Part of a series of interviews leading up to Katoomba XVII taking place this month in Vietnam, the Katoomba Group's Ben Metz sits down with Tim Boyle, Asia Pacific Coordinator of the UN-REDD Programme to discuss the challenges for making REDD work in southeast Asia.

Viendo la necesidad de conocer mejor a los actores, sus actividades, visiones y relaciones surge el mapeo de actores como una actividad del Proyecto “Fortalecimiento de capacidades en REDD+ y servicios ambientales” a cargo de EcoDecisión y financiado por Avina. El objetivo del proyecto es fortalecer el componente de “cambio climático y servicios ambientales” de Articulación Regional Amazónica (ARA) y de la Red de Interesados en Servicios Ambientales en Latinoamérica (RISAS), mejorando la capacidad de los actores para la toma de decisiones informadas y actoría en el tema.  Así, el mapeo de actores en REDD+ en Ecuador debe contribuir tanto a la elaboración y puesta en marcha de programas y proyectos nacionales como a iniciativas prvadas que impulsen la implementación del mecanismo REDD+.

Promoting sustainable forest management as part of the reduced emissions from deforestation and degradation in developing countries (REDD)-plus mechanism in the Copenhagen Accord of December 2009 implies that tropical forests will no longer be ignored in the new climate change agreement. As new financial incentives are pledged, costs and revenues on a 1-ha tract of tropical forestland being managed or cleared for other land use options need to be assessed so that appropriate compensation measures can be proposed. Cambodia's highly stocked evergreen forest, which has experienced rapid degradation and deforestation, will be the first priority forest to be managed if financial incentives through a carbon payment scheme are available. By analyzing forest inventory data, we assessed the revenues and costs for managing a hypothetical 1 ha of forestland against six land use options: business-as-usual timber harvesting (BAU-timber), forest management under the REDD-plus mechanism, forest-to-teak plantation, forest-to-acacia plantation, forest-to-rubber plantation, and forest-to-oil palm plantation. We determined annual equivalent values for each option, and the BAU-timber and REDD-plus management options were the highest, with both options influenced by logging costs and timber price. Financial incentives should be provided at a level that would allow continuation of sustainable logging and be attractive to REDD-plus project developers.

Heads of State and Government, Ministers and other representatives of 55 countries as well as distinguished delegates from civil society, indigenous peoples and the private sector attended the Oslo Climate and Forest Conference to endorse and launch the REDD+ Partnership. In total, 4 billion dollars will be made available to support developing countries in their efforts to reduce forest loss.

After a description of the forestry sector and its position in existing carbon pricing frameworks, this study focuses on the extent to which "voluntary" carbon markets might make it possible to value the sequestration of CO₂ in forestry and timber projects carried out in French territory. With an eye towards practical application, it is based on seven hypothetical projects that could apply for carbon certification in the voluntary markets. The study estimates the sequestration potential of these projects and the number of carbon credits they could generate. A cost benefit analysis is also developed for one of these projects.

It is a make-it or break-it moment for REDD+ internationally.  Interim REDD+ Finance over the next 3 years will be crucial.  A report from IPAM, the Woods Hole Research Center, Forest Trends, Global Eco Rescue, Tropical Forest Group, and IDESAM (with additional authors from EDF, Univ Colorado, and State of California) summarizes recommendations for Interim REDD+ Finance.

The guidebook instructs project developers and financiers on how to develop and bring to market profitable forest carbon projects.

The Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR), a member organization of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR),  has published a book titled "Realizing REDD+: National Strategy and Policy Options." The book draws lessons from national experiences to inform strategies and policies for reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation in developing countries, conservation, sustainable forest management and enhancement of forest carbon stocks (REDD+).

April 2010: The Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR), a member of the Consultative Group on International Agriculture Research (CGIAR), with funding from the Norwegian Government, has published a study on forest law enforcement and governance, and forest practices in Guyana. The study was carried out within the framework of an agreement between Guyana and Norway to develop a mechanism for reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation in developing countries (REDD), and assesses the effectiveness and legitimacy of forest governance for achieving REDD.

The recently published book by Michael Dutschke "Forestry, Risk and Climate Policy" is available for download now.