Seeing REDD

What is REDD and why was it developed?

REDD (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation) is a new agenda of financial incentives to aide forest communities with stopping deforestation and forest degradation in developing countries. REDD is a United Nations collaborative program. Historical efforts for forest conservation have proven ineffective. This new approach provides a plan for financial compensation (paid for by governments and private organizations (NGOs) of industrialized countries) to those developing countries willing and able to reduce carbon emissions by halting deforestation (Parker, et al., 2009).

The main objective of the REDD program is to reduce carbon emissions (Parker, et al., 2009).

This forestry initiative aims to be the solution to rising carbon emissions around the world (The Red Desk, 2011) and places market values on carbon sequestration. REDD goes beyond deforestation and degradation with the REDD + program; placing emphasis on conservation, sustainable management and restoration of carbon stocks. REDD incorporates different initiatives being developed in various countries and organizations concerning global forest projects. This analytical framework guides forest communities and governments in making effective policy decisions for their specific districts to achieve these forest mitigation goals (Parker, et al., 2009).

REDD was developed because carbon emissions are continually rising around the world. Deforestation contributes 18% of the total carbon emissions and is the second largest contributor to global warming; emissions from power and utilities are the number one contributor (Parker, et al., 2009). The causes of deforestation are complicated (e.g. food, fuel, land conversion) and vary throughout the world. REDD is an attempt to build a basic framework for solving these forest issues, thereby benefiting human lives (Parker, et al., 2009).

Benefits & Limitations of REDD

In addition to the main benefits of the REDD initiative (i.e. reducing carbon emissions and lowering greenhouse gases), The REDD scheme can offer co benefits to ecosystems. One potential co benefit would be biodiversity conservation.

REDD was designed to save critical areas of tropical forests. These forests “harbor over half (51.1%) of the world’s 48,170 threatened species” (Paoli, et al., 2009, p.1). By saving these critical habitats, species will be saved. There are severe limitations for biodiversity conservation that can arise, if REDD strategies are narrow in scope. Merely focusing on carbon rich forest regions, can lead to added ecological pressures on carbon poor areas that also contain high biodiversity rates. Negative, unanticipated effects from these REDD programs may arise (Paoli, et al., 2009). Overall biodiversity loss may occur outside the protected REDD areas.

This negative effect on biodiversity can be illustrated by examining the REDD project in Indonesia. The current REDD project focuses mainly on Upland Forests, leaving lowland peat forest underrepresented in the plan (Kalaugher, 2009). The plan (financed by Bank of America, et al.) covers 7500 sq km of forest. This forest extends an additional 65,000 sq km and is “home to 92% of the remaining Sumatran orangutans” [Pongo abelii](Kalaugher, 2009, p.2).

These unprotected areas would face extensive habitat fragmentation and human conflicts, weakening the framework of the entire ecosystem. Project based REDD areas, if not expanded to include larger land corridors, will eventually end unsuccessfully. The result will be several small fragmented protected areas, falling short of the initial goal of these REDD programs (Kalaugher, 2009).

For more information got to the un-REDD website here.

References:

Kalaugher, Liz. 2009. REDD project unlikely to save forest in Indonesia. [Online]  Available at: http://environmentalresearchweb.org/cws/article/news/40574 .

Paoli, G. D., Wells, P.L., Meijaard, E., Struebig, M. J., Marshall, A. J., Obidzinski, K., Tan, A., Rafiastanto, A., Yaap, B., Silke, J.W., Ferry, H., Alexandra M., Perumal, B., Weilaard, N., and D’Arcy, L., 2009.   Biodiversity Conservation in the REDD. [Online] Available at: http://www.cbmjournal.com/content/5/1/7 .

Parker, C., Mitchell, A., Trivedi, M. and Mardas, N. , 2009. The Little Red Plus Book. Oxford, U.K. 

Global Canopy Programme. [Online] Available : http://www.globalcanopy.org/materials/little-redd-book