Seeing REDD in a post-Kyoto framework..

Illegal logging, an obstacle in the race to reduce deforestation

Deforestation of tropical forests releases more carbon than forests outside the tropics. According to IPCC, the carbon mitigating benefits of reducing deforestation are far greater than the benefits of afforestation. Tropical forests account for almost half of the world’s forest area, holding as much carbon in their vegetation and soils as temperate-zone and boreal forests. Trees in tropical forests hold about 50% more carbon per hectare than trees outside the tropics.

Forest management includes maintenance of forest carbon stocks, sustainable harvesting of forest products and equitable distribution of forest wealth among the indigenous people. Climate change regime could increase incursions into the territories of indigenous people without any scope for their participation in forestry activities and harvesting of forestry products. The Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues made recommendations required that new proposals for avoided deforestation or reduced emissions from deforestation address the need for global and national policy reforms guided by the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

Reducing deforestation can mitigate the adverse effects of climate change substantially and for this reason, land, land-use changes and forestry or LULUCF that comprises all land-use activities needs to given utmost importance under a post-2012 climate agreement. Article 3 of the Kyoto Protocol has created a framework for future negotiations although it had left unresolved, critical issues relating to LULUCF and its emissions accounting.

A post-Kyoto climate agreement must address 'avoided deforestation' to achieve the goals set to reduce global warming. Climate change cannot be tackled without addressing issues relevant to avoided deforestation and including them in international climate agreements, a policy known as the Reduced Emissions and Forest Degradation or REDD. REDD can tackle climate change, alleviate poverty and conserve biodiversity. Among many concepts evolved to reduce emissions from deforestation, 'compensated reduction' is recommended to reduce substantial emissions from deforestation facilitating developing country participation in the Kyoto Protocol framework. To implement the compensated reduction plan, governments need to adopt domestic policies that deter private landowners from deforesting their lands.


India, believed that the concept of compensated reduction favored nations with high deforestation rates and therefore proposed the concept of ‘compensated conservation’ that rewards countries for maintaining and increasing their forests as a result of conservation. It also believed that a voluntary fund or enabling fund is required to support capacity building and REDD activities.

The Amazon fund established by Brazilian government supports efforts to reduce deforestation rates by 70% by 2018 through enforcing logging restrictions and land-title reform. Many economists believe that international forest preservation projects be part of global efforts to fight climate change and that industrialized nations need to contribute to this Fund to protect the region from greenhouse gas emissions.