Pacific and REDD+

The Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC) has announced that the 3rd Regional Meeting of Ministers of Agriculture and Forestry endorsed the Pacific Islands Regional Policy Framework for REDD+. As reported, the framework aims to support Pacific Island countries (PICs) to address and participate in international regimes on greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reduction in the forest and trees sector.

Press Release

FAO: REDD+ and Sustainable Agriculture

A new policy brief titled "Building bridges between REDD+ and sustainable agriculture:Addressing agriculture's role as a driver of deforestation" recommends, inter alia: promoting inter-sectoral policies; including integrated landscape approaches in the activities covered under different carbon finance funds; promoting evergreen agriculture, which combines agroforestry with conservation farming; reflecting on tenure rights, governance and other potential socioeconomic impacts during cross-sectoral REDD+ planning processes; and improving methods for landscape level carbon accounting.

UN/S-G Adresses REDD+

Speaking at a news conference in Indonesia, Ban Ki-Moon stated that, while REDD+ is a win-win-win situation for local communities, Indonesia and the world, it is no substitute for deep greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reductions in developed countries.
Full Statement

Legal Frameworks for REDD

This new IUCN publication identifies and analyzes critical issues in the formulation and implementation of national and sub-national legal frameworks for REDD activities. It is based on substantive findings from four national case studies (Brazil, Cameroon, Guyana and Papua New Guinea) chosen for their varying geographies, forest cover and deforestation rates, and stages of REDD preparations.

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Oslo Governance Forum

The Oslo Governance Forum (OGF), meeting from 3-5 October, focused on participatory governance assessments and social accountability as a means for strengthening democratic governance at the national and international level. Discussion topics included governance for REDD+ and natural resource management.
Forum Website
Statement by UN Secretary-General

CBD Input to UNFCCC

A submission of the CBD Secretariat to the Secretariat of UNFCCC contains summaries of four expert workshops on the links between biodiversity and REDD+, including relevant biodiversity safeguards.

UNEP: Forests and Orangutans

UNEP has released a report under the Great Apes Survival Partnership (GRASP), titled “The Orangutan and Economics of Forest Conservation in Sumatra.” It makes recommendations for conserving orangutan populations in Sumatra, including: - designating new forested areas in Sumatra for REDD+ ;
- further resource development, including palm oil plantations, should be concentrated on land with low current use value; and
- establishing income-generating alternatives for areas that are important for biodiversity, such as sustainable tourism.

Forest Carbon Projects Guidance

To facilitate the development of forest carbon projects, the Katoomba Incubator at Forest Trends has compiled strategic guidance toemerging best practices. Drawing on practical experiences, this series of documents includes a step-by-step overview and detailed guidance documents on issues, tools and resources covering an array of project development needs. Notably, the series also includes guidance on conducting a Biodiversity Impact Assessment for forest carbon projects.

2011 MDG Report

The report was launched by UN/S-G Ban Ki-moon on 7 July, during the high-level segment of the ECOSOC. IISD-RS provided the following summary regarding MDG 7 (environmental sustainability):

[T]he report indicates that the rate of deforestation and loss of forests from natural causes is slowing down. It notes that most forest loss is occurring in countries in the tropics, while the net gain is mostly found in countries in the temperate and boreal zones. The report estimates that the forestry sector, in particular deforestation, is responsible for one-sixth of all human-induced greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. It highlights the growth in the establishment of protected areas, which covers 13% of the world’s forests. On the target to reduce biodiversity loss, the report stresses that, despite the increase in protected ecosystems, biodiversity is still in decline due to inadequate management, underlining the need for efforts and innovative approaches to meet new targets for the conservation of priority ecosystems.

Using 2008 data, the report notes that global carbon dioxide emissions continue to increase. It indicates that, although per capita emissions remain highest in the developed countries, the gap in carbon dioxide emissions per capita between developed and developing countries has diminished since 1990. The report notes that emissions per unit of economic output fell by more than 36% in the developed regions and by about 9% in the developing regions. In terms of steps forward, the report highlights: the REDD+ (reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation in developing countries, as well as conservation, sustainable management of forests and enhancement of carbon stocks) mechanism; the Cancun Agreements of December 2010; and the success and continued work under the Montreal Protocol.

UNEP-FI Global Roundtable: Biodiversity and Water

UNEP's Financial Initiative 2011 Global Roundtable will take place from 19-20 October in Washington, DC (USA) and is an opportunity to cast a spotlight on what the sustainable development agenda means for the world’s finance, investment and insurance sectors.

The potential impact of financial sector on biodiversity and water resources will be discussed at the first four parallel sessions, designed to invoke themes relevant to the each sector of the financial industry: banking, industry, and insurance. An overarching session on REDD+ potential and competitiveness for the financial industry will provide a roadmap for the next steps ahead in REDD+ implementation.

For more information on the Global Roundtable and its comprehensive agenda,

visit: www.unepfi.org/washington

CBD: Technical Series addresses REDD+

The CBD Secretariat has launched a new guide on REDD-plus and Biodiversity.

Volume no. 59 in the CBD Technical Series aims to inform CBD National Focal Points and other biodiversity experts how to support REDD-plus design and implementation efforts.

The document is available for download at www.cbd.int/ts. Hard copies are available and can be requested free of charge at publications@cbd.int.

REDD+: Initiative to Prepare National Laws

Senior legislators from Brazil, Democratic Republic of Congo, Indonesia and Mexico met to launch the GLOBE Legislator Forest Initiative to develop complementary legislation to prepare the way for efforts to reduce emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD). During the meeting each group of legislators outlined the current status of their legislation that is relevant to forestry and the drivers of deforestation. Over the next year, GLOBE will work with legislators to identify how legislation could be amended or advanced to provide REDD+ with a stable foundation for success. The legislators involved in this new initiative will report back on their progress at the World Summit of Legislators prior to UNCSD (Rio+20).

UNEP: REDD and Financial Insitutions

The UNEP Finance Initiative (UNEP FI) has released the first part of a report titled “REDDy-Set-Grow: Opportunities and roles of financial institutions in forest carbon markets,” which stresses that the financial sector must step up its engagement in the emerging green market, and proposes improved regulation to this end. Part I provides a briefing to the financial world on current and emerging avenues for business activity in forest-carbon, and highlights roles and barriers for financial institutions to become involved. Part II of the study will provide an assessment of current international regulation and recommendations to national and international policy makers on what the international regime under the UNFCCC needs to deliver to effectively mobilize private finance and investment for forest-based climate change mitigation.