b uild ing e ffo rts to o . While re m o te se nsing c o uld b e use d to m o nito r fo re st c o ve r a nd he nc e d e fo re sta tio n fa irly re lia b ly, the sa m e is no t g e ne ra lly true o f
d e g ra d a tio n, w he re m o re g ro und -b a se d m e a sure m e nt a re re q uire d . Sa te llite
a nd a irp la ne -b a se d se nso rs und e r d e ve lo p m e nt, suc h a s ra d a r a nd LIDAR, a re like ly to imp ro ve o ur c a p a b ilitie s.
3. Fo re sts a nd the UNFC C C
De fo re sta tio n a nd re la te d e m issio ns ha ve b e e n a n im p o rta nt p a rt o f the sc ie ntific a nd p o litic a l d isc ussio ns sinc e the sta rt o f the ne g o tia tio ns o n the
UNFC C C a nd its Kyo to Pro to c o l. All c o untrie s tha t sig ne d the UNFC C C o r “ Pa rtie s to the UNFC C C ” a g re e d to p ro te c t a nd c o nse rve re se rvo irs o f c a rb o n,
inc lud ing fo re sts
6
, b ut so fa r this ha s ha d little e ffe c t. Whe n p a rtie s to the UNFC C C c re a te d the
Kyo to Pro to c o l
in 1997, e sta b lishing m a nd a to ry re d uc tio ns ta rg e ts fo r ind ustria lize d c o untrie s, the y a lso se t up the
C le a n De ve lo p m e nt Me c ha nism C DM
, a llo wing c o untrie s with tho se ta rg e ts to g e t c a rb o n c re d it fo r p ro je c ts in d e ve lo p ing c o untrie s. Whe the r d e fo re sta tio n w o uld b e inc lud e d in
the C DM w a s c o ntro ve rsia l a s the re w e re m a ny p ro b le m s with a p ro je c t-b a se d a p p ro a c h: b a se line unc e rta inty, d isp la c e m e nt b e yo nd the p ro je c t b o und a rie s,
a b ility to a c hie ve b io d ive rsity o b je c tive s if le a ka g e o c c urs, a nd c o nc e rns with the und e rm ining o f e ffo rts to re d uc e fo ssil fue l e m issio ns if a la rg e num b e r o f
c re d its b e c o m e a va ila b le a t lo w c o st. The re fo re , so -c a lle d “ a vo id e d d e fo re sta tio n” c re d its w e re e xc lud e d fro m the Kyo to Pro to c o l.
At the 11
th
C o nfe re nc e o f the Pa rtie s C O P to the UNFC C C in De c e m b e r 2005, Pa p ua Ne w G uine a , C o sta Ric a a nd a g ro up o f tro p ic a l fo re st c o untrie s
the C o a litio n fo r Ra info re st Na tio ns, C fRN
p ut fo rw a rd a p ro p o sa l to c o nsid e r a p p ro a c he s to re d uc e e m issio ns fro m d e fo re sta tio n RED in d e ve lo p ing
c o untrie s using a
na tio na l e m issio ns a p p ro a c h
. This p ro p o sa l w a s w e lc o m e d b y m a ny Pa rtie s, p rima rily b e c a use o f the ne w fo c us, w hic h re so lve s so m e o f the
issue s fro m the p re vio us ‘ a vo id e d d e fo re sta tio n’ d isc ussio n fo c using o n p ro je c t le ve l o r sub -na tio na l a p p ro a c he s. The C O P re fe rre d the issue to the
Sub sid ia ry Bo d y fo r Sc ie ntific a nd Te c hnic a l A d vic e SBSTA
, w hic h ha s re c e ive d num e ro us sub m issio ns a nd he ld tw o w o rksho p s FC C C SBSTA 2006 10 a nd
FC C C SBSTA 2007 3. The SBSTA c ha ir ha s p ro p o se d d ra ft c o nc lusio ns a nd p re p a re d d ra ft d e c isio n te xt o n RED to b e d isc usse d a t C O P13 in Ba li
FC C C SBSTA 2007 L.10
.
4. Po lic y o p tio ns fo r Re d uc ing Em issio ns fro m De fo re sta tio n a nd Fo re st De g ra d a tio n REDD
6
UNFCCC,
Artic le 4.1c .
The re is b ro a d a g re e m e nt tha t the p o st-2012 e m issio ns c o ntro l re g im e sho uld inc lud e inc e ntive s to re d uc e e m issio ns fro m d e fo re sta tio n fo r tro p ic a l c o untrie s
a nd tha t a ny re d uc tio ns m ust b e re a l a nd ve rifia b le . The re is a lso b ro a d a g re e m e nt tha t if Anne x I Pa rtie s a re to use re d uc e d d e fo re sta tio n to m e e t p a rt
o f the ir na tio na l c o m m itm e nts, the y m ust ta ke c o rre sp o nd ing ly d e e p e r re d uc tio n ta rg e ts. Re lia b le fund ing is ne e d e d fo r a ll d e ve lo p ing c o untrie s w he re
tro p ic a l d e fo re sta tio n o c c urs, a nd the re is a g re e me nt tha t a
va rie ty o f fund ing so urc e s a nd p o lic y o p tio ns
will b e ne e d e d to a c hie ve na tio na l le ve l re d uc tio ns in d e fo re sta tio n.
The re a re a va rie ty o f
m a rke t
a nd
no n- m a rke t
p o lic y o p tio ns o n the ta b le to re d uc e e m issio ns fro m d e fo re sta tio n. NG O s a nd m a ny Pa rtie s g e ne ra lly a g re e
tha t b o th m a rke t a nd no n-m a rke t inc e ntive s will b e ne e d e d to p ro vid e a d e q ua te re so urc e s to a ffe c t d e fo re sta tio n ra te s. Bo th a p p ro a c he s ha ve p ro s
a nd c o ns. So m e a rg ue tha t if d e fo re sta tio n re d uc tio ns a re re a l a nd ve rifia b le the y sho uld b e fre e ly tra d a b le fo r fo ssil fue l re d uc tio ns o r e m issio ns a llo w a nc e s,
o r “ fully fung ib le ” . O the rs a re c o nc e rne d tha t a llo wing fo re st c re d its unlim ite d a c c e ss to c a rb o n m a rke ts will w e a ke n inc e ntive s fo r re d uc ing fo ssil fue l
e m issio ns. Fina nc ing fro m so urc e s no t c o up le d to the inte rna tio na l c a rb o n m a rke t is a lso
p o ssib le . Ho w e ve r, a fund a p p ro a c h m a y no t b e a b le to p ro vid e e no ug h fund ing to m e e t d e ve lo p ing c o untry ne e d s.
Figure 2. Deforestation in the Amazon. Source: Greg Asner, Stanford University and Carnegie Institution of Washington, Stanford, CA, USA
50 km
Any e ffe c tive re g im e to re d uc e na tio na l d e fo re sta tio n will ne e d , a t le a st, to 1 sup p o rt g o ve rnm e nts to m o nito r a nd m e a sure d e fo re sta tio n tra nsp a re ntly a nd
to im p ro ve e nviro nm e nta l la w e nfo rc e m e nt a nd fo re st g o ve rna nc e ; 2 p ro vid e d ire c t b e ne fits to lo c a l, ind ig e no us a nd tra d itio na l fo re st p e o p le s; a nd 3 o ffe r
inc e ntive s fo r b usine sse s with le g a l rig hts to d e fo re st, to fo rg o tho se rig hts. The
C fRN
sup p o rts a “ fle xib le b a ske t” o f m e c ha nism s, inc lud ing c a rb o n m a rke t c re d iting fo r na tio na l-le ve l d e fo re sta tio n re d uc tio ns b e lo w a n histo ric a l b a se line ,
o ffic ia l a ssista nc e fund s, a nd ta xe s o n Kyo to o r p o st-2012 e missio ns a llo w a nc e s.
Bra zil
sup p o rts a fund m a d e up fro m No rthe rn c o untry d o na tio ns tha t w o uld p ro vid e inc e ntive s fo r tro p ic a l c o untrie s fo r re d uc ing na tio na l d e fo re sta tio n
b e lo w a n histo ric a l b a se line .
Ind ia
a nd
C hina
a lso w a nt so m e typ e o f c o m p e nsa tio n fo r m a inta ining c a rb o n sto c ks .
C o ng o Ba sin
c o untrie s w a nt m a rke t inc e ntive s a nd a id fo r c o nse rving la rg e a re a s o f fo re st tha t ha ve
histo ric a lly no t ha d hig h d e fo re sta tio n ra te s. The
EU
sup p o rts p o sitive inc e ntive s fo r REDD a nd hig hlig hts the ne e d fo r a p e rfo rm a nc e b a se d a p p ro a c h.
Tuva lu
is p ro p o sing a “ c o m m unity re te ntio n fund ” to p ro vid e inc e ntive s to re d uc e
e m issio ns fro m d e fo re sta tio n.
5. Ba se line s, p e rm a ne nc e a nd le a ka g e
