REDD Program

REDD Program

Deforestation

Efforts to mitigate climate change have focused on reducing carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions into the atmosphere. Some of these efforts center on reducing CO2 emissions from deforestation, since deforestation releases about 17% of all annual anthropogenic greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and is seen as a relatively low-cost target for emissions reduction. In contrast, tropical deforestation is substantial and continuing, and releases large amounts of CO2, because of the carbon stored in the vegetation and released when tropical forests are cut down. There are many causes of tropical deforestation commercial logging, large-scale agriculture (e.g., cattle ranching, soybean production, and oil palm plantations), small-scale permanent or shifting (slash-and-burn) agriculture, fuel wood removal, and more. Often, these causes combine to exacerbate deforestation; for example, commercial logging often includes road construction, which in turn opens the forest for subsistence farmers (Swann 2010).

Challenges

Many challenges remain for implementing REDD programs, particularly internationally, including monitoring REDD projects and improving developing-country capacity to ensure compliance. Existing evidence on forests and deforestation suggest the difficulties might be significant. Measuring forests is complicated, with multiple definitions, inaccessible sites, and expensive, complicated, and imperfect measurement technologies. The local level is where deforestation has the most immediate effect. With forest loss, the local community loses the system that performed valuable but often under-appreciated services like ensuring the regular flow of clean water and protecting the community from flood and drought (Agrawal 2008).

Government

Presuming that a developing country wants to reduce deforestation for domestic benefits and/or to participate in forest carbon markets various governance issues might need to be addressed. Countries have different needs and capacities, and thus might need to address a few or many governance issues, and the effort required might be modest or substantial.

Agricultural subsidies and policies: Various government programs and policies keep input prices artificially low, provide tax incentives for cash crops, and otherwise alter market signals. Eliminating or reducing programs that encourage agricultural production at the expense of forests could reduce deforestation.

Roads and infrastructure: Roads and other public services (e.g., water and power) are critical for human expansion into forests. Roads provide access, which can contribute to deforestation. Infrastructure planning and development can reduce the level of deforestation by concentrating development (agriculture, forestry, and other activities) in already accessible areas.

Land tenure and property rights: Many studies have identified ill-defined tenure and property rights as a cause of deforestation, and have proposed explicit, clearly defined private land ...