Reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation

REDD stands for Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD). REDD is a set of steps or mechanism designed to use market/financial incentives in order to reduce the emissions of greenhouse gases from deforestation and forest degradation. Its original objective is to reduce green house gases but it can deliver "co-benefits" such as biodiversity conservation and poverty alleviation. REDD credits offer the opportunity to utilize funding from developed countries to reduce deforestation in developing countries.

"Reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation" implies a distinction between the two activities. The process of identifying the two is what raises questions about how to measure each within the REDD mechanism, therefore their distinction is vital. Deforestation is the permanent removal of forests and withdrawal of land from forest use. Forest degradation refers to negative changes in the forest area that limit its production capacity.

In recent years, estimates for deforestation and forest degradation were shown to account for 20-25% of greenhouse gas emissions, higher than the transportation sector. Recent work shows that the combined contribution of deforestation, forest degradation and peatland emissions accounts for about 15% of greenhouse gas emissions, about the same as the transportation sector. Even with these new numbers it is increasingly accepted that mitigation of global warming will not be achieved without the inclusion of forests in an international regime. As a result, it is expected to play a crucial role as a future successor to the Kyoto Protocol.

History

In the 1997 global climate agreement, Kyoto Protocol, policies related to deforestation and degradation were excluded because of a possible leakage problem with such policies. After the exclusion, deforestation rose particularly in Brazil resulting in the the Coalition of Rainforest Nations. These nations included Papua New Guinea and Costa Rica and other forest nations.

In 2005, at the 11th Conference of the Parties (COP-11), the Coalition of Rainforest Nations initiated a request to consider 'reducing emissions from deforestation in developing countries.' The matter was referred to the Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technical Advice (SBSTA). The United States challenged the proposal but failed in its attempts.

Later, at the 2007 Bali UNFCCC meeting (COP-13), an agreement was reached on “the urgent need to take further meaningful action to reduce emissions from deforestation and forest degradation”. The deadline for reaching an agreement on the specifics of an international REDD mechanism, at least as regards to it being implemented in the short and medium term, is the 15th Conference of the Parties to the UNFCCC (COP-15) which will be held in Copenhagen in December 2009.

Main actors

REDD activities are undertaken by national or local governments, NGOs, the private sector, or any combination of these. A number of NGOs, development agencies, research institutes and international organizations support developing countries that wish to engage in REDD activities. The World Bank's Forest Carbon Partnership Facility World Banks's Forest Carbon Partnership Facility, the UN-REDD Programme, Norway's International Climate and Forest Initiative Norway's International Climate and Forest Initiative are such examples. The genuine actors of REDD, however, will be the populations whose livelihoods derive from forests. Indigenous Peoples and forest-dependent communities will be the front liners of REDD, and the success of REDD activities will largely depend on their engagement.

Active international organizations

REDD has received great support from international organizations. The World Bank presently plays an important role in the progression of REDD activities. The World Bank as one of the financial contributor for the REDD program, has created a $300 million fund, the Forest Carbon Partnership Facility (FCPF). This fund is aimed towards initiating REDD activities in developing countries. In addition, another World Bank facility, Carbon Partnership Facility (CPF) expected to be use in areas like the power sectors, transportation, urban development and energy efficiently where greenhouse gases are generated.

The UNDP, UNEP and FAO set up the UN-REDD Programme, which is aimed to assist nine developing countries address certain measures needed in order to effectively participate in the REDD mechanism. These measures include capacity development, governance, and technical needs. The selected nine countries include Bolivia, Democratic Republic of Congo, Indonesia, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Tanzania, Vietnam, and Zambia. It recently promised US$18 million to five of these countries.

Active governments

In relation with national governments, the REDD mechanism has received positive reactions. At the 2007 Bali Conference, the Norwegian government announced their International Climate and Forests Initiative, which provided $500 million towards the creation and implementation of national-based, REDD activities in the nation of Tanzania. The Norwegian government will work closely with international organizations such as UN-REDD to promote REDD activities in the area. In addition, the Government of Norway and United Kingdom contributed $200 million towards the Congo Basin Forest Fund to aid forest conservation actives in Central Africa. Australia has joined the efforts to promote REDD mechanisms. With its efforts aimed towards their region, areas like Indonesia, and Papua New Guinea, their $200 million International Forest Carbon Initiative focused on developing REDD activities in the region.

Key questions

A number of questions are being discussed and will inform the decisions on REDD at the upcoming 15th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. They include:

* The structure of funding mechanisms

* Setting reference levels to measure the reduction in emissions. Will it be based on current emissions levels or historical deforestation rates, a business-as-usual scenario? Will countries with different forest covers and historic deforestation rates hold different interests in the way the reference levels are constructed? Involving countries with high forest covers and low historic deforestation rates will be necessary to reduce perverse incentives.

* Monitoring, reporting and verification of forest cover and biomass and other outputs. Current research focuses on ways to remotely monitor the progression of deforestation using satellite data. Such systems include the Center for Global Development's Forest Monitoring for Action (FORMA) and the Group on Earth Observation's Forest Carbon Tracking Portal.

* Participation of Indigenous peoples and Forest-Dependent Communities in the design, implementation and monitoring of REDD activities, and respect for their human rights

* Distribution of benefits: How can the benefits from REDD be distributed to forest communities in a just, equitable way that minimizes capture of the benefits by national governments or local elites?
* Strategies to prevent "carbon leakage", caused by the displacement of deforestation to other areas

* Achieving multiple benefits, for example the conservation of biodiversity and ecosystem services (such as watersheds), and social benefits (for example income and improved forest governance).

Concerns

* The availability of a large supply of potentially cheap carbon credits could provide an avenue for companies in the developed world to simply purchase REDD credits without providing meaningful emission reductions at home.

* Large number of carbon credits could swamp developing carbon markets...but could also facilitate ambitious emissions targets in a post-Kyoto agreement.

* Putting a commercial value on forests neglects the spiritual value they hold for Indigenous Peoples and local communities.

* There is no consensus on a definition for forest degradation.

* Fair distribution of REDD benefits will not be achieved without a prior reform in forest governance and more secure tenure systems in many countries.

REDD-Plus

* In 2007, at the Conference of the Parties to the UNFCCC in Bali (COP-13) an agreement was reached called the Bali Action Plan. As defined, its aims are directed toward forest conservation, sustainable forest management and the enhancement of carbon stocks.

* REDD-plus calls for activities with serious implications directed towards the local communities, indigenous people and forests which relate to reducing emission from deforestation and forest degradation. Therefore this will involve enhancing existing forests and increasing forest cover. In order to meet these objectives, policies need to address enhancement of carbon stocks by providing funding and investments in these areas.

From http://en.wikipedia.org/