The Africa Carbon Credit Exchange (ACCE) is to be launched by June 2010 in Lusaka, Zambia. The exchange will aim at facilitating funds for development of projects seeking to protect the environment and mitigating climate change. The Exchange will have brokerage offices across the continent that would facilitate the carbon-trading platform. ACCE would be trading in units of reduced but captured carbon emissions and harmful greenhouse gases and these units would be referred to as carbon credits.

  – Read the full press release.

Over 20,000 from 120 countries attended the World People’s Conference on Climate Change and the Rights of Mother Earth in Cochabamba, Bolivia held from April 19 – 22, 2010.  This alternative summit, organized by the Bolivian government to show its displeasure with COP15, brought together indigenous leaders, environmental activists, scientists and delegates from lower income countries.

  – Read more about the conference.

In response to community requests to clarify resource rights to Brazil nut trees in Bolivia, CIFOR trained community members to map trees, trails and other key features themselves. CIFOR's recently published paper, Social Geomatics: Participatory Forest Mapping to Mediate Resource Conflict in the Bolivian Amazon, describes this participatory mapping method field tested with agro-extractive settlements in the Bolivian Amazon. 

  – Contact Peter Cronkleton
  – View abstract

Brazil's Foreign Minister Celso Amorim and U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton signed on 4 March 2010 in Brasilia a memorandum of understanding on cooperation regarding climate change.  Its purpose is "to strengthen and coordinate the efforts of the parties to address climate change effectively in the context of sustainable economic growth, reducing greenhouse gas emissions.”  The agreement also establishes a new Policy Dialogue on Climate Change between the two governments on uniting efforts and promoting cooperation in increasing energy efficiency, renewable sources of energy, reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD), adaptation mechanisms and scientific research.

  – Read the full article.

From March 22 through the 25th, 2010 the first “Course for the Elaboration of Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD) Projects and Activities” took place at the Pousada Amazonia, in Iranduba – Amazonas, Brazil, organized by Idesam, Carbon Decisions International and the Katoomba Group.  The event was sponsored by the Secretary of State for Economic Development and Planning (Amazonas), the Amazonian State Government, Forest Trends, the Avina Foundation and the BlueMoon Fund, with collaboration from the Latin-American Forum on REDD and the Sustainable Amazonas Foundation.  

31 participants and 22 instructors from 6 different countries and different sectors including non-governmental and government organizations, private and research institutes and indigenous communities took part in the course.  The principle objective of the course was to provide information and deepen technical understanding and fundamental methodologies for the design and improvement of REDD+ activities, projects and programs.  

  – Download the presentations and read the full summary here.

A public initiative is currently in process in Brazil with the objective to develop social and environmental criteria for REDD. The idea was born during the Katoomba Meeting in April 2009 , in the State of Mato Grosso, when representatives of indigenous groups and traditional peoples expressed concerns about the risks associated to REDD projects and programs that could disrespect traditional rights and generate social conflicts. Their voice also called for participation in the development of policies and standards for REDD.

All documents related to this process, including the comments received and the Standard Committee’s answers will be publicly available at www.reddsocioambiental.org.br . 

For more information, contact:

Luis Meneses (GTA ) ; Mauricio Voivodic (Imaflora ) ; or Paula Moreira (IPAM )  

  – Read the full article on the Community Portal.

By Living on Earth

The Congo Basin Forest is the second largest forest in the world, covering 700,000 square miles in six countries. Over 24 million people live in and rely upon this highly bio-diverse, mostly-intact forest for everything they do.  They live in abject poverty, which many villages say will not change unless they can exploit the forest.  With a very low rate of deforestation (less than 1.5 percent per year from 1990 through 2000), REDD in its current form would not work for the Congo Basin.  This is because REDD only pays for reductions in deforestation.  United Nations climate negotiators are working on a system which would pay for carbon stocks and improvement of those stocks which would be a perfect fit for the Congo.  This three-part series from Living on Earth takes us to Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and the United States to discuss the possibility of REDD for the Congo Basin.

  – Download Segment 1.
  – Download Segment 2.
  – Download Segment 3.

By Daniel Zueras

The final declaration from the Latin American Indigenous Forum on Climate Change, which took place the last week in March in Costa Rica, concluded that market-based mechanisms to solve global warming are a threat to the rights and way of life of indigenous peoples.

The Forum included the Indigenous Council of Central America (CICA), the Meso-American Indigenous Council (CIMA), the International Alliance of Indigenous and Tribal Peoples of the Tropical Forests, the Coordinating Body for the Indigenous Organizations of the Amazon Basin (COICA), the Indigenous Women's Biodiversity Network (IWBN), the South American region of the Continental Network of Indigenous Women (ECMIA), the Intercultural Indigenous University (UII) and the International Indigenous Women's Forum (IIWF). 

Indigenous people and their organizations are putting forward holistic solutions that respect the rights of human beings and of Mother Earth and that are not limited to Western scientific knowledge, but include traditional wisdom, indigenous practices, and innovations that have contributed to efforts to preserve ecosystems and biodiversity, the Forum declaration says. 

  – Read the full article here.

The Fourth RRI Dialogue on Forests, Governance, and Climate Change, held in London on April 6th, assembled governments, Indigenous Peoples' representatives, community organizations, civil society and the private sector to assess the emerging REDD+ architectures, the fate of the UNFCCC negotiations on forests and the ability to operate social and environmental safeguards. Timed to have a significant impact on the Oslo REDD+ Partnership meeting (May 27), the event was also broadcast live on the web. 

  – View event information.
  – Contact Jeffrey Hatcher.

SAB Miller, one of the world’s biggest beer brewers, is establishing a tree nursery in Honduras as part of its international effort to protect the watersheds in countries where it operates. The nursery, which was started in February in San Pedro Sula at an initial cost of $10,000, will be designed to produce 36,000 fruit and evergreen trees per year, said María Amalia Porta, a water specialist at the World Wildlife Foundation, with which SABMiller is partnering in water initiatives around the world.

The Honduran program is an attempt to alter farming techniques that harm the watershed by allowing the entrance of sedimentation and pesticides. Once mature, the tree fruits will be sold and consumed by their growers, while the evergreens will help reforest the watershed and support the hydrologic cycle reducing runoffs, erosion and sedimentation. 

The reforestation effort, on which the partners are being advised by the state-funded Honduran Foundation for Agricultural Research, is already well under way, even before the nursery’s establishment.

  – For more details visit the Green Ink Blog

REDD seems to be the ideal solution for conserving forests, tackling climate change, and rewarding the people who manage the forests.  In India, however, tribal people live on the fringes of society and their rights are often ignored or repressed by the government.  Many fear that this will continue and perhaps worsen if REDD becomes a reality. Since large corporations and corrupt government officials could stand to gain financial rewards from REDD, there could be an increase in land grabs and illegal evictions of indigenous peoples.  This article from findyourfeet calls for the government of India to implement existing regulations regarding tribal communities to make sure that they are the ones to benefit from REDD.  It also calls for participation of the communities in decision-making processes of forest management.

  – Read the full article.

The Worldwide Fund for nature (WWF) and CARE have entered into joint global partnership for implementing an environment rewards scheme in Lake Naivasha where those who benefit for environmental stewardship reward land managers whose land use interventions provide quality water. The Lake Naivasha basin is located in the Great Rift Valley of Kenya and has a total area of 1,700 square kilometers, with altitude ranging from 1,887 to 3,906 meters above sea level. Major threats to ecosystems in the Lake Naivasha landscape emanate from watershed environmental degradation, unregulated and excessive water abstraction for domestic and agricultural use, poor land use practices, weak policy enforcement, water pollution and high poverty prevalence. The trend leads to significant environmental degradation, biodiversity losses, economic losses and worsening poverty.

Downstream water users in the Lake Naivasha basin depend on upstream communities who are charged with the protection of the watersheds to ensure enough flow of good quality water for downstream use. Since upstream communities forego some land use activities for the sake of conservation, the downstream communities are expected to give incentives to the upstream communities to motivate them in their services.   The payment for environmental services scheme promises to give new lease of life to Lake Naivasha, its tributary waters and agricultural ecosystems to conserve fragile basin biodiversity and improve peoples’ livelihoods. 

  – For more details on the project visit PRESA's website.

Ecobank Malawi, a pan-African Bank present in 31 countries, has pledged continued support to over 170 smallholder farmers to plant trees in Ntchisi District, central region of Malawi. The project, where farmers will be receiving cash in exchange for investing land and labor, is aimed at promoting the planting of the indigenous M’bawa trees – one of Malawi’s flagship species – on half an acre of their land. The program will capture and store harmful carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere. Together with similar programs all over Africa, this initiative will help slow down the rate of climate change across the globe. The trees will eventually serve as a source of fuel wood and timber for these rural families.

Ecobank has pledged $2,500 a year for the first three years of the project. The first Ecobank-supported payment to farmers was made in December 2009. The small incentive payments are based on the number of surviving trees and will encourage farmers to invest the necessary energy into protecting and nurturing the trees while they are young.


The project is implemented by ICRAF Malawi and Ntchisi District Departments of Forestry and Agriculture Extension.

  – For more details on the project visit the PRESA website.

The Government of Mozambique has authorized the implementation of the Lurio forestry plantation and carbon sequestration project by Green Resources AS, Norway.   Green Resources will develop 126,000 hectares of forest plantation for carbon sequestration, as well as producing wood for building materials, energy and pulp. In addition, Green Resources will assist in the establishment of 54,000 hectares of forests by local smallholders and companies. The new forest will be established on grassland and heavily degraded forestland.  The natural forest and wetlands within the area will be protected and set aside for conservation.  Green Resources’ operations will be FSC certified, the most demanding international certification for sustainable forest management. The Lurio project is projected to absorb more than 30 million tons of CO2 and make a significant contribution to the global fight against climate change

The 15-year long project is the largest forestation project approved in Africa.

  – For more details on the project visit the Green Resources website.

The Katoomba Group held its first ever “Marine & Coastal Katoomba Meeting” focused on the role that payments for ecosystem services (PES) can play in promoting sustainable use of ocean resources. The meeting capitalized on expanding interest in finding innovative solutions to conserve our marine environment and resources, in order to safeguard human well being. The meeting concentrated on developing new financing tools and approaches and expanding the use of market-based mechanisms to other services, such as coastline stabilization, beach maintenance and production, fish nursery functions of mangroves and sea grass beds, coastal water quality and ocean carbon storage. 

This meeting was the first in a series to strategize and develop action plans for realizing the potential of market-based mechanisms as a tool for conserving marine ecosystems and their services. 

  – For more information visit the Ecosystem Marketplace.

EcoAgriculture Partners has begun a new collaborative project with the U.S. Endowment for Forests and Communities and the USDA’s Office of Environmental Markets. This project will develop a spatially-explicit ‘living’ database of information on payment schemes for watershed services to agricultural and forest landowners in the United States, and characterize the scale, range, and features of the systems in place or under development. 

  – For more information, contact Seth Shames.

By Imogen Badgery-Parker

Tenure is particularly important in light of the ongoing global negotiations on REDD (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation). For REDD schemes to be successful, clear usage and access rights and responsibilities over forest resources and carbon pools needs to be established so that efficient and equitable payments for carbon sequestration can be made. Communities will only benefit from these schemes if their rights are secured. 

In recent years, governments in developing countries have transferred at least 200 million hectares of forests to communities living in and around them. Now, more than a quarter of forests in developing countries are owned by or assigned to communities and community networks have emerged as an important force in enhancing forest tenure security and livelihood benefits for forest-dependent communities.  

  – Read the full article.

By Taylor H. Ricketts et.al.

Indigenous lands and other protected areas contain more than 312 billion tons of carbon.  From aerial photos it appears that these areas are protected, and while it is true that the deforestation rates in these areas are lower than those of surrounding areas, these areas are not completely protected.  Deforestation often continues within them, especially when there is insufficient funding, management capacity, and/or political backing.

This study, published in March 2010, suggests that strengthening existing protected areas, or creating new ones, could be an attractive, though oft-overlooked, opportunity to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.  It concludes that national governments need to identify where establishing or strengthening these lands would be most effective in terms of reducing greenhouse gas emissions, establish national monitoring schemes and insurance mechanisms, and train and provide information to indigenous groups and local communities to participate in these schemes.

  – Read the full article.

Earlier this month, a group of forty NGOs led by Rainforest Foundation UK, Friends of the Earth (USA & France), Global Witness and The Wilderness Society issued a statement criticizing the Paris-Oslo Process for lacking transparency and failing to include indigenous peoples and civil society organizations in the process.  “A bad REDD system is worse than no system at all for the world’s climate, its forests and its people,” they write in the statement. The Paris-Oslo aims to establish an ‘Interim Partnership' agreement between rich and poor countries for REDD outside of the UNFCCC process.

The statement by the NGOs criticizes the Paris-Oslo process for "lack of genuine consultation in the drafting of the agreement" and "failing to take into account underlying issues that need to be tackled in the fight against deforestation.

  – Read the article from mongabay.com.

The International Food Policy Research Institute has put out a series of two-page briefs focusing on different aspects of agriculture and climate change. The briefs include: 

• Mapping the South African Farming Sector’s Vulnerability to Climate Change and Variability: A Subnational Assessment
• Economywide Impacts of Climate Change on Agriculture in Sub-Saharan Africa
• Are Soil and Water Conservation Technologies a Buffer Against Production Risk in the Face of Climate Change?

The Latin-American Forum on REDD aims to facilitate communication between and promote experience and information exchanges among Latin American countries related to REDD.

The website was created so all interested could use it as a means of communication to submit information, articles and texts related to REDD. Official documents on REDD of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), and the events calendar can also be posted on this page. 

Anyone interested in becoming a Forum member may join and contribute to it by sending articles and information about REDD, under national positions, projects, funding, methodologies and other related themes.

  – Visit the Latin-American Forum on REDD

Edited by Anne M. Larson, Deborah Barry, Ganga Ram Dahal and Carol J. Pierce Colfer

The authors of this book argue that a number of factors have combined so that the rights for local communities are finally being recognized.  The book is based upon a three-year study of ten different countries from across the world.  The case studies are presented based on themes such as transferring tenure rights, governance institutions, and forest product regulations and markets.  It makes a convincing case regarding the benefits of community forest management as well as the challenges of tenure reform.  The book is available from Earthscan.

Editado por Anne M. Larson, Deborah Barry, Ganga Ram Dahal y Carol J. Pierce Colfer

Los autores de este libro argumentan que un número de factores han unido para reconocer los derechos de comunidades locales.  Este libro está baseado en un estudio de tres años de diez paises diferentes en regiones diferentes.  Los estudios de caso están presentados bajo temas como la transferencia de derechos de tenencia de la tierra, instituciones governmentales, y las regulaciones y mercados de productos forestales.  Presenta un caso convicente sobre los beneficios de comunidades gerenciando las florestas y los retos de reformas de tenencia.

  – Puedes bajar la publicación en español aquí.

By Barney Dickson, Emily Dunning, Sheelagh Killen, Lera Miles, Nathalie Pettorelli

If REDD is successful in maintaining existing forests in developing countries, it is likely to deliver a range of environmental benefits in addition to its contribution to climate change mitigation. These benefits include maintaining the biodiversity and ecosystem services supported by those forests. However, there are some risks to the environment from REDD. Attention to co-benefits can strengthen REDD’s performance as a climate mitigation mechanism, and addressing and avoiding negative environmental impacts from REDD can help to make REDD more politically resilient in the medium to long term. 

This report, released in December 2009, considers measures that have been, and might be, undertaken to promote environmental co-benefits from REDD.  The report surveys the measures that are found in existing REDD initiatives, and considers the options and opportunities for how these measures might be amended and developed in the future.

  – Download the full report.

By Katia Karousakis

This report examines how biodiversity co-benefits in REDD can be enhanced, at both the design and implementation level. It discusses potential biodiversity implications of different REDD design options that have been put forward in the international climate change negotiations and proceeds by examining how the creation of additional biodiversity-specific incentives could be used to complement a REDD mechanism, so as to target biodiversity benefits directly.

  – Download the full report.

Global Forest Coalition

A new publication by the Global Forest Coalition, “REDD Realities: How Strategies to Reduce Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation could impact on Biodiversity and Indigenous Peoples in Developing Countries” takes a detailed look at the treatment of indigenous people and biodiversity issues in REDD talks using case studies in nine different countries.  A list of seven key concerns points to the general conclusion that the REDD debate must account for policy coherence with respect to the main legally binding agreements related to forests and human rights, including Article 4.1 of the UNFCCC, the Convention on Biological Diversity, and the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People (UNDRIP).

To download the report: English, French, or Spanish. For more information about the Global Forest Coalition and its activities, visit: http://www.globalforestcoalition.org . 

  – Download the report in English.
  – Télécharger le rapport en Francais.
  – Bajar el reportaje en Español.

Ecosystem Marketplace is pleased to announce the release of the “State of the Biodiversity Markets: Offset and Compensation Programs Worldwide.” The report offers a region-by-region breakdown of 39 existing and 25 developing compensatory mitigation programs in North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia, and Africa, as well as an analysis of the unique legal framework within which each scheme is being implemented, and the means of incentivizing private-sector investment.

  – Download the report from the Ecosystem Marketplace.

RECOFTC

This short brief from The Center for People and Forests (RECOFTC) summarizes the major developments from COP 15 in Copenhagen, explains the difference between REDD and REDD+, and describes the next steps.

  – View summary.
  – Contact Duncan McLeod.

RRI Partners including Intercooperation, Forest Trends, ACICAFOC, and IUCN are holding a workshop on PES and REDD entitled "Environmental Services and Forest Governance: Learning with Communities," which will take place in Lima on June 15-17. This workshop will allow participants to learn about PES and REDD projects that have been implemented throughout Latin America, and make a decision as to whether and how to participate.   

  – Contact Omaira Bolaños.

Mexico City

August 31 - September 03, 2010

The Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) and the UN Forum on Forests (UNFF), with a number of government collaborators, are organizing a workshop with participants from government, development and environmental NGOs and local community and indigenous peoples representatives to discuss regional perspectives on REDD and develop a better understanding of how decentralization and forest governance contribute to sustainable management of forests. The results are expected to feed into the 9th session of the UN Forum on Forests. CIFOR is a member of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR).

  – Learn more about the event.

Hanoi, Vietnam

June 23-24, 2010

Throughout Southeast Asia, there is increasing regional interest in market-based conservation strategies, including payments for ecosystem services (PES). While a number of projects are underway, PES in the Southeast Asia region primarily occurs on an ad hoc basis through small-scale pilot projects. However, information, capacity to design and manage PES deals, and institutions to support on-the-ground implementation are often lacking and have hindered efforts to scale up.

In response to these questions and challenges, the 2010 South East Asia Katoomba Group meeting offers a unique opportunity to further develop:

• REDD readiness strategies including post-COP15 discussions on national-level REDD systems, international, regional and national experience, investor and other stakeholder engagement, pilot demonstration sites, capacity building / training needs, and research agendas; and
• Payment for Watershed Services
• Payment for Marine Ecosystem services throughout the region, by exploring how climate change adaptation strategies can be complemented by mitigation measures and revenues from carbon credits; and identifying buyers for a range of marine ecosystem services.
• Biodiversity Markets and Market-like Structures

  – Find out more about the event.

El segundo taller sobre pagamentos por servicios ambientales y REDD para líderes comunitarios se realizará el 24 al 27 de mayo en Puerto Maldonado, Perú.  El taller se enfocará en enseñar a los líderes comunitarios regionales sobre los mercados para servicios ecosistémicos y las oportunidades que existen para participar en ellos.  El taller es sólo por invitación y está organizado por: Forest Trends, la Associación para la Conservación de la Cuenca Amazónica, el Instituto de Pesquisa Ambiental da Amazônia, International Resources Group - Iniciativa para la Conservación en la Amazónia Andina con apoyo de USAID, la Fundación Moore y PNUD-GEF.

El día 28 de mayo, todo el público interesado está invitado participar en un evento abierto para discutir los mismos temas con expertos regionales e internacionales.  El evento se realizará en la Universidad de Madre de Dios.

  – Por más información sobre los eventos, contacte a Rebecca Vonada.

The Indigenous Leaders Conservation Fellowship is sponsored by Conservation International to create opportunities for leaders and scholars from indigenous and traditional peoples communities and organizations to explore solutions to the impacts of climate change and the threats to ecosystems and biodiversity that are affection their lands, communities and livelihoods.

The deadline for this application is June 11, 2010.

  – Read more on the Conservation International website.