Interaction between the FLEGT-VPA and REDD+ in Ghana: Recommendations for interaction management

Deforestation and forest degradation remain high worldwide, and one of the dominant underlying causes for this forest loss is illegal logging. Numerous international policies have been developed aimed at addressing these issues. This article studies two of these regimes, the European Union's Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade (FLEGT) action plan and its Voluntary Partnership Agreement (VPA) with Ghana, and the climate mitigation policy of reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD+). The interactions between these two international policies at the national level, namely in Ghana, are analyzed. The research shows numerous current and anticipated interactions between the two regimes. Most of these interactions potentially have a positive influence, but much depends on the future implementation of both regimes. The article makes recommendations on how to manage the interactions in order to improve the synergies and enhance effectiveness, including institutionalizing information sharing and learning, jurisdictional delimitation, and improving collaboration.

► The concept regime interaction is for the first time applied at the national level.
► The interactions between the FLEGT-VPA and REDD+ are studied in Ghana.
► Recommendations are made for interaction management between the two regimes.
► Most of the current and potential interactions between the two regimes are positive.
► Potential synergies in the future depend on how the regimes are implemented.