Core Team
UNNA CHOKKALINGAM
Founder and Executive Director, Forest Carbon Asia
Unna is a scientist, program manager and writer with over 20 years experience in the forestry and natural resource field. Unna holds a Master’s in Business Administration from the University of Chennai in India, a Master’s in Forestry from the University of Massachusetts in the USA, and a PhD in Forestry from the University of Maine in the USA. She worked for over seven years as a scientist at the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR), Indonesia. In that time she coordinated and conducted extensive research and dialogue on forests and related biophysical and socio-economic issues across Asia. Through her research and consulting work in recent years, she has become intimately familiar with forest carbon policy and market developments across the globe and ongoing REDD+ readiness efforts in different Asian countries. She is currently supporting a participatory forest policy development process in Lao PDR.
Unna has a deep and holistic understanding of the resources, policies, players and land use issues that shape the Asian region. She looks to bridge the divide between policy, business and science to deliver objective and insightful information and analysis on Asia’s attempts to protect its forests and deliver meaningful emissions reductions, while also meeting its social, environmental and economic needs. Through the Forest Carbon Asia Knowledge Management Platform, she is committed to promoting transparency, and facilitating open and free information sharing on the issues that matter.
Vientiane, Lao PDR. unna.c@forestcarbonasia.org
Phone: +856 21 353147, Mobile: +856 20 55504866
S. ANURADHA VANNIARACHCHY
Research and Communications Officer, Forest Carbon Asia
Anuradha is a co-founder of Forest Carbon Asia, being involved in its development since inception. He holds an Honours Degree in Forestry and Environmental Science from the University of Sri Jayewardenepura in Sri Lanka. Prior to working for Forest Carbon Asia, he worked for over three years as a forestry and environmental consultant in Sri Lanka, Lao PDR and Thailand. During that time he was involved in developing forest carbon projects under AR CDM and VCS standards, and in the validation and registration of AR CDM projects in Lao PDR. He was a member of the Mitigation Thematic working group of the Second National Communication (SNC) report of Sri Lanka to the UNFCCC. He has also conducted training on baseline studies for AR CDM project activities for forestry students at the National University of Laos.
Anuradha is very familiar with global CDM, REDD+ and voluntary carbon market developments through his past and present work. He plays a pivotal role in developing and maintaining Forest Carbon Asia’s information, research and networking services.
Kanazawa, Japan. anuradha.v@forestcarbonasia.org
Mobile: +81 80 42586406
Current Partners
Lowering Emissions in Asia’s Forests (LEAF) Program is a USAID-funded multi-year program being implemented by a consortium led by Winrock International Institute for Agricultural Development (Winrock International). Other
consortium partners are SNV Netherlands Development
Organization and Climate Focus.
The program’s goal is to strengthen capacities of developing countries in the Asian region to produce meaningful and sustainable reductions in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from the forestry-land use sector and to participate in and benefit from the emerging international Reduced Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation (REDD)-plus framework. Six core countries that the program is implemented are Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, Thailand and Vietnam.
One of the main objectives of the Program is to build the capacity of regional institutions facilitating the replication of REDD+ models, methods and tools and to foster information exchange and cooperation throughout the region.
Contact Person
Dr. David J. Ganz
Chief of Party
Lowering Emissions in Asia’s Forests (LEAF)
Bangkok, Thailand
Tel: +66 2 631 1259
Mobile: +66 (0) 81 936 1631
Email: dganz@leafasia.org
The REDD Desk is a collaborative platform for REDD and REDD Readiness, initiated by the Global Canopy Programme and the Forum on Readiness for REDD, represented by the Brazilian-based Amazon Environmental Research Institute (IPAM).
As tropical forest nations advance in their national REDD readiness processes, accessibility, transparency and utility of information are becoming increasingly key determinants of effective stakeholder engagement and, ultimately, of fast, effective and equitable adoption of the foundations for REDD itself. This applies equally to the centralised provision and dissemination of REDD information in an international policy context, as well as to the capacity of in-country governments and stakeholders to effectively collate, analyse and share their own information.
The REDD Desk aims to help empower key REDD stakeholders and accelerate REDD readiness by making information more readily accessible, by building capacity among governments and practitioner networks, and by creating tools to help bring innovation from the page to the field.
Contact person
Mr. Matt Leggett
Senior Manager
Global Canopy Programme
Oxford, UK
Email: m.leggett@globalcanopy.org
http://www.theredddesk.org/
SNV Netherlands Development Organisation is an international non-profit organization started in the Netherlands more than 40 years ago and now working across 36 countries worldwide. SNV believes that the success of any REDD+ scheme will ultimately depend on how effectively it is designed and introduced.
SNV’s experience has shown that lasting solutions for the protection and sustainable management of forests can only be generated if there is the will and ability of the state to make changes and if forest dependent communities have real and reliable incentives to manage forests. SNV has identified six areas for intervention necessary to make REDD+ work, while supporting the poor and enhancing biodiversity. They are:
- Low Emission Development Plans
- Benefit Distribution Systems
- Livelihood Linkages
- Participatory Forest Monitoring
- Social & Environmental Co-benefits
- Reduced Biomass Local Energy Solutions
SNV is currently carrying out eight REDD+ projects across the world.
Contact information:
SNV REDD+ Headquarters
Hanoi, Vietnam
Phone: +84 438463791
http://www.snvworld.org/
Mr. Richard McNally
Global Coordinator REDD+ Programme
Email: rmcnally@snvworld.org
Ms. Nguyen Dao Tuyet Nga
PR/Communications Officer
Email: ngandt@snvworld.org