What are the risks of not addressing the challenge of Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation (REDD)?

Fire is still the cheapest way to clear carbon rich landscapes. The economic value of the subsequent land uses may be less than the global costs of conversion; Photo: CIFOR/ICRAF Project on underlying causes of forest fires in Indonesia

Despite the difficulties, however, the global climate change community is increasingly recognizing that it must address the challenge of reducing emissions from deforestation and degradation (REDD). Besides the obvious magnitude of the potential for REDD to reduce climate change, the current situation is creating perverse incentives and disincentives affecting other dimensions of climate change mitigation. For example, an Annex-I country that imports biofuels from non-Annex I countries to meet its Kyoto targets is not accountable for forest conversion that biofuel production might cause. Further, public and political willingness to contribute to the control of GHGs through relatively small reductions elsewhere will erode if large and avoidable emissions are left out of scrutiny. Non-participation by the United States and Australia create similar problems for the Kyoto protocol.

The current 'avoided deforestation' debate offers a chance to correct some of the major inconsistencies. Some of the key constraints that need to be overcome relate to scale, scope, political commitment, technical procedures and data quality. Best practice is emerging on the types of national and local mechanisms that countries can apply with much lower transaction costs than current CDM projects. Avoided deforestation with sustainable benefits can generate both local and global benefits. Research by the ASB partnership and others shows that intermediate land uses can store significant quantities of carbon, maintain flows of ecosystem services, generate good economic returns and reduce pressure on remaining forest resources.



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