Cifor Annual Report 2008 Thinking Beyond The Canopy

Forests are receiving unprecedented world-wide attention for their crucial role in the mitigation of climate change; conservation of biodiversity; regulation of water cycle and maintenance of livelihoods. That includes the social and economic benefits from timber; fuelwood; non-wood forest products and wildlife; among other items. Apart from gainful employment and income generation potential for rural communities and self-reliant subsistence of forest dwellers; forests provide a range of environmental services fundamental for human wellbeing; they help protect land and water resources; conserve and improve soils; store carbon and provide significant intrinsic and aesthetic values for people. Yet the continuing deforestation and forest degradation; especially in the poverty afflicted developing countries; threaten the very future of their civilization; while escalating the food insecurity and vulnerability of world’s forest-dependent poorest people. Given the global prospects and problems of the planet’s welfare associated with forests; an effective international response is warranted without further procrastination to ensure sustainable management and conservation of the earth’s forest resource assets. In this context; awareness-raising by launching the International year of Forests 2011 (IYF) is timely. This book on ‘Forests for Sustainability’ is dedicated to the mission of the IYF and the Indian Forest Congress. It is oriented to highlighting the opportunities and challenges for enhancing forestry related livelihoods & sustainability. The book conveys key messages of coordinated effort needed worldwide to use the right mix of regulatory; market based and informational instruments for promoting the improvement of state of forests and related dimensions of the environment and livelihoods.

REDD+ must be transformational. REDD+ requires broad institutional and governance reforms, such as tenure, decentralisation, and corruption control. These reforms will enable departures from business as usual, and involve communities and forest users in making and implementing policies that a ect them. Policies must go beyond forestry. REDD+ strategies must include policies outside the forestry sector narrowly de ned, such as agriculture and energy, and better coordinate across sectors to deal with non-forest drivers of deforestation and degradation. Performance-based payments are key, yet limited. Payments based on performance directly incentivise and compensate forest owners and users. But schemes such as payments for environmental services (PES) depend on conditions, such as secure tenure, solid carbon data and transparent governance, that are often lacking and take time to change. This constraint reinforces the need for broad institutional and policy reforms. We must learn from the past. Many approaches to REDD+ now being considered are similar to previous e orts to conserve and better manage forests, often with limited success. Taking on board lessons learned from past experience will improve the prospects of REDD+ e ectiveness. National circumstances and uncertainty must be factored in. Di erent country contexts will create a variety of REDD+ models with di erent institutional and policy mixes. Uncertainties about the shape of the future global REDD+ system, national readiness and political consensus require  exibility and a phased approach to REDD+ implementation.

REDD+ is one of the leading near-term options for global climate change mitigation. More than 300 subnational REDD+ initiatives have been launched across the tropics, responding to both the call for demonstration activities in the Bali Action Plan and the market for voluntary carbon offset credits.

Experiences from incentive-based forest management are examined for their effects on the livelihoods of local communities. In the second section, country case studies provide a snapshot of REDD developments to date and identify design features for REDD that would support benefits for forest communities.

Constructive critique. This book provides a critical, evidence-based analysis of REDD+ implementation so far, without losing sight of the urgent need to reduce forest-based emissions to prevent catastrophic climate change. REDD+ as envisioned