REDD Fast-Track process threatens to reverse positive forest reforms and exclude local communities

The global mechanism to reduce emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD) threatens to reverse positive forestry reforms in developing countries that were already tackling the problem, a new study finds.

The report - published in the journal Science by Edward Webb and Jacob Phelps - examines how the scheme could soon become too valuable and complex, increasing the likelihood of local communities being excluded.

On a national level, the rush to enter a competitive carbon market would undermine a pre-existing “decentralisation trend” in poorer countries, where cash-strapped governments have been giving local communities and administrations more rights and powers to manage their forests.

Decentralised forest management is seen to have improved forest carbon storage and resulted in better incomes in a number of developing nations. REDD, the report outlines, is performance-based mechanism that would dramatically increase the market value of forests. The risk of non-payment resulting from local failures in forest management would prompt central governments to increase control.

Webb and Phelps say a properly constituted REDD scheme is complex and risks poor outcomes if rushed.

The report appeared days after a joint statement of concern was released (http://bit.ly/dpE4sB) (http://bit.ly/9hAmqO) by 42 environmental organisations, which denounced the Paris-Oslo process for failing to properly consider the interests of local peoples.

Rights and Resources Dialogue on Forests, Governments and Climate Change Conference in London highlights tensions over Paris-Oslo Initiative.

The Fourth Rights and Resources Initiative (RRI) Dialogue on Forests, Governance and Climate Change held in London last week, provided a well-timed opportunity to look at the current state of international negotiations on deforestation following COP15.

As a result of the general failure to achieve legal agreement, no binding decision was taken on REDD at COP15. It did however feature strongly in the Copenhagen accord and six countries pledged US$3.5 billion as a ‘fast-start’ interim finance to be paid between 2010 and 2012 when the Kyoto Protocol expires. This year, a number of other countries have announced contributions and the total amount pledged is now considered to be somewhere between 2.5 and 6 billion.

The Paris-Oslo initiative was the first ministerial level meeting on REDD, taking place on 11th March. The initiative aims to use the mandate established by Copenhagen to create a multilateral Interim REDD Partnership to secure coordination, transparency, progress and positive precedents with the available fast start interim funding. A second meeting is scheduled for 27th May in Oslo.

The Paris-Oslo initiative is currently a key dynamic in the global politics of deforestation. The RRI discussions highlighted various tensions associated with the process.

• Paul Watkinson of the French Ministry of Ecology, Environment and Sustainable Development spoke of the need for an operational text to move the process forward.
• Per F.I Pharo from the Government of Norway emphasized that trying to establish the perfect mechanism covering everything is over-ambitious and unreasonable in the given timeframe.
• A network of 40 civil society and indigenous peoples’ organisations had previously denounced the lack of transparency and participation in the Paris discussions in March: http://www.alertnet.org/db/blogs/64052/2010/03/14-101557-1.htm
• Rosalind Reeve from Global Witness, the main NGO observer to REDD, described the Paris meeting as “an appalling start” to the Paris-Oslo process, advocating for more attention to safeguards, and measuring, reporting and verifying (MRV). She said efforts by Norway to improve transparency such as parallel workshops and online conferencing were “not enough”.

Brazil’s climate change plan was mentioned by Dan Nepstad of The Woods Hole Research Centre, who stressed that an interim partnership should aim at REDD+ compliance that is efficient and ensures meaningful participation. Nepstad referred to the example that Brazil’s climate change plan is incompatible with its agricultural agenda.

UN-REDD 2009 Year in Review

In March one year ago the UN-REDD programme launched its initial REDD readiness process in nine pilot countries. By the end of the year a total of US$24 million had been approved by the policy board to speedily prepare national REDD+ strategies.

Of three pilot countries in South America, Paraguay continues to develop its national REDD programme, Panama was approved US$5.3 million in funding in October and Bolivia was last week approved US$4.7 million.

There is an increasing demand for UN-REDD worldwide as the programme received formal requests from Costa Rica, Mexico, Nigeria, Republic of Congo, the Solomon Islands and Sudan. UN-REDD has so far granted observer status to every country which has formally applied to the programme.

UN-REDD sought to safeguard the programme’s development by making contributions in three key areas:

• Measurement, reporting and verification (MRV)

A notable UN contribution was a Memorandum of Understanding signed in December between FAO and Brazil’s space agency INPE for the joint development of a land monitoring system.

• Ensuring the engagement of Indigenous Peoples and Civil Society in REDD+ projects

UN-REDD developed an operational guidance: “Engagement of Indigenous Peoples and other Forest Dependent Communities.” http://bit.ly/bX9qde

• Examining the multiple uses and benefits of forests

A technical paper, “Multiple Benefits – Issues and Options for REDD” was released at the UN Policy Board meeting in June. http://bit.ly/dBAdg5

O-ECO

The O Eco Association was founded in 2004 by two well known journalists and a respected political scientist in Brazil. Journalists Marcos Sá Correa and Kiko Brito were for many years editors of one of the most important newspapers in the country, Jornal do Brasil. Scholar Sérgio Abranches was already known for his classes at Federal University of Rio de Janeiro and his compelling articles in large circulation magazines. The idea behind creating a non governmental organization was to put together a team of experts to write on environmental issues.The Association has set as its main aim to create a network of young journalists all over Brazil with enough skills to combine into unique coverage of environmental issues.

The effort of joining experienced scholars and young journalists has also given origin to the main project of the Association, the environmental news website O Eco (www.oeco.com.br). This project was only possible due to donations from important institutions such as the Avina Foundation and The Hewlett Foundation.

During the last five years, the website has grown into one of the most celebrated environmental news services in Brazil. O Eco was the first media outlet in the country to offer in-depth coverage of issues such as corruption on management of forest resources, monitoring deforestation in the Amazon and the impacts of climate change on biodiversity. Surveys have shown that the news provided by O Eco influences decision makers. For example, a questionnaire carried out in 2006 showed that, at that point, roughly 60% of frequent users were directly or indirectly involved with jobs in the environmental sector.

In 2009, the O Eco Association has decided to innovate once again in creating new projects which will strengthen our capacity of dealing with issues in the whole Latin American continent, including the translation of the website content to English and Spanish.

Finally, it is worth mentioning that O Eco has won important prizes domestically and internationally due to the quality and commitment with environmental information. In 2006, we received a mention of honour from the Interamerican Press Society (IPS) and in 2008, the website's project The Route Of Smoke (http://www.trajetoriadafumaca.com.br/ ) won a special grant from Avina Foundation for journalistic investigation. More recently this very same project won the highest prize of the Earth Journalism Awards, which was celebration at the UN Climate Change Conference, in Copenhagen December 2009.

Indigenous Lands and Protected Areas (ILPAs)

Between 2003 and 2005, the Brazilian government created the unprecedented expanse of 600,000 km² of new protected areas. The World Bank estimates that 3.6 million square kilometers of tropical forests worldwide are designated as Indigenous Lands and Protected Areas (ILPAs). These areas, as large as Argentina and Chile combined, amount to more than a quarter of the world’s tropical forest resources.

As a REDD framework is negotiated, it is important to recognise ILPAs as a cheap, easy and effective way governments can protect forests and local livelihoods. Establishing and protecting a network of ILPAs would cost an estimated 9-13% of the capital that could be mobilized annually by international REDD frameworks. On a national level, expenses would also be avoided because of pre-existing infrastructures such as governmental protected areas departments and indigenous people’s agencies.

Simulating future deforestation rates, a report published last week showed how ILPAs established between 2003-2007 could prevent 272,000km² deforestation between now and 2050, equal to 3.3 +-1.1 GtC, more than 1/3 of the world's annual CO₂e emissions.

While forming barriers against frontier expansion, incorporating ILPAs in REDD also ensures that indigenous peoples are fully represented and can benefit from being part of the decision-making process.

http://www.plosbiology.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pbio.1000331