to implement the NJP, and coordinate and supervise other REDD+ activities in the country (Bandaratillake, 2011). Key multilateral agencies, NGOs and NGO groups that have been involved in forest conservation and/or forest carbon activities in Sri Lanka are IUCN Sri Lanka, Sri Lanka Nature Group (a network of 118 organizations) and the Green Movement of Sri Lanka Inc. (Composed of 20 civil organizations) (Chokkalingam & Vanniarachchy, 2011).

Forest and forest related issues in Sri Lanka are under the purview of the FD and the Department of Wildlife Conservation (DWC) (Ministry of Agrarian Services and Wildlife) of the Central Government. Although land management has been decentralized to provincial and local authorities, the authority of forestland management is still vested in the central government and several agencies within the central government (De Zoysa & Inoue, 2008). Thus future REDD+ activities come within the purview of both the Central Government and Provincial Councils.