The role of ecological knowledge in improving climate change policy: REDD and REDD+

Background/Question/Methods

Climate benefits may be achieved by stopping deforestation and degradation of tropical ecosystems. For long lasting ecological results (reduction of deforestation and degradation, improved management of ecosystems, reductions of greenhouse gases, and protection of carbon stocks) the right economic incentives to guarantee forest conservation and large scale restoration of degraded lands should be in place. Realizing these benefits in Brazil will require tens of millions of dollars of investments yearly, possible only by a combination of targeted public policy, science, and public and private investments. Currently there is an active engagement and mobilization in Brazil regarding reducing emissions from deforestation and degradation (REDD): state of the art monitoring of deforestation, long-term ecological research, a National policy on climate change, a REDD bill under discussion in National Congress, targeted programs to reduce deforestation in the Amazon and Cerrado savannas, an incentive program for low carbon agriculture, a newly created climate/energy efficiency fund, the Amazon Fund, the program to promote environmental compliance of farms, a Forest Investment Program under construction, and few on-the-ground cases involving communities and municipalities in the Amazon. Applying a SWOT analysis to this rich array of activities, sheds light on the opportunities and challenges for REDD in Brazil.

Results/Conclusions

Consensus is increasing regarding the potential of REDD to combat climate change and to promote forest conservation. There is increased engagement of civil society, NGOs, local governments, and the private sector on REDD for its potential benefits to improve livelihoods of forest dependent people and biodiversity conservation. There is an increased scientific capacity on monitoring carbon stocks and carbon emissions, and on explaining interactions between climate change, land use, fire, hydrology, and human dimensions. Despite these advances there are weaknesses and threats to REDD: agreements that are not legally binding, lack of long term monitoring and verification of environmental effectiveness, still unclear regulatory and political framework, issues regarding leakage and permanence of carbon stocks, land titling issues, and in some cases opposition of local communities. The finance sector is absent on financing forest conservation. Brazil´s rich business environment on REDD would tremendously benefit by bringing the private sector, finance institutions, private and public banks, multilateral organizations on the creation of financial mechanisms (equity, forest bonds, debt, grants) to provide economic incentives for long-term private sector forest related activities that have effective outreach on the ground with land owners to keep standing forests and/or stimulate reforestation of degraded areas.