Bhutan has identified the forestry sector as a key contributor to its climate mitigation and adaptation agenda through its Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC). As such the country has been engaging in REDD+ readiness since 2013, and is progressing through the readiness to demonstration phases of REDD+ with funding support from the Forest Carbon Partnership Facility (FCPF) of the World Bank.   

However, during the process of implementing the REDD+ Readiness, certain activities which were not part of the initial FCPF proposal have come up, which requires to be implemented for further completion of the REDD+ readiness phase. Therefore, the main objective of the current proposal is to complement the REDD+ Readiness phase of Bhutan, so that the country is fully ready for implementing and participating in the international REDD+ program post 2020.   

The readiness project will look to address the gaps related to stakeholder engagement and coordination in addressing climate change, private sector involvement in the forestry sector, forest fire management (coordination and climate change hazard mapping for forest fire), agroforestry and urban forest management, water sources management for reviving drying springs. Additionally, the current proposal will complement activities such as forest management in terms of conducting the national forest inventory and forest reference emission level/forest reference level.