Research documents

The present policy brief reports on some key results from Indonesia. New data suggests that one-third of greenhouse gas emissions from deforestation originates from areas not officially defined as ‘forest’. Accounting for carbon in the whole landscape and Reducing Emissions from All Land Uses (REALU) can make emissions reductions more effective.

The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the substantive results of the Copenhagen Conference, including the status of the negotiations on the key issues under the formal negotiating tracks and the provisions of the Copenhagen Accord, and to draw implications for implementation of actions in developing countries. It is important to note that the analysis in this paper is based upon the UNFCCC negotiating texts as they stand in February 2010.

Central African countries could save billions by investing in their lands, a study on the Costs of Land Degradation has revealed. Whether in the lush tropical forest ecosystems of the Congo Basin, or the drylands of northern Cameroon and Chad, illegal logging, deforestation and poor agricultural practices are costing the region approximately USD 5 billion every year. And this may be just the tip of the iceberg, with a more recent in-depth study warning that the annual bill could be up to USD 2 billion in Cameroon alone. Next to the considerable toll on countries' economies, long term ecosystem decline is aggravating food, health and energy crises and conflicts over the use of land, water and forest resources.

Between August 2006 and July 2008, the FAO and the ITTO jointly funded and convened five workshops - in Southeast Asia, West Africa, Central Africa, the Amazon Basin and Mesoamerica - to promote a multi-sectoral dialogue between countries on improving forest law compliance. The present policy brief summarizes the main findings of those workshops and highlights the lessons learned from experiences on the ground related to forest law compliance and governance elements necessary to optimize the role of forests in mitigating climate change.

This book includes case studies from Brazil, Cameroon, Guyana and Papua New Guinea, which serve as a basis for further analysis and recommendations for the development of laws and regulations for REDD. The report identifies the following four main themes central to ensuring successful REDD legal regimes and elaborates relevant legal and policy considerations with regard to each: (1) Ownership of Land, Forest and Carbon; (2) Participation, Balancing of Rights and Interests, and Prior Informed Consent; (3) Benefit Sharing; (4) Additionality and Permanence.

As pressure goes heavier on the eve of the Copenhagen conference on climate change slated from 7 to 18 December and which aims at finding an agreement with regard to REDD, Alain Karsenty, economist in the International Cooperation Centre in Agronomic Research for Development (CIRAD) and expert at the World Bank, warns against this danger during an interview granted to Le Monde newspaper in October 10, 2009 at 3:02 pm. The interview was recorded by Laurence Caramel.

The "Little REDD Book" is a guide to aid understanding of the UN mechanism for Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation (REDD).

Whilst there are many reasons to ‘make REDD work for the poor’, notably the potential to enhance the sustainability of REDD systems by reducing conflict over resources, there are various interpretations of what this would mean in practice. Two major options include ‘no harm’ REDD, which aims to avoid increased threats to the poor, and ‘pro-poor’ REDD, which actively seeks to deliver benefits to the poor. Different stakeholders in REDD may be interested in different options, but there are concerns that adding poverty reduction objectives could reduce the overall effectiveness and efficiency of what is essentially an environmental mechanism.

This research study, financed by WWF and the Heinrich Böll Foundation,  has been undertaken as a joint exercise by Gareth Porter and researchers from the Overseas Development Institute. Overall advice and guidance has been provided by David Reed of the Macroeconomics for Sustainable Development Program Office, WWF.