The consortium takes part in aiding the U.K. to work with the worldwide REDD+ partnership, which attempts to provide a financial incentive for developing countries to store carbon in forests to ultimately prevent forest degradation and deforestation. Without a financial incentive, developing countries rely on cutting down forests for timber and other products as a source of income. Trees, however, remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and store it. When felled for timber or cut using the “slash-and-burn” method, the carbon is released back into the atmosphere. By encouraging countries to store carbon, the REDD+ mission seeks to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and combat global warming.