News from fao.org about un-redd

Source: EDF -- A five-day conference in Puyo, Ecuador in November, “Climate Change and Indigenous Peoples of the Amazon Basin” – hosted by COICA (the coordinating body of all Amazonian indigenous organizations) with support from the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) and Woods Hole Research Center (WHRC) in the United States - brings together eight indigenous leaders from four Amazonian countries, representatives from the government of Ecuador, educators and scientific experts to increase indigenous participation in forest governance, particularly policies like REDD.

Source: CIFOR -- BOGOR, Indonesia (22 October 2012)_A climate mitigation scheme aiming to protect the world’s forests must work through local democratic institutions or risk leaving communities and indigenous groups open to exploitation from powerful international actors seeking access to the world’s shrinking land and resources, say experts.

Source: AlertNet -- Tackling climate change can help accelerate economic and energy transformations, drive revolutions in technology, and spur new production models. It can mobilise the creation of new goods, services, jobs, and exports. It can open up new opportunities for developing and developed countries alike

Source: World Bank -- A new World Bank report,“Forest Trees and Woodlands in Africa”argues that Africa’s forests have often been narrowly viewed as a source of export revenues from industrial timber and a global public good. In reality, forests play much broader roles, as diverse sources of jobs and livelihoods and as providers of valuable ecosystem services that are vital for increasing economic and social resilience including combating climate change.

Source: Scientific American -- Any realistic plan to reduce global warming pollution sufficiently—and in time—to avoid dangerous consequences must rely in part on preserving tropical forests

Source: RTCC -- The REDD+ mechanism cannot become a reality unless the next round of UN climate talks set a path towards creating a market for carbon credits from forests. That’s the view of Tim Christopherson from the UN-REDD programme, who has warned that governments must send the right signals in Qatar to give investors confidence.

Source: EDF -- Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) is very pleased to be the newly selected representative to the UN Reduced Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation (REDD) Program Policy Board for northern (i.e., developed-country) Civil Society Organizations (CSOs).

Source: Ecosystem Marketplace -- Indigenous groups across Latin America are exploring the use of carbon finance to save their forests and provide income. Some NGOs, however, fear mechanisms like REDD will backfire – resulting in higher rates of both deforestation and poverty. The two opposing views are converging this week in California, and each side accuses the other of not playing fair.

Source: UNDP -- The new strategy – entitled “The Future We Want: Biodiversity and Ecosystems – Driving Sustainable Development” – was adopted during the CBD COP in Hyderabad, India and calls for a significant scaling up of investments in 100 countries by 2020.

Source: environment360 -- In Guatemala’s vast Maya Biosphere Reserve, conservation groups are battling to preserve a unique rainforest now under threat from different groups.

Source: World Bank -- An Ethiopian project aimed at regenerating forests has received Africa’s first UN-administered temporary carbon credits for a land use project. The project, run by small farmers in southwestern Ethiopia, is restoring natural native species, water supply, and wildlife. Revenue from the carbon credits is being reinvested in additional community-driven activities

Source: Alertnet -- Cameroonians are burning increasing amounts of charcoal for cooking and heating as the country’s electricity and gas supplies fail to keep pace with demand, raising concerns among environmentalists about growing deforestation and carbon emissions in the country.

Source: Project Syndicate -- What will it cost to save the world’s forests and boost the life prospects of its seven billion people? The potential returns from targeted investments in forests are immense. Restoring just 15% of degraded forest landscapes worldwide could generate up to $85 billion worth of ecosystem services every year, mostly benefiting rural and underprivileged communities.

Source: Globe International -- The GLOBE International Secretariat and the CN-REDD organised a full day Forest Legislation Workshop on REDD+ on 19th September in the DRC. The capacity-building event sought to introduce the many dimensions of REDD+ to Congolese parliamentarians including workshops on the history, evolution and current state of the national and international processes; the existing legal framework relevant for REDD+ implementation and the new legal concepts REDD+ demands; and an overview of the main risks and opportunities associated with REDD+ delivered by key civil society representatives.

Source: undp -- Natural resources necessarily play a central role in promoting sustainable development if we understand it as "meeting the needs of this generation - without compromising the ability of future generations to meet theirs.For this to be true countries need to use and manage the limited natural resources available to them - efficiently, judiciously, and responsibly.

Source:NewScientist -- A new report finds that up to 90 per cent of tropical deforestation can be attributed to organised crime, which controls up to 30 per cent of the global timber trade.

Source: SPC -- The 3RD Regional Meeting of Ministers of Agriculture and Forestry, convened by the Secretariat of the Pacific Community on 28 September 2012 in Nadi, Fiji, endorsed the Pacific Islands Regional Policy Framework for REDD+.

Source: Reuters -- European Union legislators have voted for a draft anti-corruption law,0.0 echoing rigorous U.S. rules to make oil, gas and mining firms declare payments they make in resource-rich nations.

Source: Interpol -- Jungle survival and the use of geoprocessing tools were just two elements in a Law Enforcement Against Deforestation (LEAD) training initiative for environmental enforcement officers provided by INTERPOL in collaboration with the Brazilian Federal Police. Held at the Brazilian Environmental Police Training Centre in Manaus, in the state of Amazonas, the week-long course in August was part of INTERPOL’s LEAF Project (Law Enforcement Assistance for Forests) which provides support and capacity building for forestry compliance and security in order to combat illegal logging and deforestation.

Source: Reuters, 2012 -- Norway's environment minister urges Brazil and Indonesia to avoid backtracking on policies to protect tropical forests, saying up to $2 billion in aid promised by Oslo hinged on proof of slower rates of forest clearance. Norway,