REDUCING EMISSIONS

Reducing Emissions through Deforestation



Reducing Emissions through Deforestation

Introduction

The ability to address common objectives related to climate change, forest conservation and poverty alleviation through the Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation (REDD) is attracting the attention of the international community and decision makers, especially in countries with vast forest areas. Deforestation and forest degradation contributes about 20% of global emissions of greenhouse gases (GHGs). Also lead to the reduction or loss of goods and services generated by forest ecosystems, which depend on many rural communities. The main causes of deforestation are often socio-economic. However, they also are demographic factors, technological, political and cultural.

The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) at its last meeting in Bali in late 2007, recognized the reduction of emissions through activities that prevent deforestation and forest degradation (REDD). So now under discussion, both internationally and nationally and locally, how to address REDD.

Discussion

IUCN believes that if REDD mechanisms are based on lessons learned on sustainable forest management, these will not only help reduce GHG emissions but also contribute to biodiversity conservation and welfare of communities depend on forests. Furthermore, IUCN proposed that these mechanisms should promote equal participation of local stakeholders to ensure that both the holding and the rights, gender equity and rural livelihoods are fully taken into account in its design and operation.

IUCN, its networks and partners, through its Conservation Portal and Social Equity, take place between 9 and June 27, 2008 an electronic forum aimed to contribute to the discussion on REDD. The forum will address political, technical and governance arrangements and training needs of actors to participate and influence the international debate. Also, this space is expected to contribute to the identification of tools and case studies in the region (Godden, Kallies, Keenan & Peel, 2010). 17 percent of global emissions of greenhouse gases comes from the forestry sector, mainly because of deforestation. In addition, the combined ecological services of forests, including carbon sequestration, represent the year thousands of millions, perhaps billions, of dollars to local and global economies.

Since REDD success is vital to the effectiveness of any future climate agreement, UNEP, in partnership with the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the United Nations for Development Programme (UNDP), has created the UN-REDD Programme, which aims to help countries develop national REDD strategies, financing proposals and supporting institutions. The main activities of UNEP REDD are aimed at reducing emissions, generating, at a time, hundreds of millions of dollars that could be used by communities to improve forest management, forestry transform into new routes and support development alternatives biodiversity and the livelihood and sustenance (Siikamäki & Newbold, 2012). Through his initiative emblem REDD +, UNEP is helping countries to make the case for REDD, developing national strategies processors to address the problem of deforestation, conducting financial assessments and encouraging additional investments, all aimed at reducing reduction rate of carbon loss caused by land-based activities.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC for short) estimates that by the nineties, ...