Forest Conversion:Solving the problem for REDD, meeting the

biodiversity challenge

ECOSYSTEM CLIMATE ALLIANCE

Biodiversity and Carbon

• Biodiversity conservation is a core benefit rather than a co-benefit for mitigating against climate change.

• An overarching policy must be adopted that has the protection of primary forests and other natural ecosystems (including wetlands and peatlands) as its highest priority.

• The recovery or restoration of forest and other natural ecosystems, including wetlands and peatlands, must also be ensured.

Biodiversity and Carbon• REDD (and LULUCF) must not benefit industrial logging, nor

conversion of natural forests to plantations or other types of industrial agriculture, nor the drainage of wetlands for these purposes. Instead it must focus on real reduction of deforestation and forest degradation and prevent loss of soil carbon from forested and deforested wetlands.

• Primary forests are generally more carbon dense, biologically diverse and resilient than other forest ecosystems, including modified natural forests and plantations, accordingly, in largely intact forest landscapes where there is currently little deforestation and degradation occurring, the conservation of existing forests, especially primary forests, is critical both for preventing future greenhouse emissions through loss of carbon stocks and continued sequestration, as well as for conserving biodiversity; (CBD AHTEG Nov 2008)

Forest Conversion the acid test

• Forest Conversion occurs when a natural forest is converted to a timber, food or fuel tree crop.

• UNFCCC doesn’t see this as deforestation

• Does this matter?

CBD AHTEG REPORT November 2008Table 2: Different carbon 6/ and biodiversity benefits of main forest types

Forest type7/ Biomass Carbon stock8/ Carbon sequestration potential

Biodiversity value

Value of ecosystem services

Primary Forests +++ ++(+) +++ +++Modified Natural

Forests ++ ++ ++ ++Plantations (indigenous

species) + +++ (depending on species used and

management)+(+) +

Plantations (exotic species) + +++ (depending on

species used and management)

+ (+)

6/ Referring to total ecosystem carbon. 7/ Forest definitions are a simplified version of FAO classification. 8/ Plantation forests store less carbon because stands are usually harvested at a relatively young age, and young trees store less carbon than older trees. Also, timber harvesting causes emissions from collateral damage to living and dead biomass and soil carbon. This is also why modified natural forests store less carbon than primary forests.

Forest Conversion the acid test

• Forest Conversion is a major driver of ‘deforestation’ with the rapidly rising global demand for palm oil, and pulpwood fiber crops.

• This is deforestation but not according to the Marrakech Accords definition of forest

The Problem• (a) “Forest” is a minimum area of land of 0.05-1.0

hectares with tree crown cover (or equivalent stocking level) of more than 10-30 per cent with trees with the potential to reach a minimum height of 2-5 metres at maturity in situ. A forest may consist either of closed forest formations where trees of various storeys and undergrowth cover a high proportion of the ground or open forest. Young natural stands and all plantations which have yet to reach a crown density of 10-30 per cent or tree height of 2-5 metres are included under forest, as are areas normally forming part of the forest area which are temporarily unstocked as a result of human intervention such as harvesting or natural causes but which are expected to revert to forest;

Possible Solutions• Elaborate a separate forest

definition for REDD• Amend the current definition• Use existing UNFCCC language to

create an eligibility criteria similar to the approach used for the CDM

• Ensure that the carbon stock loss (degradation) associated with conversion is accounted for.

Thank-you

ECOSYSTEM CLIMATE ALLIANCE