Resume: REDD+ expectations and experiences

The seminar was opened by Niels Elers Koch, President of the International Union of Forest Research Organisations (IUFRO) and Director of Forest & Landscape, who outlined the seminar issues on monitoring, reporting and verifying carbon emissions from forests and biodiversity and livelihood co-benefits.

 

These themes were also picked up in the opening remarks by Ib Petersen, the State Secretary for Development Policy in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

 

Andreas Tveteraas, senior adviser at the Norwegian Government’s International Climate and Forest Initiative emphasized that although progress has been made since REDD+ emerged on the international agenda, the UNFCCC negotiations are moving slowly. Thus REDD+ partnerships are of considerable significance. The Norwegian agreements with Brazil, the countries of the Congo Basin, Indonesia and Guyana were highlighted as examples.

 

Yemi Katarere, the head of the secretariat at the UN REDD Program gave an overview of the complex institutional arrangements for global REDD+ processes and highlighted several concerns about the re-centralization of forest management, the problems of forest governance and tenure security and the importance of keeping livelihoods in focus.

 

Joji Carino, adviser with the Indigenous Peoples International Centre for Policy Research and Education and member of the International Indigenous Forum on Biodiversity, explained the concerns faced by indigenous communities around the world in their efforts to ensure that REDD+ mechanisms recognize their rights as well as effective participation and fair benefits. She noted the criticisms of REDD+, but also emphasized opportunities for indigenous communities and forest dwellers.

 

Gerhard Dieterle, senior forest adviser at the World Bank noted that reducing emissions plays a central role in the abatement of GHG emissions in developing countries. He explored a series of issues arising in conjunction with the move towards “climate smart agriculture” in addressing energy demand and supply trends, in the proliferation of land grabs for bio-fuel production and export crops, in the collaboration with agribusiness through commodity roundtables, in promoting sustainable forest management through consumer demand and certification schemes and in the potential for multiple benefits of forestry practices. 

 

Steven Panfil, REDD+ adviser with Conservation International (CI), explored the progress and emerging challenges from REDD+ projects around the world. He stressed the progress that has been made in terms of designing and agreeing on methodologies for voluntary and later verifiable carbon standards to be applied in carbon markets. He also pointed out that the REDD+ share of the compliance carbon markets remains minimal, but interest is growing and agreed social and environmental safeguards are very important for potential project developers and investors.

 

Three thematic sessions were conducted:

I: Measuring, Reporting and Verification (MRV). The session examined the challenges associated with MRV of forests in the context of carbon management, biodiversity and livelihoods co-benefits.

 
II: Biodiversity co-benefits. The session focussed on development of biodiversity safeguards and co-benefits in relation to REDD+

III: Livelihood co-benefits. Issues associated with payment mechanism, benefit sharing and opportunities for sustainable development in relation to REDD+ were considered.