State of the Rainforest 2014

Is REDD+ saving the world’s rainforests?

in Developing Countries’ (REDD+). Through REDD+, developing countries are to be provided with financial incentives for protecting their forests. It was argued that this could provide a relatively quick and inexpensive way of achieving sizable cuts in greenhouse gas emissions. 49 Economic analyses indicated that action to reduce emissions from deforestation could be substantially cheaper than many other measures for reducing greenhouse gas emissions – some estimates put the cost at no more than 1 to 2 USD per tonne of CO 2 . 50 REDD+ became an important part of the UN-led negotiations on a new international climate change treaty. However, a range of difficult questions had to be negotiated: How should emissions from deforestation be measured to qualify for payments? How to calculate ‘avoided emissions’? How could social and environmental concerns, such as biodiversity or the rights of forest dependent peoples, be safeguarded? And, not least, where should the money come from carbon markets that would allow rich countries

The idea of paying rainforest countries to reduce deforestation has gained a prominent role in international efforts to address climate change. Under the label of REDD+, billions of dollars are being channelled towards the protection of tropical forests. But – is this making a difference? Half of all the carbon stored in the world’s forests is found in tropical areas. Deforestation and degradation of these tropical forests is the main reason why forestry and land use account for 10–15% of the world’s total human-induced CO 2 emissions. 48 To achieve the deep reductions in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions necessary to avoid dangerous climate change, protecting tropical rainforests is imperative. This was the starting point for an idea launched by the forest-rich countries of Papua New Guinea and Costa Rica in 2005, later known as ‘Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation

How, and how much, tropical forests absorb and store carbon

Undisturbed tropical forest

10 years after deforestation

25.1

Total C emission

Total C absorption (by photosynthesis)

Total C emission (by respiration)

30.4

24.5

Burning, decay of slash and soil erosion

18.3

6.8

Respiration

Total C absorption (by photosynthesis)

12.3

C stored in above-ground biomass

180

Carbon fluxes and stocks (Tonnes of C per ha per year for fluxes, tonnes of C per ha for stocks)

C stored in above-ground biomass

43

C stored in below-ground biomass

C stored in below-ground biomass

12

64

Note: flux values are reported as a 10 year average.

C stored below-ground (soil and biomass)

C stored below-ground (soil and biomass)

150

226

Source: Yadvinder Malhi and John Grace, 2000.

Source: Values based on Frédéric Archard et al., 2004.

36

STATE OF THE RAINFOREST 2014