REDD PLUS -- What is that?

1. REDD PLUS – in briefBackground: Deforestation has become a problem that the world cannot ignore.

Deforestation results in the release of the carbon originally stored in trees as carbon dioxide emissions.

30% of the earth’s land area is forest; one third people rely on forest for their livelihood.

According to 2006 Stern Review, one fifth of total annual carbon emissions now come from land-use change. This number is even greater than global transportation sector.

1. REDD PLUS – in brief

Concept

REDD stands for Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation in Developing Countries; and other roles of Conservation, Sustainable Management of Forests and Enhancement of Forest Carbon Stocks.

1. REDD PLUS – in brief Main idea: governments, companies or forest owners in the South should be rewarded for keeping their forests instead of cutting them down.

The core of the concept: a scheme whereby the global community will create mechanisms to reward those who reduce emissions from deforestation and degradation.

2. Historical Background

1997: rejected by Kyoto Protocol because -- Leakage, Additionality , Permanence and Measurement.

2007: Cop-13, became a key element in the Bali Action Plan.

2009: Cop-15, Copenhagen Accord

2010: COP-16 Cancun, Establishment of the global REDD+ mechanism

2011: Cop-17 Durban

Cop-13, Bali Action Plan

Bali Action Plan, Para. 1 (b) (iii):

REDD+ refers to “Policy approaches and positive incentives on issues relating to reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation; and the role of conservation, sustainable management of forest and enhancement of forest Carbon stocks in developing countries.”

Copenhagen Accord

“6. We recognize the crucial role of reducing emission from deforestation and forest degradation and the need to enhance removals of greenhouse gas emission by forests and agree on the need to provide positive incentives to such actions through the immediate establishment of a mechanism including REDD-plus, to enable the mobilization of financial resources from developed countries”.

Ad Hoc Working Group on long-term Cooperative Action (AWG/LCA)Para. 70:“Encourages developing country Parties to contribute to mitigation actions in the forest sector by undertaking the following activities, as deemed appropriate by each Party and in accordance with their respective capabilities and national circumstances:(a) Reducing emissions from deforestation;(b) Reducing emissions from forest degradation;(c) Conservation of forest carbon stocks;(d) Sustainable management of forest;(e) Enhancement of forest carbon stocks;”

Cop-17 Durban

Progress has been made on how to set levels of baseline emissions and how to measure the emission reductions resulting from forestry initiatives, but the decision on social and environmental safeguards of the program is insufficient, while no progress was made concerning the sources of long-term funding.

3. Demonstrating Activities

Forest Carbon Partnership Facility (FCPF)

UN-REDD Programme

Norway’s International Climate and Forest Initiative (NICFI)

Forest Carbon Partnership Facility (FCPF) Launched in June 2008

Complements the UNFCCC negotiations on REDD+ by demonstrating how REDD+ can be applied at the country level and by learning lessons from this early implementation phase

Now there’re 37 forest developing countrieshave been elected in this partnership

Norway committed USD 50 mil in 2011

UN-REDD Programme Launched in September 2008

Assist developing countries prepare and implement national REDD+ strategies

35 partner countries, of which 13 are receiving support to National Programme activities

Norway continues to be the first and largest donor

Norway’s International Climate and Forest Initiative (NICFI) Launched by Prime Minister Jens

Stoltenberg during the climate change negotiations in Bali in December 2007

A pledge of up to three billion Norwegian Kroner (US$ 500 million) per year to REDD in developing countries

4. Implementation of REDD3 phased approach :

Readiness phase

Multi-stakeholder participation and consultation important for REDD

Performance-based REDD-plus payments

4. Implementation of REDDFinancing: funds, markets, or combination of two methods?

readiness phase: funds been made available by multilateral agreements (FCPF, UN REDD Programme)

interim phase: multilaterals are still expected to be one of the main sources of funding

third phase: performance-based REDD-plus payments could be linked to compliance markets

4. Implementation of REDDParticipants during the implementation

forest users such as indigenous peoples, forest communities

forest land owners

organizations, government agencies, project developers and investors

4. Implementation of REDD

REDD being implemented

REDD-plus is still being negotiated by the UNFCCC. REDD activities have been implemented for years, but earlier such projects and activities were not being accounted against CO₂ offsetting.

What is new is that such activities are to be accounted for as emission reductions. REDD-plus can be implemented in developing countries with forests.

4. Implementation of REDDMonitoring, Reporting and Verification (MRV)

REDD+ can have positive or negative social and developmental impacts, depending on how it is implemented

REDD will have to be measured and verified

Currently lack of consensus at the international level over the design of effective MRV systems

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3 conditions of REDD+: Leakage

Additionality

Permance

4. Implementation of REDD

5.REDD PLUS-Benefits

significant, cheap, quick and win-win way to reduce GHG emissions

create incentives or compensation for individuals, forest communities, and organizations

make funds available for more general benefit distribution among communities that can help build wider legitimacy and support for REDD-plus

6.REDD PLUS-Challenges Financing: fund- or market-based approach ?

How to determine reference emission levels and reference levels?

Involvement of indigenous peoples and local communities

to what extent developedcountries might be able to relyon REDD-plus

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A video to sum up

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Z4TIC1ObUI&feature=related