Alliance Of Small Island States (AOSIS)

AOSIS believe that consideration of all actions under the REDD agenda should ensure that there are no adverse consequences for biodiversity or for the livelihoods of indigenous peoples or local communities and should explore demand side measures relating to the drivers of deforestation (e.g. export of timber and forest products) noting, however, possible implications for discriminatory trade measures.

Recognising that further work is required to develop methodologies to assess degradation, AOSIS state that REDD should include both deforestation and forest degradation, and the definition of forest degradation should relate to the loss of carbon stocks in remaining forest land. REDD could be addressed at both the national or sub-national level, although countries should be encouraged, where possible, to undertake national measures to reduce the likelihood of national leakage. Approaches to establishing national reference levels should be flexible depending on national circumstances.

AOSIS propose that financing for conservation should come from a REDD fund as well as funding associated with adaptation as the conservation of forests is also an adaptation strategy. For developed country Parties and for developing country Parties there should be no mixing or fungibility of market based mechanisms under the Kyoto Protocol and any market mechanisms developed, if appropriate, under the Bali Action Plan.