News
UNFCCC Publishes AWG-KP Scenario Note for Durban
21 Nov 2011
The scenario note indicates that although the current revised proposal by the Chair reflects parties’ positions and their concerns, it does not resolve them, especially on the central issue of the second commitment period. The text has been refined and streamlined but further progress is not possible without clarity on an overarching political decision.
UN Secretary-General: REDD+ No Substitute for Deep Emissions Cuts
21 Nov 2011
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon visited the Central Kalimantan region in Indonesia, the location of a pilot REDD+ initiative, on the occasion of the opening of the UN Office for Coordination of REDD+ for Indonesia (UNORCID).
Asia Pacific negotiators hope for decision on REDD+ financing in Durban
21 Nov 2011
BOGOR, Indonesia (21 November 2011)__ Countries in the Asia Pacific hope to get a decision on the financial mechanisms for Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation (REDD+) at the U.N. climate summit in Durban, negotiators said, despite low expectations that an overarching global agreement will be reached at the meeting. “We hope the long-term [...]
REDD+: Ready to engage private investors?
21 Nov 2011
The prospect of gaining carbon credits by acquiring land to implement REDD+ has caught the eye of the private sector. In many countries, including Papua New Guinea and Republic of Congo, there are reports of a carbon rush. In Mozambique, private investors have expressed an interest in acquiring more than 22 per cent of the country’s land for REDD+. But Mozambique, like many developing countries, is still in the early stages of preparing a REDD+ strategy. This briefing warns that encouraging...
RI: US pledges US$ 450 mn towards envrt & climate change cooperation
21 Nov 2011
As part of the U.S.-Indonesia Comprehensive Partnership, the United States has pledged more than $450 million towards environment and climate change cooperation. The United States is working with Indonesia on a wide range of activities that will advance low carbon growth and address major threats to the world’s environment, including:
Promoting Environmentally Sustainable Economic Growth: Through the just-signed Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) Compact for Indonesia, the Government of...
New method can aid rainforest, help loggers
21 Nov 2011
Reduced-impact logging (RIL) in an Amazon rainforest generated profits while emitting a small fraction of carbon compared with total forest clearing, a University at Albany study concludes.
For decades, scientists and foresters have debated how best to reap economic benefits from tropical rainforests while maintaining their high biodiversity and critical roles in the global carbon, energy and water cycles. In an unprecedented comparison of a logged tropical forest with an intact forest...
Advancing Forestry Cooperation in International Year of Forest 2011
21 Nov 2011
An agreement between ASEAN Member States and the Republic of Korea (ROK) on Forestry Cooperation (AFoCo) was concluded yesterday at the signing ceremony during the 14th ASEAN-ROK Summit in Bali, Indonesia.
“ASEAN is home to 20% of the world’s plant and animal species over its 213 million hectares of forests, directly or indirectly providing a range of economic, socio-cultural and environmental benefits to the ASEAN peoples”, said Dr Surin Pitsuwan, Secretary-General of...
Fears about community rights under REDD+ are justified despite tenure reforms
21 Nov 2011
BOGOR, Indonesia (21 November, 2011)_The fears of forest-based communities about their rights under REDD+ schemes are justified, concluded a comparative study of recent forest tenure reforms conducted by the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) and the Rights and Resources Initiative. “Indigenous organisations have been among the most vocal critics of REDD+ schemes, warning against [...]
GEF Highlights Community Forestry Projects in Albania
18 Nov 2011
The Global Environment Facility (GEF) highlighted the results of a community sustainable forest management project in Albania that achieved a reduction in erosion and stabilization of water supply, as well as carbon sequestration through the World Bank's BioCarbon Fund.
China’s appetite for wood takes a heavy toll on forests
18 Nov 2011
China is now overwhelmingly the biggest global consumer of tropical timber, importing around 40 to 45 million cubic meters of timber annually. Today, more than half of all timber being shipped anywhere in the world is destined for China. Many nations in the Asia-Pacific region and Africa export the lion’s share of their timber to China.
China faces three criticisms by those worried about the health and biodiversity of the world’s forests. First, the country and its hundreds of wood-...