Global Environmental Policy

Oddar Meanchey Quarterly: The REDD+ Update (September-December 2011)

2012-01-23T07:33:00.000-08:00

Cambodia's Oddar Meanchey Community Forestry REDD+ (OM CF REDD+) project is on the verge of completing Verified Carbon Standard (VCS) and Climate Community and Biodiversity (CCB) validation. All of the stakeholders involved are excited for Cambodia's first REDD+ project to reach this important milestone, which signals the start of carbon marketing activities. Please see the update below on some of the highlights over the last quarter.

Community Benefit Sharing Consultation Meeting in OM CF REDD+ Project

On 14 October 2011, Pact and the Forestry Administration (FA) with support from the Clinton Climate Initiative (CCI) conducted a 1-day community consultation on project benefit sharing in Oddar Meanchey. The draft project budget was presented by Pact's Senior Carbon Officer and stakeholders were given a chance to make comments, which were subsequently integrated into the revised version.

Progress Towards OM CF REDD+ Project Validation

Following the validation visit in August by the German contractor Tuv Sud, the project partners received a list of 10 Corrective Action Requests (CARs) and 81 Clarification Requests (CRs) in September. Pact, the FA, and Terra Global Capital submitted a response to most of these to Tuv Sud. The next submission on the CARs and CRs will take place in early 2012 and the validation is expected shortly thereafter.

OM CF REDD+ Project Marketing

The OM CF REDD+ is currently seeking investors. TGC has distributed an Indications Sheet by email to a long list of potential investors and has also passed out the sheet at the COP 17 in Durban. Interested investors should write to: sales@terraglobalcapital.com. Please help us to spread the word.

Click here to view the full version of the Oddar Meanchey Quarterly: The REDD+ Update (September-December 2011)

Oddar Meanchey REDD+ Project is under VCS and CCB Validation

2011-10-30T00:16:00.000-07:00

From 16 - 23 August 2011, representatives of the German company TÜV SÜD arrived in Cambodia to conduct the dual validation of the Oddar Meanchey Community Forestry REDD+ project for both VCS and CCB standards. The validation team spent two days at the Pact office in Phnom Penh reviewing the project documents and another 3 days in Oddar Meanchey Province. TÜV SÜD will release their official validation findings shortly, which Pact, Forestry Administration (FA) and Terra Global Capital (TGC) will respond to. The final validation is expected by December 2011.

Source: OM CF REDD+ Newsletter No.3 ( August 2011)

(http://mim.io/dd2221?fe=1&pact=5970241811)

REDD Development in Cambodia— Potential Carbon Emission Reductions in a REDD Project

2011-04-23T02:37:00.000-07:00

By Ty, S., Sasaki, N., Ahmad, A.H. & Ahmad, Z.A.
(Full Paper Click Here)

Foreseeing the importance of managing forests for climate change mitigation and sustainable development, the Royal Government of Cambodia has put strong commitment to managing its remaining forests under the new anticipated international climate change agreement on REDD+ mechanism. Forestry Administration in collaboration with Community Forestry International, and Terra Global Capital started a REDD project for Community Forestry sites in the northern province of Oddar Meanchey in 2007. Here, we report the methods and findings from our project and propose an appropriate framework for effective implementation in Cambodia. Ten drivers and six agents of deforestation and forest degradation were identified and each driver could be reduced by adopting appropriate project actions. Changes in deforestation, carbon stocks, and project emissions were estimated under baseline and project scenarios. Our results suggest that the project is likely to lead to the reduction of about 8.6 million tonne CO2 over 30-year project. Although policies and methods are available for implementing the project, sustained commitment and law enforcement play an increasingly important role in achieving real emission reduction and sustainable development.

UN-REDD Newsletter Issue #17: REDD in Cambodia

2011-04-20T21:20:00.000-07:00

On the heels of the UN-REDD Programme's recent-- and highly productive-- Policy Board meeting in Da Lat, Viet Nam, I was grateful for the opportunity to take a slight detour on my journey back to Geneva, to visit some of Cambodia’s forests and to interact with a range of REDD+ colleagues and counterparts within the UN-REDD Programme, the government of Cambodia (national and provincial), NGOs and donors. It was also an opportunity to listen to the voices of the of forest dependent communities in Oddar Meanchey Province. The trip was a valuable reality check in terms of linking global processes to national level action and I gained new insights into the challenges and opportunities facing REDD+ at the national level.

Cambodia has a total of 10.7 million hectares of forest cover, or nearly 59 per cent of its land area. It is one of the first countries in the Greater Mekong region to address REDD+ with pilot activities starting in 2008, and the objective of Cambodia's UN-REDD National Programme is to support readiness efforts, including developing necessary institutions, policies and capacity.

The good news for REDD+ is that Cambodia has a long history of community forestry which is providing useful lessons in the design and implementation of REDD+. The pilot project in Oddar Meanchey province, for example, is very much focused on livelihood improvements, food security and environmental sustainability and as such, the consultation process with local communities and stakeholders has been well received. These early experiences with REDD+, combined with good partnerships between the government, NGOs, communities, the UN, religious leaders and donors will go a long way to strengthening Cambodia's national REDD+ strategy. Second and Importantly, REDD+ enjoys strong political support. In the case of Oddar Meanchey REDD Project, Government Decision (GD) No. 699 designated the Forestry Administration as the official seller of carbon. The same GD decision provides some guidance on how benefits are to be delivered. At least 50 percent of the income will flow to local communities in the project areas and the balance will be used to develop new REDD initiatives and to improve the quality of the forests.

There are, however, challenges to overcome in Cambodia, as in many other REDD+ countries. Pressure for forest land conversion is high in Cambodia and cross-sectoral links and collaboration in the REDD+ process will be critical in addressing the drivers of deforestation. While the broad guidance for benefit sharing is provided by GD 699, the details of how local communities in the project areas will be rewarded still need articulation.

There's a clear recognition in Cambodia that the design and implementation of REDD+ projects will take longer than originally thought, and that benefit sharing mechanisms need to be developed. The UN-REDD Programme looks forward to working with Cambodia as they address these challenges and explore the opportunities REDD+ can offer.

Yemi Katerere
Head of the UN-REDD Programme Secretariat

International support of climate change policies in developing countries: Strategic, moral and fairness aspects

2011-04-17T20:29:00.000-07:00

by Dirk T.G. Rübbelke
(doi:10.1016/j.ecolecon.2011.03.007)

International transfers in climate policy channeled from the industrialized to the developing world either support the mitigation of climate change or the adaptation to global warming. From a purely allocative point of view, transfers supporting mitigation tend to be Pareto-improving whereas this is not very likely in the case of adaptation support. We illustrate this by regarding transfer schemes currently applied under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the Kyoto framework. However, if we enrich the analysis by integrating distributional aspects, we find that international adaptation funding may help both the developing and developed world. Interestingly this is not due to altruistic incentives, but due to follow-up effects on international negotiations on climate change mitigation.

We argue that the lack of fairness perceived by developing countries in the international climate policy arena can be reduced by the support of adaptation in these countries. As we show – taking into account different fairness concepts – this might raise the prospects of success in international negotiations on climate change. Yet, we find that the influence of transfers may induce different fairness effects on climate change mitigation negotiations to run counter. We discuss whether current transfer schemes under the UNFCCC and the Kyoto framework adequately serve the distributive and allocative objectives pursued in international climate policy.

Cambodia PM nixes controversial mine project

2011-04-08T20:34:00.000-07:00

Source: AFP, April 09 2011

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen has cancelled a controversial titanium mine project in the country's southwest because of environmental concerns, the government said Friday.

The premier announced the ban on the much-criticised project during a weekly cabinet meeting, the government said in a statement, despite earlier granting a private company a 20,400-hectare (50,400-acre) concession for surface mining in the densely forested Cardamom Mountains.

"Due to concerns about the impact on the environment and biodiversity as well as the living standards of the people... Hun Sen has banned the exploitation of a titanium mine in Koh Kong province," it said.

Wildlife Alliance, a conservation group that campaigned for months against the proposed mine, said it was "thrilled" with the decision.

"We were under the impression the battle was lost," communications officer John Maloy told AFP.

"We are very pleased that the prime minister has weighed the environmental impact."

He said the mine would have been located "directly in the middle of an elephant corridor" and a nearby eco-tourism village "stood to be ruined by the project".

Carbon payments for mangrove conservation: ecosystem constraints and uncertainties of sequestration potential

2011-04-01T20:31:00.000-07:00

By Daniel M. Alongi
(doi:10.1016/j.envsci.2011.02.004 )

Natural ecosystem change over time is an often unconsidered issue for PES and REDD+ schemes, and a lack of consideration of thermodynamic limitations has led to misconceptions and oversimplifications regarding ecosystem services, especially for tropical mangrove forests. Mangroves are non-linear, non-equilibrium systems uniquely adapted to a highly dynamic boundary where shorelines are continually evolving and sea-level ever changing, and rarely conform to classical concepts of forest development and succession. Not all mangroves accumulate carbon and rates of forest floor accretion are directly linked to the frequency of tidal inundation. Carbon payments in either a PES or REDD+ scheme are dependent on the rate of carbon sequestration, not the size of C stocks, so site selection must be ordinarily confined to the sea edge. Gas emissions and net ecosystem production (NEP) are linked to forest age, particularly for monospecific plantations. Planting of mixed-species forests is recommended to maximize biodiversity, food web connectivity and NEP. Old-growth forests are the prime ecosystems for carbon sequestration, and policy must give priority to schemes to maintain their existence. Large uncertainties exist in carbon sequestration potential of mangroves, and such limitations must be factored into the design, timeframe and execution of PES and REDD+ schemes.

Cambodia's forest under threat

2011-01-17T18:52:00.000-08:00

Phnom Penh Post, 17th January 2011

The Forestry Administration has warned that the government will not meet its goal of achieving 60 percent forest cover nationwide if it continues parcelling out the Kingdom’s territory in economic land concessions.

According to the Forestry Administration’s 2010 annual report, released last week and obtained today, more than 1.3 million hectares worth of economic land concessions have been granted to date.

This figure represents roughly 7 percent of Cambodia’s total territory, an area larger than Kampong Speu and Kampot provinces combined.

Citing data obtained via satellite imagery, the Forestry Administration said 56.94 percent of Cambodia is now forested, a decrease of 2.15 percent from 2006.

“This result is a sign to warn the Forestry Administration as well as the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries that the government’s Millennium Development Goal of 60 percent forest cover may not be met because of the trend of loss due to economic land concessions,” the administration said, noting that a number of additional concessions are under consideration.

“A review is much-needed in order to evaluate concession land, and land that has not been used according to the concession contract should be seized for conservation purposes.”

Rights groups have alleged that much of the territory granted in economic land concessions is cleared and left to lie fallow without a clear purpose.

In a statement issued last May, the Cambodian Human Rights Action Committee called on the government to place a moratorium on economic land concessions until a proper monitoring system was put in place.

The new figures on land concession area represent an increase of roughly 300,000 hectares from 2006.

David Emmett, the regional director for Conservation International, said the legal framework surrounding economic concessions needed to be strengthened in order for Cambodia to preserve its forest cover and take advantage of conservation programmes.

Under the most prominent of such schemes, the United Nations’ Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation programme, or REDD, countries can “offset” their own carbon emissions by paying other countries to conserve their forests.

“There’s a lot of donors and governments wanting to invest in Cambodia … [but] they don’t know if they can be sure that the area that is designated, for example, as a REDD-filed demonstration site, will not suddenly have a new, 10,000-hectare economic land concession,” Emmett said.

The Forestry Administration’s forest cover figure of 56.94 percent “sounds about right”, Emmett said, adding that Cambodia’s forestry loss has not been occurring as quickly as in other countries in the region.

He noted, however, that areas of degraded forest or partially cleared land are sometimes tallied as forested.

“It doesn’t necessarily fully represent the quality of the forest as well as the quantity of the forest,” he said.

“You can look at something and say it’s still forest, but actually 30 percent of the trees are gone.”

The FA reported that at least 7,977 hectares worth of trees were cleared illegally last year, though it said forestry officials “paid attention and played an active role in combating forestry crimes”.

Prime Minister Hun Sen announced a crackdown on illegal logging last year, sacking former Forestry Administration head Ty Sokun in April for his alleged failure to stamp out the practice. Approximately 10,000 cubic metres of illegally wood were ultimately seized in 2010, and 82 Cambodians are now awaiting trial in connection with logging offences, the FA report said.

Human Rights Party spokesman Yem Ponharith said, however, that high-level officials involved in the illegal logging trade were seldom prosecuted and continued to profit from it.

“There have been a number of raids against illegal loggers, but the smuggling of luxury wood continues because of bribes paid to government officials,” he said.

The HRP, he added, has been consistently ignored in its calls to conserve forests and reduce land concessions.

Last May, neighbouring Indonesia declared a moratorium on land concessions in forested areas in a bid to increase its forest cover and preserve territory for use in potential REDD projects, though this move was delayed earlier this month.

Chan Sarun, the Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, could not be reached for comment today, while Forestry Administration director Chheng Kim Sun declined to comment.

Carbon trade: Cambodia forests for EU scheme

2011-01-05T06:11:00.000-08:00

Source: Phnom Penh Post, 05 January 2011

CAYMAN Islands-registered Green Glory Ltd is in the process of obtaining management rights to establish a carbon credit scheme using Cambodia’s forests, according to a company statement.

The firm is seeking rights to 450,000 hectares of the Kingdom’s woodlands for supply-side carbon credits. It is also planning to list on the London Alternative Investment Market exchange via the acquisition of AIM-listed Tricor Plc.

The agreement between Green Glory and Tricor is subject to conditions – including the granting of the forest management rights by the Kingdom, according to a statement released late last week.

Many developed nations have signed to the Kyoto Protocol, creating demand for carbon credits, according to the firm.

Tricor requested a trading halt on December 31 as the deal was being finalised.

Carbon permits rose in Europe last year after two consecutive years of decline.

Allowances for a December 2011 delivery in the world’s biggest cap-and-trade program gained 8.3 percent in 2010 after falling 23 percent in 2009 and 29 percent in 2008. They traded at €14.24 (US$19.024) per tonne on December 31 on London’s ICE Futures Europe exchange.

Forest tenure reform in the age of climate change: Lessons for REDD+

2010-12-28T20:56:00.000-08:00

By Anne M. Larson
(doi:10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2010.11.008)

Numerous authors have stressed the importance of guaranteeing and protecting the tenure and human rights of indigenous and other forest-based communities under schemes for reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD, or REDD+); and important international indigenous organizations have spoken out strongly against REDD+. This article examines two specific issues that present risks for local communities: rights to forests and rules for resource use. It draws on the findings of a study conducted by the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) on forest tenure reforms in selected countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America from 2006 to 2008. The study underlines the numerous obstacles faced by communities after rights are won, in moving from statutory rights to their implementation and to access to benefits on the ground. It argues that there is currently little reason to expect better results from national policies under REDD+ without binding agreements to protect local rights.

Cambodia recieved US$3 million to support her national REDD+ effort

2010-11-09T06:58:00.000-08:00

The fifth UN-REDD Policy Board meeting, which took place in Washington DC, US, from 4-5 November 2010, approved US$15.2 million for five new countries, and confirmed or pledged funds of US$7.4 million.

Cambodia, Papua New Guinea and Paraguay received approvals for US$3 million, $6.4 million and $4.7 million, respectively, after having presented the Board with full national REDD+ (reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation in developing countries, and the role of conservation, sustainable use of forests and enhancement of carbon stocks) readiness programmes. Solomon Islands and the Philippines were allocated approximately US$500,000 each for their initial national programmes.

Also during the meeting, Denmark pledged an additional US$6 million to the Programme, and Spain confirmed its US$1.4 million pledge. The Board also endorsed UN-REDD's five-year Strategy, outlining main work areas for the Programme, and heard progress reports from pilot countries currently implementing REDD+ activities with the UN-REDD's support. (UN-REDD Press Release)

Monks Community Forest in Cambodia Wins Prestigious Equator Prize

2010-10-10T23:29:00.000-07:00

Pact is proud to announce that its partner organization, the Monks Community Forestry (MCF), a group of Buddhist monks in northwest Cambodia, has won the prestigious United Nations sponsored Equator Prize celebrating outstanding community efforts to conserve biodiversity and reduce poverty. MCF and Venerable Bun Saluth have also received special recognition from a jury of leading conservation and development professionals. Among this year’s 25 Equator Prize winners, only four other communities have received this special recognition.

Since 2001, the monks of the Samraong Pagoda, located in Oddar Meanchey Province near Cambodia’s border with Thailand, have been protecting 18,261 hectares of forest from illegal clearing and incursion. It is now one of Cambodia’s largest and best protected community forests (MCF).

Pact and the Cambodian Forestry Administration have provided support to help the MCF establish community forestry legal status in Cambodia. Pact is now working with the MCF, the Cambodian Government, and with 12 other community forests in the area, on one of Cambodia’s first climate change mitigation and carbon offset projects. The project will earn carbon credits from the voluntary market to support forest protection efforts and contribute to improving local livelihoods. According to Pact’s Program Director, Amanda Bradley, “The MCF has collaborated effectively with local communities to turn an area of uncontrolled logging into an excellent example of best practice in conservation. We’re very excited about the potential of the carbon markets to reinforce and support these local efforts.”

Appalled at the ongoing destruction of his country’s forests, MCF’s Venerable Bun Saluth initiated protection of this area in 2001. With few resources, he and the monks of his pagoda have proven themselves to be powerful conservationists: they have demarcated forest boundaries, raised environmental awareness among local communities, developed co-management committees with local villagers, linked with government authorities and NGOs, and significantly reduced forest crime in the MCF through the development of unique approaches to law enforcement based on Buddhist principles.

The example of the MCF has demonstrated that Buddhist monks can be important allies for the conservation community: they have proven effective at deterring forest crime and can be powerful messengers for environmental protection. Their impressive achievements sprang from the monks’ belief that by protecting the MCF they are following the Buddha’s example and the principles he set out in his teachings to eliminate the suffering of all beings and to live ethically.

This small forest community in northwest Cambodia is now linked with 128 other Equator Prize winners from around the world who have been chosen as representatives of best practices in grassroots movements that combine biodiversity conservation and poverty reduction. Venerable Bun Saluth joins 25 of this year’s winners to receive the prize and US$5,000 in an award ceremony in New York on September 20th.

Source: http://pactworld.org/cs/equator_prize

Tenure Rights and Benefit Sharing Arrangements for REDD: A Case Study of Two REDD Pilot Projects in Cambodia

2010-09-20T20:44:00.000-07:00

Paper presented at the Development Research Forum 3rd Annual Symposium on " Research and Policy Response to Cambodia's Recovery and Development" September 9-10 2010, Phnom Penh, Cambodia

DIO: http://dx.doi.org/10.3239/9783640692866

Deforestation and forest degradation account for up to 20% of the total annual anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions. As a result, current approaches to address climate change include strategies to reduce deforestation and forest degradation in developing countries (REDD). Even though REDD is still under discussion within the UNFCCC framework, many REDD pilot projects are being implemented across the tropics. Securing local communities’ tenure rights and their equitable access to forest conservation benefits are critical in REDD because local communities could be excluded from REDD benefits if their land and forest access rights are not adequately addressed. In Cambodia, two REDD pilot projects: Community Forestry Carbon Offset Project (CFCOP) in Oddar Meanchey province and the Seima Protection Forest Project (SPF) in Mundulkiri province, are being implemented. This study aims to contribute to the development of an effective REDD mechanism in Cambodia by examining land and forest tenures and benefit sharing arrangements under the two REDD pilot projects in Cambodia. The paper employs concepts of discourse coalitions and rules of the game to explain tenure rights and benefit sharing arrangements in the two projects. The study is based on literature review, analysis of key text documents and interviews with 19 respondents from government, civil society, donor community, community and private sector involved in the two REDD pilot projects and from outside. Results show that the two REDD pilot projects are being implemented in community forests and protection forests. In both projects, local communities are granted forest access rights. In addition, the projects have legitimized tenure rights of local communities in the project areas as provided for through the Land and Forestry Law in Cambodia. The study also indicates that revenues from carbon credits generated by the projects will be shared with the local communities. According to the Government Decision No.699, more than 50% of net revenues will be channeled to local communities in the CFCOP while the sharing of the revenues in the SPF is still under consideration. The study offers lessons that could guide other REDD projects in securing local communities’ forest access rights and their rights to benefits from forest conservation.

Titanium-mining group keeps company data under wraps

2010-08-16T09:48:00.000-07:00

The head of United Khmer Group yesterday declined to disclose the names of “public” investors in a titanium mine he has said contains US$35 billion to $135 billion worth of deposits and refused to confirm the sums they had invested.

On Monday Chea Chet said public traders with more than 42 years of experience would provide the expertise to process ilmenite, an iron-titanium oxide used to produce titanium slag, at a 20,400 hectare site in Koh Kong province and ensure environmental protection procedures were implemented to safeguard the surrounding forests.

“These people, they are public traders. They come from offshore, they invest a lot of money and they already have a plan,” he said.

“So no matter what [opponents of the mine] try to do, it’s not going to stop our company or our government because we’ve prepared for the benefit and we prepare for the [environmental] effects.”

Yesterday Chea Chet also rebutted recent claims by officials and conservationists that his company had yet to commence exploration of the site, saying they had already started drilling but declined to produce a copy of the feasibility study.

“We’ve taken only 10 metres – it requires special tools like the other forms of mining; this one is only the surface, zero metres to 10 metres deep, so it is not that difficult,” he said yesterday, though he declined to confirm the precise location of the site.

But the conservation organisation Wildlife Alliance has provided a map which purportedly shows that the location of the concession precisely matches the coordinates of an earlier mining concession, one explored by the company Omsaura.

Omsaura’s feasibility study, conducted in June 2005, concluded that significantly lower amounts of ilmenite were likely to be found than United Khmer Group have claimed – just under 2.5 million as opposed to Chea Chet’s figure of 120 million tonnes.

Sowanna Gauntlett, country director of Wildlife Alliance, said yesterday that since 2002, eight companies had come to make studies of the site, but that none had commenced exploitation of the site. Gauntlett called for United Khmer Group to publish its findings.

“Right now, we finally discovered this is only an exploration permit.

“There are no findings yet, and if the company does have findings, then why don’t they publish it,” she said.

“And if they have big plans for that area, we need to be informed because we have big projects in eco-tourism and REDD sinks.”

Reduced Emissions From Deforestation permits allow heavily polluting companies in developed countries to offset atmospheric carbon emissions by paying for the protection of forests, which process the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide and turn it into oxygen.

Gauntlett has previously said that the 144,000-hectare area of protected forest, worth between US$48 and $85 million, according to preliminary studies, would be doomed by the construction of a nearby mine.

Chea Chet’s estimation of the value of the deposits, which he puts at between $700 and $2,500 per tonne once processed into titanium slag, does not factor in capital expenditure required to process ore.

The highest price for titanium slag in China last month was US$670 per tonne.

Source: Phnom Penh Post (13th August 2010)

Terra Global Capital’s VCS Mosaic REDD Methodology Completes the First Validation

2010-08-14T10:34:00.000-07:00

Developed by Terra Global Capital, LLC in partnership with Community Forestry International, the pioneering Mosaic REDD methodology submitted to the Voluntary Carbon Standard (VCS) has completed the first of two required validations. The methodology, designed to support the development of a REDD project in the Oddar Meanchey province of northwestern Cambodia, was supported by the Cambodia Forestry Administration, Pact, and the Children’s Development Association, with validation funding provided by the Clinton Climate Initiative. The quantification of carbon credits from mosaic-type REDD projects as developed in the methodology presents unique challenges. Mosaic REDD projects, by design, address situations where a complex set of deforestation drivers and agents interact. The methodology covers a broad set of applicability criteria and can be used for a number of REDD projects with deforestation drivers, including conversion of forest to farmland and settlements, logging, fuel wood collection, forest fires, economic land concessions and forest encroachment. “The methodology is expected to be broadly applicable where mosaic patterns of deforestation occur throughout Southeast Asia and Africa. The completion of this first validation after 18 months demonstrates the technical leadership and commitment of the Terra team and the methodology’s validator TÜV SÜD. The effort was worth it as it will reduce the development time for many REDD projects,” said Leslie Durschinger, Founder and Managing Director of Terra Global Capital. (Read More)

UN REDD Programme in Action

2010-08-11T05:29:00.000-07:00

The UN-REDD Programme in Action video highlights the activities and value of the UN-REDD Programme at the national and global level, and includes interviews with representatives of the Programme, pilot and partner countries, donors and other REDD+ experts.

Conservation of Prey Long Forest Complex, Cambodia

2010-07-27T07:00:00.000-07:00

By Schmidt, L. and Theilade, I. (2010). Conservation of Prey Long Forest Complex, Cambodia Working papers nr.50-2010. Forest & Landscape

Emissions from deforestation and forest degradation in developing countries constitute some 20% of the total emissions of greenhouse gases annually. If we are to be serious in our efforts to combat climate change, reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD) in developing countries must be addressed.

REDD projects has the potential to generate substantial benefits in addition to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. These include positive impacts on biodiversity and sustainable development, including poverty reduction and strengthening indigenous people’s rights. The proposed REDD project seeks to provide the financial means to manage and conserve the last intact vestige of lowland rainforest in Cambodia. In doing so, the project aims to produce a triple dividend – gains for the climate, for biodiversity and for sustainable development in Cambodia.

Download Full Paper Click Here

NCT to triple biofuel output in Cambodia

2010-07-20T06:31:00.000-07:00

Cambodia’s NCT Jacam Energy Company plans to more than triple its production of biodiesel made from jatropha seeds by January next year, aiming for production of up to 2,000 litres per day.

Rising prices of traditional, petroleum-based diesel fuel in the Kingdom has resulted in growing demand for biofuels this year in order to help power the nation’s electricity generators, according to company president Chheuy Sophors.

The firm’s jatropha refinery in Kampong Speu province presently produces some 600 litres of fuel per day that fetches about 3,200 riels per litre from local consumers.

In comparison, petroleum-based diesel cost a minimum of 3,450 riels per litre at local markets yesterday, according to statistics from the Ministry of Commerce.

“Jatropha farmers and owners of generators will have an opportunity to increase their income when we increase our biodiesel production,” Chheuy Sophors said.

Jatropha is a quick-growing tropical plant. Its seeds can be crushed to oil for biodiesel production.

It has potential to produce a large amount of energy compared to the area required to grow, compared to other fuel-producing crops, according to a United Nations Food and Agricultural Organisation report issued earlier this year.

However, relatively little research has been done into the crop, and concerns remain about the toxicity of the plant’s seeds and the possibility that it may become an undesirable weed in certain growing conditions, according to the report.

NCT Jacam Energy Company first began daily production of 100 litres of biodiesel at its US$400,000 processing factory last October.

It does not own plantations, but instead purchases raw jatropha from farmers in Kampong Speu, Battambang, and Banteay Meachey for approximately $85 per tonne, Chheuy Sophors said.

Producing 1 kilogramme of biodiesel required three times the amount of unprocessed jatropha seed, he said, and added that the firm would require 6 tonnes of seed per day to meet its production goal of 2,000 litres.

“In three years, we hope that the company will be producing 5,000 litres of biodiesel per day as farmers grow the crop more and more,” he said.

Although NCT is ambitious in its expansion plans, other firms experimenting with the crop have experienced teething problems.

Mong Reththy Group has been growing the crop on 100 hectares in Steung Treng province since 2008, but company President Mong Reththy said yesterday that the firm had no plans to expand its plantation.

He said the plantation had encountered difficulties in recruiting workers to travel to the province, located more than 500 kilometres from Phnom Penh near the Laos border, a factor that stymied its growth plans.

The sector in Cambodia presently consists of three companies that produce between 100 and 500 litres of biodiesel per day, according to Ministry of Industry, Mines, and Energy.

Another 10 companies at least are studying the feasibility of producing the fuel in Cambodia.

The MIME secretary of state responsible for renewable energy said earlier this year that the government supported all biodiesel production because the fuels are more environmentally friendly than petroleum, and create jobs and economic activity.

Source: http://www.phnompenhpost.com (20 July 2010)

Villagers protest mine plan

2010-07-16T02:50:00.000-07:00

Hundreds of villagers and local officials have thumbprinted a petition protesting against a planned titanium mine in Koh Kong province, and plan to pass the document on to Prime Minister Hun Sen through local officials on Monday.

The petition, which has been signed by the chief of Chi Phat commune, four village chiefs and about 500 villagers, will today be handed to the Forestry Administration’s chief coastal inspector, Vann Sophanna, who has also voiced opposition to the project.

Penned by conservation group Wildlife Alliance, the petition argues that the mine – expected to extract a million tonnes of titanium ore – will drive away ecotourism revenue and ruin the area’s biodiversity through water pollution and deforestation.

“All mining is done with water, and this will basically poison the waterways and ruin the fish population, and of course it will poison the people, animals and kill ecotourism,” Suwanna Gauntlett, the country director of Wildlife Alliance, said yesterday.

At a community meeting and inspection of the site earlier this week, Vann Sophanna said he personally opposed the mine because its planned location overlapped with 144,000 hectares of protected forest and would impact local ecotourism projects.

“We need to keep this forest cover green, so we will report the worst negative impacts and explain them to the inter-ministerial committee so they can balance the interests of preserving natural resources and the benefits of the mining exploitation,” he said.

He added that the final decision rested with the prime minister, who he hoped would support the concerns expressed in the petition.

Neither the developer of the mine, United Khmer Group, nor relevant government ministries could be reached for comment yesterday.

According to Wildlife Alliance, United Khmer communicated on June 10 that it company would construct a quarry of between 20 and 200 metres in depth over a 15,000-to-20,000 hectare area to extract high-grade titanium.

If successful, the company said, Chinese companies would then construct another three or four mines covering an area of about 100,000 hectares in Koh Kong in addition to the first mine.
Consensus Economics, a macroeconomic survey firm, forecast in late 2009 that in June of this year titanium ilmenite ore would be worth US$95 per metric tonne, meaning the mine could contain deposits worth around $95 million.

But Vann Sophanna said the mine would also doom a potentially valuable carbon sink established under the UN and World Bank-backed Reduced Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD) scheme.

A preliminary survey by Wildlife Alliance and the Forestry Administration estimated such a scheme could be worth between $1.8 and 2.8 million per year in revenue to the government.
Under the REDD scheme, polluting companies in developed countries would pay the Cambodian government to protect 200,000 hectares of forest in Koh Kong to offset their own carbon emissions, with 40 percent of the revenue going back to the local community.

The mine area also intersects one of only seven remaining elephant corridors in Asia and is listed by Conservation International as one of 34 global biodiversity “hot spots”.

Source: http://www.phnompenhpost.com/ (16 July 2010)

Forest official raises concern about the potential loss of the REDD scheme in Cambodia

2010-07-14T01:43:00.000-07:00

A Forestry Administration official said yesterday that a massive titanium mine proposed for Koh Kong province would threaten natural resources and local livelihoods, and vowed to pass on his concerns to Prime Minister Hun Sen.

Vann Sophana, in charge of the Forestry Administration’s Coastal Inspectorate, met with villagers in Thma Bang district who stand to be affected by the mine, which the NGO Wildlife Alliance has said would cover 15,000 to 20,000 hectares.

On Monday, Wildlife Alliance Country Director Suwanna Gauntlett said the mine would threaten 144,000 hectares of protected forest in the district, as well as ecotourism projects that support 150 families in Chi Pat commune.

She also said the mine would doom plans to implement a Reduced Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD) scheme that NGOs and officials had been hoping to launch in 2011. The scheme allows polluting companies in developed countries to offset their carbon emissions by paying developing countries to protect forests.

After yesterday’s meeting, Vann Sophana indicated that he shared these concerns.

“Firstly, the area is overlapping with forests protected by Sub-decree No 65 of the Royal Government of Cambodia,” he said, and added that the project seemed to be in conflict with a government resolution declaring that mining poses a serious threat to forest coverage.

He also expressed concern about the potential loss of the REDD scheme, which Wildlife Alliance estimates could bring between US$48 million and $85 million of revenue to Cambodia over the next 30 years.

“If this mine happens, the REDD project will not happen,” Vann Sophana said. “The REDD project is very important because it protects natural resources while selling credits to developed industries – it is an industry with no smoke.”

During her presentation to villagers, Gauntlett said the United Khmer Group, which has reportedly obtained one of two required permits for the project, had informed her organisation that Chinese companies planned to build another three mines covering 100,000 hectares of nearby forest if the first mine proved successful.

Phorn Thou, representative of the United Khmer Group, said yesterday that his company had no intention of harming any villagers in the area.
“We want to reduce the poverty in that area, and we want to help them by giving them jobs,” he said. “Our goal is Khmer helping Khmer.”

Chi Pat commune chief Uy Iaiy and the chiefs of four separate villages were unified in their opposition to the mine. “With the mining company, I’m not sure if villagers can get a job there or not,” said Hot Pov, the chief of Teuk Laork village.

Source: http://www.phnompenhpost.com/ (July 14, 2010)

Mine Plan Threatens REDD in Cambodia

2010-07-13T04:21:00.000-07:00

The conservation NGO Wildlife Alliance yesterday criticised plans for the development of a titanium mine in Koh Kong province, saying the project would scare off ecotourism investors and derail implementation of a lucrative pollution-reduction scheme.

Suwanna Gauntlett, the group’s country director, said the United Khmer Group had recently obtained a permit from the Ministry of Industry, Mines and Energy for the mine, which she said would cover 15,000 to 20,000 hectares in Thma Bang district.

“Now they need a permit from the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, but they’re ready to go. They’re building the roads already and redoing the bridges,” she said.

Company representative Phorn Thou confirmed his company intended to mine titanium in the province, but said no permits had been granted. “My company is in the process of mapping out the area,” he said.

Pech Siyon, director of the provincial Industry, Mines and Energy Department, said a concession for a titanium in the district had recently been granted, but he declined to name the company or give any other details.

Gauntlett said the mine would threaten 144,000 hectares of protected forest in the district, as well as ecotourism projects that support 150 families in Chi Pat commune. Her organisation, she said, had spent nearly US$600,000 developing community-based tourism projects there over the past nine years.

“If we had known about this mine about three years ago we would have never had invested all this money in this area,” she said.

She also said the mine would doom plans to implement a Reduced Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD) scheme that NGOs and officials had been hoping to launch in 2011. The scheme allows polluting companies in developed countries to offset their carbon emissions by paying developing countries to protect forests. Wildlife Alliance believes it would generate at least several million dollars in revenue.

Vann Sophanna, chief of the Forestry Administration’s Coastal Inspectorate who is due to meet concerned Chi Pat villagers today, could not be reached for comment yesterday.

Source: http://www.phnompenhpost.com (July 13, 2010)

ADB to Invest in Greater Mekong Subregion, Clean Energy Fund

2010-07-09T10:26:00.000-07:00

MANILA, PHILIPPINES - The Asian Development Bank (ADB) will invest $15 million to support clean energy projects in the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) and South Asia through the Mekong Brahmaputra Clean Development Fund.

The fund will invest in companies engaged in renewable energy, energy efficiency, and water conservation and waste recycling projects. It expects to invest in at least 10 clean energy and environment projects by 2014.

Many people in the GMS and South Asia have no access to modern forms of energy. In 2008, 83% of households in Cambodia, 80% in the Lao People's Democratic Republic, and over 50% in Viet Nam still used wood for fuel so it is critical to increase sustainable energy investments. The situation is often worse in South Asia.

At the same time, strong economic growth throughout Asia has already put substantial pressure on the region's resources and is straining the environment. Further development of carbon-based power generation capacity, such as coal and oil, needs to be carefully evaluated to ensure that access to energy does not come at the price of steadily increasing greenhouse gases, contributing to global climate change.

Experts have stressed the havoc that rising greenhouse gas emissions could wreak on livelihoods in Asia and the Pacific if left unchecked, and urged governments in this region and the rest of the world to find ways to halt or reverse climate change.

"Further economic development in the Greater Mekong Subregion and South Asia requires greater access to energy. We must help meet this demand for energy in a way that is sustainable and doesn't further damage the environment," said Philip Erquiaga, Director General of the Private Sector Operations Department at ADB.

The fund has a target size of $100 million and will be managed by Dragon Capital Clean Development Investments Ltd., a subsidiary of the Dragon Capital Group, which has longstanding experience in asset management in Viet Nam. Other investors in the fund include the Belgian Investment Company for Developing Countries, the Finnish Fund for Industrial Cooperation, and the Netherlands Development Finance Company.

"Private investors and financiers can play an extremely important role in the development of alternative sources of energy in Asia. We hope that ADB's participation in the fund will encourage other private-sector players to invest in clean energy projects that will generate both attractive rates of return and a cleaner, more environmentally sustainable future," said Mr. Erquiaga.

Source: http://www.adb.org (9 July 2010)

Katoomba XVII Conference in Vietnam 2010: PES and the development of REDD in Cambodia

2010-07-06T10:58:00.000-07:00

Source: http://live.katoombagroup.org/

Tom Clements has worked in international conservation for over 10 years. From 2002-2008 he was based in Cambodia for the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) as the lead advisor on large landscape-scale conservation projects, including development of market-linked mechanisms for conservation such as PES. Since 2008 he has worked regionally for WCS in South-east Asia on PES and the development of REDD, including work for the USAID TransLinks programme. He is currently the advisor to the Cambodian Government’s National REDD+ Readiness planning process.

Combining Multiple PES Markets - Tom Clements on Experiences in the Region and Beyond from Katoomba Group on Vimeo.

Kurt McLeod, Vice President for PACT for Asia and Eurasia, presents a comparative analysis of policy and implementation approaches across Southeast Asia

Forest Carbon and REDD Architecture: Kurt McLeod on policy and implementation approaches across Southeast Asia from Katoomba Group on Vimeo.

The UN-REDD Programme’s recent workshop in Viet Nam on Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC)

2010-07-05T05:16:00.000-07:00

Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) is a rights-based principle representing a particular expression of the right to self-determination, related rights to land, territories and natural resources, the right to culture, and the right to be free from racial discrimination. FPIC applies to key decision points for actions that have the potential to impact the land, territories, and resources upon which rights holders depend for their cultural, spiritual and physical sustenance, well-being and survival, and is of particular relevance to future REDD+ activities.

A recent interview with Tim Boyle (UN-REDD Regional Technical Advisor), Nina Kancheva and Elspeth Halverson (UN-REDD consultants) on the UN-REDD Programme’s recent workshop in Viet Nam on free, prior and informed consent (FPIC).

Moving the REDD Debate from Theory to Practice: Lessons Learned from the Ulu Masen Project

2010-06-30T20:16:00.000-07:00

By Clarke, R.A. (2010). Law, Environment & Development Journal (Full Article)

As the dust settles after Copenhagen and the barriers to reaching global consensus on combating climate change are put into stark relief, REDD still has potential to become a UNFCCC success story. In relation to REDD, there is agreement on many core issues and significant momentum remains towards a REDD mechanism firmly engrained in the post-2012 climate change framework. Yet most debate occurs in the abstract with policy and methodological decisions made with minimal conception of how these issues will play out in REDD participant countries. This article aims to break this trend and takes a prominent REDD pilot activity as its reference point. The Ulu Masen Project in Aceh , Indonesia , while only in its infancy, provides valuable lessons on legal frameworks, benefit-sharing and financing. Through analysis of UNFCCC negotiations on REDD and an examination of how relevant issues have been addressed in the Ulu Masen Project, the article aims to contribute to a more grounded, practical debate on a future UNFCCC REDD mechanism.

Case Studies on Measuring and Assessing Forest Degradation Global Mapping and Monitoring the Extent of Forest Alteration: The Intact Forest Landscapes

2010-06-28T10:49:00.000-07:00

The paper describes the Intact Forest Landscapes (IFL) Method and presents results of its use for a global baseline assessment of the extent of forest alteration along with several examples of regional-level monitoring. The extent of forest alteration (understood in this context as a reduction in ecological integrity across a forest landscape) was measured at the global, biome and national levels based on the distribution and proportion of IFL areas. A detailed boundary between ‘intact’ and ‘non-intact’ forest landscapes was established and used as a baseline. The IFL method represents a practical, rapid, and cost-effective approach for assessing forest intactness, alteration and degradation at the global and regional scales.

In the context of Reduced Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD), IFLs are strongly associated with issues of permanence, biodiversity, and indigenous peoples. Countries that wish to make an early commitment under REDD that is capable of being monitored, verified, and reported may therefore find that the IFL Method offers interesting opportunities. The method can be elaborated to also measure the depth or intensity of forest alteration. It thus represents an approach that should be of interest to FAO’s Forest Resources Assessment, for example for monitoring of forest degradation.

Download Full Paper Click Here.

Snake prices and crocodile appetites: Aquatic wildlife supply and demand on Tonle Sap Lake, Cambodia

2010-06-22T11:31:00.000-07:00

By Sharon E. Brooks, Edward H. Allison, Jennifer A. Gill and John D. Reynolds. Biological Conservation (2010)

Commercial trade is a major driver of over-exploitation of wild species, but the pattern of demand and how it responds to changes in supply is poorly understood. Here we explore the markets for snakes from Tonle Sap Lake in Cambodia to evaluate future exploitation scenarios, identify entry points for conservation and, more generally, to illustrate the value of multi-scale analysis of markets to traded wildlife conservation. In Cambodia, the largest driver of snake exploitation is the domestic trade in snakes as crocodile food. We estimate that farmed crocodiles consume between 2.7 and 12.2 million snakes per year. The market price for crocodiles has been in decline since 2003, which, combined with rising prices for their food, has led to a reduced frequency of feeding and closure of small farms. The large farms that generate a disproportionate amount of the demand for snakes continue to operate in anticipation of future market opportunities, and preferences for snakes could help maintain demand if market prices for crocodiles rise to pre 2003 levels. In the absence of a sustained demand from crocodile farms, it is also possible that alternative markets will develop, such as one for human snack food. The demand for snakes, however, also depends on the availability of substitute resources, principally fish. The substitutability and low price elasticity of demand offers a relatively sustainable form of consumerism. Given the nature of these market drivers, addressing consumer preferences and limiting the protection of snakes to their breeding season are likely to be the most effective tools for conservation. This study highlights the importance of understanding the structure of markets and the behaviour of consumer demand prior to implementing regulations on wildlife hunting and trade.

The History of REDD Policy from Kyoto to Copenhagen

2010-06-17T22:14:00.000-07:00

Globally, deforestation accounts for up to 18% of greenhouse gas emissions, or about 5.8 billion tonnes of CO2 equivalent released into the atmosphere, each year. This is more than global transport and aviation combined. According to the Stern Review, reducing deforestation is the “single largest opportunity for cost-effective and immediate reductions of carbon emissions”. This is where REDD – otherwise known as Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation – comes in. REDD is the idea of creating an international framework to halt deforestation. In addition, the mechanism could help fight poverty while conserving biodiversity and sustaining vital ecosystem services. Exactly what REDD is defined as, and what the elements of the framework will be, is scheduled to be decided at the forthcoming UNFCCC Conference(s) of the Parties. Herewith is a comprehensive summary of the History of REDD Policy, from it’s roots in the Kyoto Protocol to the final meetings of the AWGs and SBSTA before COP15 begins in Copenhagen in December 2009. (Source: http://www.carbonplanet.com/)

Second East Asia Climate Forum Discusses Green Growth

2010-06-17T07:31:00.000-07:00

The Second East Asia Climate Forum convened on 16 June 2010, in Seoul, Republic of Korea, to provide a forum for dialogue on reducing greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) in East Asia and for turning the challenges of climate change into sustainable economic opportunities. The Forum was an opportunity for high-level officials from Asian countries, experts from international organizations, think tanks and other stakeholders to discuss various issues related to low-carbon green growth. Sessions at the Forum addressed: green growth in the Republic of Korea; new paradigms for economic and social development; implementing green growth and energy issues; adaptation and water issues; and promoting international cooperation for green growth. During the Forum, the Republic of Korea launched the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI) to undertake research on shifting towards low-carbon economies.

His Excellency Sam Noun Khong, Secretary of State at Ministry of Environment of Cambodia, described his government’s green-growth roadmap, financed by Korea in cooperation with the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) and involves public consultations to develop a national strategy that includes services for human capital development.

Source: http://www.iisd.ca/

Forestry changes planned for Siem Reap province, Cambodia

2010-06-14T07:17:00.000-07:00

(Photo: Forestry Administration Building in Phnom Penh, Cambodia)

Forestry officials plan to carve out three new administrative zones in the northwest in a bid to ramp up efforts against illegal logging, the director of the Forestry Administration said Sunday.

Chheng Kim Son said he has asked the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries for permission to split the existing Siem Reap cantonment into three separate jurisdictions covering Siem Reap, Banteay Meanchey and Oddar Meanchey provinces. Currently, oversight in the three areas falls under the same umbrella, leaving officials struggling to cover one of the administration’s largest cantonments, Chheng Kim Son said.

“We will change it from one large jurisdiction into three smaller ones,” he said. “[Officials] can move and monitor their jurisdictions faster and more effectively with a smaller area.”

He added that the potential change was part of a broader strategy to implement an ongoing crackdown on illegal logging.

“We will reform our work in order to govern well and make it easier to control illegal logging activities, because in the past, it was very difficult for us to govern” such a large area, he said.

Chheng Kim Son said he was unsure when the change would be enacted, and that he had not received a response to a proposal sent to the ministry. Agriculture Minister Chan Sarun could not be reached for comment Sunday.

If approved, the move would increase the number of forestry cantonments – subdivisions falling under the administration’s four broad
inspectorates – to 17.

Under the spotlight

Chheng Kim Son was thrust to the forefront of the government’s public campaign against illegal logging in April, after Prime Minister Hun Sen sacked his predecessor, Ty Sokun, over concerns that insufficient steps had been taken to eradicate the practice. Since then, it has been unclear what specific changes Chheng Kim Son planned to implement in the role.

On Sunday, some observers working in the affected areas said the decision to split the Siem Reap cantonment into more manageable jurisdictions was a good move.

“[Forestry officials] will be closer to the ground, and they can communicate faster with each other,” said Srey Naren, the coordinator in Oddar Meanchey for local rights group Adhoc.

“When their main office is in Siem Reap province, officials have to spend more money and more time to get from one place to another. When they stay in one smaller jurisdiction, their effectiveness will be better.”

Srey Naren went on to say that several much-publicised crackdowns on illegal logging across the country appear to be having some effect. “Logging is still continuing, but it is less than before along the border” with Thailand, he said.

However, he warned that some local government officials are among those profiting from corrupt logging practices. “Local authorities are deforesting a huge portion of the forest area,” he said.

“We are concerned about this. It is reported in meetings, but so far there has been no action to punish these officials.”

Few prosecutions

Court officials in other parts of the country say they are making efforts to prosecute those implicated in illegal logging.

In Ratanakkiri, the provincial court director said Sunday that he had summoned various forestry officials for questioning with regard to roughly 45 illegal logging cases. Lu Susambath said he plans to ask the officials why no arrests have been made in connection with any of the cases.

“We have only seen wood taken as evidence sent to the courthouses, while no wood vendors or businessmen have been arrested,” said Lu Susambath, who declined to name the officials he had called for questioning.

In Preah Vihear province, court officials reported last week that authorities had enacted 20 illegal logging raids so far this year, but that none of the cases had led to prosecutions.

Court officials in Koh Kong last week said they plan to question two forestry officials who are suspected of involvement in an illegal logging operation.

Observers such as Bunra Seng, the country director of the NGO Conservation International, say the crackdowns still appear to be having some effect, even if few prosecutions have resulted from them.

But he also said that authorities need to focus on addressing the fact that a robust consumer demand for illegal timber is helping to drive the covert industry.

“The government has to find a way to reduce or stop market demand” for illegal timber, he said.

“In this case, people find many ways in order to transport the timber because the price is very high.”

Source: Phnom Penh Post (14 June 2010)

The Incidence of Fire in Amazonian Forests with Implications for REDD

2010-06-11T12:42:00.000-07:00

By Luiz E. O. C. Aragão and Yosio E. Shimabukuro. (2010). Science.Vol. 328. no. 5983, pp. 1275 - 1278

Reducing emissions from deforestation and degradation (REDD) may curb carbon emissions, but the consequences for fire hazard are poorly understood. By analyzing satellite-derived deforestation and fire data from the Brazilian Amazon, we show that fire occurrence has increased in 59% of the area that has experienced reduced deforestation rates. Differences in fire frequencies across two land-use gradients reveal that fire-free land-management can substantially reduce fire incidence by as much as 69%. If sustainable fire-free land-management of deforested areas is not adopted in the REDD mechanism, then the carbon savings achieved by avoiding deforestation may be partially negated by increased emissions from fires.

Realising Rights, Protecting Forests: An Alternative Vision for Reducing Deforestation

2010-06-09T13:26:00.000-07:00

Download Full Report Click Here (http://www.rainforestfoundationuk.org).

The Accra Caucus on Forests and Climate Change is a network of southern and northern NGOs representing around 100 civil society and Indigenous Peoples' organizations from 38 countries, formed at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) meeting in Accra, Ghana in 2008. The Caucus works to place the rights of indigenous and forest communities at the centre of negotiations on Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation (REDD), and to ensure that efforts to reduce deforestation promote good governance and are not a substitute for emission reductions in industrialised countries. In this report the Caucus proposes an alternative vision for achieving the objective of reducing deforestation, arguing for policies and actions that would tackle the drivers of deforestation, rather than focusing exclusively on carbon. Drawing on case studies from organisations with experience of working with forest communities, the report highlights problems linked to the implementation of REDD and suggests ways in which policies to reduce deforestation can actually work on the ground. Through case studies from selected countries the report highlights three critical components: full and effective participation (Indonesia, Ecuador, Democratic Republic of Congo); secured and equitable land rights (Brazil, Cameroon, Papua New Guinea) and community-based forest management (Tanzania, Nepal).

Vietnam: Why REDD+ Needs Local People

2010-06-08T07:23:00.000-07:00

Download

With much of Vietnam’s forest area already actively managed by local people, and given Vietnam’s early engagement in REDD+ readiness initiatives, the country is emerging as a global leader in community-led climate change mitigation in the forest sector. To do so, however, a number of critical issues still need to be addressed. Here we outline why the active engagement of local communities and indigenous peoples is so crucial, and what challenges still need to be overcome. We then summarize the critical actions required to ensure the future success of Vietnam’s REDD+ program.

Forests and climate change after Copenhagen: An Asia-Pacific perspective

2010-06-07T10:02:00.000-07:00

The report, titled "Forests and climate change after Copenhagen - An Asia-Pacific perspective," outlines 12 questions addressed by a meeting of the REDD (reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation in developing countries) Learning Network, which took place on 3 February 2010, in Bali, Indonesia. The meeting's questions included, inter alia: progress on REDD given a lack of binding emission reductions targets from COP 15; funding mechanisms for reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation in developing countries, conservation, sustainable management of forests and enhancement of carbon stocks (REDD+), including the voluntary market; approaches to ensure engagement of local stakeholders; REDD+ and the potential for forest governance reform; operationalization of REDD+ and REDD+ readiness; and ways for local stakeholders to benefit from carbon markets.

Corruption could undermine REDD

2010-06-04T10:55:00.000-07:00

Tenure right and benefit sharing arrangement for REDD: a case study of Carbon Forestry Program in Oddar Meanchey, CambodiaBy mongabay.com (June 03, 2010)

With four billion US dollars pledged last week to kick-start the Reduced Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD), a new report by Global Witness warns that the funds could do little to stem deforestation if governance and accountability are not improved and corruption tackled. The REDD program provides funds to tropical nations to keep forests standing as a means to sequester carbon.

"Protecting forests will be absolutely crucial to mitigating climate change, but past experience tells us that without transparent and effective governance and effective independent monitoring, money will fail to solve the problem," explains Laura Furones of Global Witness in a press release. "REDD carries considerable risks for forests and local communities and will only succeed if civil society is engaged as an independent watchdog."

To deal with problems of governance and corruption, Global Witness recommends creating a systems for independent monitoring in its new briefing Principles for Independent Monitoring of REDD (IM-REDD). The briefing lays out 10 key principles for REDD to succeed, including program independence from national officials and private companies, an official mandate from participating nations for those monitoring progress, unhindered access to forest sites, open access to information, and a right to publish any findings. The report warns that unless these basic steps are implemented into the REDD agreement, corruption and abuse will wreck the program.

"It is now widely accepted that for forest reform to be effective, it must be independently monitored," said Ms. Furones. "This report takes the lessons from over 10 years' work in the field on forest governance. It outlines what needs to happen when promises leave the conference halls and hit the ground. Effective monitoring will be critical for the scheme's credibility."

Deforestation in the tropics contributes between 12-17 percent of the world's greenhouse gas emissions. Stopping deforestation is considered by many policy makers to be the quickest and cheapest way to mitigate global climate change. A well-implemented REDD program could also protect biodiversity, sustain forests for indigenous groups, and preserve numerous ecosystem services from pollination to clean water to erosion. However, the negotiations are complex and some environmentalists fear that REDD will be usurped by industrial and government interests at the expense of forest preservation or that the program undercut the rights of indigenous people.

REDD threatens rights of 350 million local people

2010-06-04T10:39:00.000-07:00

Last week the Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD) program received a jump start with a four billion US dollar pledge from a number of industrialized nations. Under REDD tropical forest nation will be paid to keep forests standing, however the program—as it currently stands—has provoked concern over the rights of the some 350 million people living in or adjacent to forests.

The Accra Caucus on Forests and Climate Change, a coalition of some 100 organizations from 38 countries, has released a report outlining an alternative vision of REDD that would uphold the rights of local and indigenous people while protecting forests.

"When forest-dependent communities gain control over forest resources, they are best at protecting them against destruction by others. Providing REDD funding to industrial logging or strict nature conservation programs that do not respect local peoples’ rights and usages of the forest could be counter-productive, and fuel conflict and poverty," explains Nat Dyer of the Rainforest Foundation UK, which is a member of the coalition making up the Accra Caucus on Forests and Climate Change.

Read more (http://www.mongabay.com)

Seima REDD Demonstration Project in Cambodia

2010-06-03T11:06:00.000-07:00

The Seima Protection Forest (SPF) demonstration project, the first REDD-based wildlife protection, is the second REDD project which was officially declared by the Council of Ministers in Cambodia. The REDD pilot project was launched in mid 2008 with the collaboration between Forestry Administration (FA) and Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS). The project aims to expand and improve law enforcement activities, to register existing communities land claim, and to provide incentive for communities to protect forests. According to the feasibility study by Winrock International, the project was highly feasible and that even under a conservative scenario would avoid millions of tons of carbon emissions. It is estimated that 1.5 tone of CO2 will be sequestrated over the 5 years period 2008-2012 if 50 % of deforestation is decreased in the project area. Even at a low carbon price of US$5 per ton in the voluntary market, it is conservatively estimated US$5.4 million of revenues. However, the project design document (PDD) is under preparation and it is hoped to finish later this year after some further survey, analysis and consultation with the stakeholders.The project is expected to submit for verification by the Voluntary Carbon Standard (VCS) and the Climate, Community and Biodiversity Alliance (CCBA) in 2010.

REDD+: Property Rights and Liability

2010-06-03T10:44:00.000-07:00

By CHARLES PALMER. (2010). Science. 28;328(5982):1105.

IN THEIR POLICY FORUM “DOES REDD+ threaten to recentralize forest governance?” (16 April, p. 312), J. Phelps et al. note that a national approach to Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+) could reverse the gains made from decentralization. However, a national approach is still some way off—instead, the current, rapid roll-out of REDD+ pilot projects (1) is likely to dominate the policy agenda in the next few years. For many REDD+ host countries, a “nested” approach may emerge, which incorporates both project- and national-level approaches (2). Rather than see a national approach as a threat, it should be viewed as an opportunity to strengthen, innovate, and extend decentralized approaches to governance.

Financing REDD in developing countries: a supply and demand analysis

2010-06-03T10:38:00.000-07:00

By JORDAN ISENBERG and CATHERINE POTVIN. (2010). CLIMATE POLICY 10 (2010) 216–231

Reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD) in developing countries has been at the centre of negotiations on a renewed international climate regime. Developing countries have made it clear that their ability to engage in REDD activities would depend on obtaining sufficient and stable funding. Two alternative REDD financing options are examined to find possible ways forward: financing through a future compliance market and financing through a non-offset fund. First, global demand for hypothetical REDD credits is estimated. The demand for REDD credits would be highest with a base year of 1990, using gross–net accounting. The key factors determining demand in this scenario are the emission reduction targets and the allowable cap. A proportion of emission reduction targets available for offsets lower than 15% would fail to generate a sufficient demand for REDD. Also examined is the option of financing REDD through a fund. Indirectly linking the replenishment of a REDD fund to the market is a promising mechanism, but its feasibility depends on political will. The example of overseas development assistance for global health indicates the conditions for possible REDD financing. The best financial approach for REDD would be a flexible REDD mechanism with two tracks: a market track serving as a mitigation option for developed countries, and a fund track serving as a mitigation option for developing countries.

A Case Study of Slender and Slow Lorises (Loris and Nycticebus) in South and Southeast Asia

2010-05-31T01:52:00.000-07:00

By K.A.I. NEKARIS, C.R. SHEPHERD, C.R. STARR, AND V. NIJMAN. (2010). Exploring Cultural Drivers for Wildlife Trade via an Ethnoprimatological Approach: A Case Study of Slender and Slow Lorises (Loris and Nycticebus) in South and Southeast Asia. American Journal of Primatology 71:1–10.

Illegal and unsustainable trade in wildlife is a major conservation challenge. For Asian primates, economic and cultural traditions, and increased forest access mean that trade may have become detrimental for certain species. Slow and slender lorises (Nycticebus and Loris) are primates particularly prevalent in trade, determined until now by focused counts of lorises in regional markets. Here, we use international trade statistics and a participant–observer approach to assess culturally specific drivers for trade in lorises in South and Southeast Asia, to provide a broader context to help mitigate this practice. Analysis of international records for the last 30 years revealed that live animal trade was more prevalent than trade in body parts (slow lorises, 86.4%; slender lorises, 91.4%), with Laos, Cambodia, and Thailand the largest exporters. We then examine drivers of international and domestic trade based on long-term data from 1994–2009 in Sri Lanka, Cambodia, and Indonesia. We show that slender lorises are important in Sri Lankan folklore, but their use as pets and for traditional medicine is rare. Trade in Bengal slow and pygmy lorises in Cambodia for use in traditional medicines, a practice with deeply historical roots, is widespread. Despite its own set of myths about the magical and curative properties of lorises, trade in Javan, Bornean, and greater slow lorises in Indonesia is largely for pets. Conservation practices in Asia are often generalized and linked with the region’s major religions and economies. We show here that, in the case of wildlife trade, culturally specific patterns are evident among different ethnic groups, even within a country. Revealing such patterns is the foundation for developing conservation management plans for each species. We suggest some participatory methods for each country that may aid in this process.

(Photo Source: BBC News)

Reassessing REDD: governance, markets and the hype cycle

2010-05-30T21:28:00.000-07:00

By Margaret M. Skutsch · Michael K. McCall. (2010). Climatic Change (2010) 100:395–402|DOI 10.1007/s10584-009-9768-y

With the increasing perception that catastrophic climate change is not just a wild figment of the imagination but a very real possibility, governments and policy makers are searching desperately for effective solutions that are palatable enough to be sold to their electorates. It is not surprising then that a new policy in discussion under the UNFCCC, REDD (Reduced Emissions from Deforestation in Developing Countries), by which reductions in emissions related to deforestation in tropical countries would be rewarded through valuation of the carbon saved, has been embraced with enthusiasm by a wide range of Parties, official observers and the general public (Economist 2009). REDD has already expanded somewhat, now also including forest enhancement, sustainable forest management and forest conservation, under the rubric REDD+. This seems to be an all round winner: cheap carbon reductions (as evidenced by the well-received report of the Stern Commission (2007)), with multiple additional environmental benefits, requiring forest policies and management measures selected by each participating country in line with its own long run objectives for forest management and conservation, and with the potential for participation and benefit sharing by a large number of developing countries and local stakeholders.

Click here to download the article.

One man's mission to save Cambodia's elephants

2010-05-29T21:59:00.000-07:00

Since winning the prestigious 2010 Goldman Environmental Prize in Asia, Tuy Sereivathana has visited the US and Britain, even shaking hands with US President Barack Obama, yet in his home country of Cambodia he remains simply 'Uncle Elephant'. A lifelong advocate for elephants in the Southeast Asian country, Sereivathana's work has allowed villagers and elephants to live side-by-side. Working with Fauna and Flora International (FFI) he has successfully brought elephant-killing in Cambodia to an end. As if this were not enough, Sereivathana has helped curb the destruction of forests in his native country and built four schools for children who didn't previously have formal education opportunities.

Read the full story from mongabay.com click here.

2010 Goldman Prize for Asia: Tuy Sereivathana

Tuy Sereivathana's speech

Getting REDD to work locally: lessons learned from integrated conservation and development projects

2010-05-29T21:15:00.000-07:00

By Benjamin Blom, Terry Sunderland and Daniel Murdiyarso. (2010). Environmental Science and Policy. Volume 13, Issue 2

Integrated conservation and development projects (ICDPs) have been a pervasive, although widely criticized, approach to tropical conservation for more than 20 years. More recently, international conservation discourse has shifted away from project-based approaches and towards reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD). While REDD is based upon experience with payment for environmental services (PES) initiatives and forest-related discussions in the United Nations (UN), REDD implementation will still require sub-national projects. Issues of equity will likely pit these sub-national projects against some of the same challenges that have dogged ICDPs. This suggests that REDD project developers stand to learn a great deal from the lessons generated by experience with ICDPs. This paper provides a list of best practices for ICDPs and applies their lessons as principles to guide the development and implementation of sub-national REDD projects. The intent of this approach is to encourage the design and implementation of sub-national REDD projects in a way that avoids the past pitfalls and mistakes, while building upon some successes, of the ICDP conservation approach. By doing so, REDD will be more likely to be implemented in a way that is effective, efficient and equitable.

Benefits of tropical forest management under the new climate change agreement—a case study in Cambodia

2010-05-27T13:50:00.000-07:00

By Sasaki, N. & Yoshimoto, A. (2010). Environmental Science and Policy (in press), DOI: 10.1016/j.envsci.2010.04.007

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.

REDD-plus, forest people’s rights and nested climate governance

2010-05-22T10:39:00.000-07:00

By Sikor, T., Global Environ. Change.(2010), doi:10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2010.04.007 ( Download Full Article Click Here)

At Copenhagen, the Ad Hoc Working Group on Long-term Cooperative Action (AWG-LCA) was ready to endorse REDD-plus and to make explicit reference to the ‘‘rights of indigenous peoples and members of local communities’’ (UNFCCC, 2009). The reference is important because it acknowledges the historical background from which REDD-plus is developing: the historical dispossession, political exclusion and cultural marginalization of indigenous peoples and members of local communities (hereafter referred to as ‘‘forest people’’). Recent experience with the recognition of forest people’s rights suggests three broad principles for operationalizing rights under REDD-plus: participation in political decision-making, equitable distribution of forest benefits, and recognition of forest people’s particular identities. In addition, the emphasis on rights requires the development of decisionmaking processes at multiple scales and related across scales. Global-scale institutions will be important but not sufficient in themselves. Effective and equitable REDD-plus requires nested forest and climate governance.

(Source: UN-REDD Programme)

SME targets sales of green energy generators

2010-05-18T09:28:00.000-07:00

SME Renewable Energy Ltd is planning to sell up to 10 renewable energy generators – which make electricity by burning rice husks, corn cobs and peanut shells – to Cambodia’s rice mill owners this year, according to the company’s managing director.

SME Renewable Energy MD Rin Seyha said Monday that his company hopes to sell between eight and 10 of the small-scale biomass-powered generators worth a total of US$1 million, after importing them from India.

“We hope to sell all the machines because there are many potential rice mills in Cambodia that are not receiving enough power supply from the state yet,” Rin Seyha said.

The company has already sold three generators this year, two to rice mills in Siem Reap and the one to a mill in Battambang province.

The machines are priced between $65,000 and $150,000 each, last for up to eight years, and are capable of generating between 200 and 600 kilowatts of electricity, according to the company.

Rin Seyha estimated buyers would recoup the amount they spent on a machine within two and a half years if they used the machine for 10 hours a day.

Ministry of Industry, Mines and Energy Victor deputy general director of renewable energy Victor Jona said that sales of these biomass-operated generators could help make Cambodia less dependent on oil to generate electricity.

“I think importing this kind of machine is a good project because it helps us reduce the expense on importing oil from other countries,” he said.

He said Cambodia currently spends at least $500 million importing oil each year, with most of it going towards electricity generation.

According to a technical study done by the company, burning 6 kilograms of rice husk generates as much electricity as a litre of diesel in an oil-powered generator.

SME Renewable Energy has sold 33 biomass generators since 2006, but unloaded only three last year during the global financial crisis.

Rin Seyha said that, with 400 rice mills currently operating in Cambodia, sales growth appeared promising, and that his company had plans to enter the garment sector.

“We hope to sell our generators to garment factories as well,” he said.

Source: Phnom Penh Post

Land dispute over REDD pilot project area ends in Cambodia

2010-05-11T12:29:00.000-07:00

Official in Oddar Meanchey province on Monday began relocating a group of 200 families living in a protected forest area near Samraong town, ending a standoff that led to a violent altercation between villagers and Forestry Department workers in March, officials said.

Thon Nol, the governor of Samraong town, said 100 families would be moved to Bansay Reak commune, that 50 families would be moved to Konkriel commune, and that all would receive 30-by-40-metre plots of land.

The other 50 families will be moved to an as-yet-unbuilt military base in Oddar Meanchey, Thon Nol added. He said officials hoped to move quickly in light of the fact that the rainy season is approaching.

“We could not relocate them all in one day, so we are cooperating with the two commune chiefs to do it step by step,” he said. “They could not live in the protected forest land.”

Forestry officials have said that the land was granted protected status (or REDD pilot project) last June, but that 10 families moved there in late 2009. The other families moved there towards the beginning of this year.

Sa Thlai, the provincial chief of community forests, said five Forestry Department staff members were injured in the March 11 altercation with villagers. A complaint was filed with the Interior Ministry and Siem Reap provincial court later that month.

A hearing in the court case was postponed on March 30 when a judge failed to appear.

On Monday, Sa Thlai he had been told by a court official that a new round of summonses had been issued in the case, but prosecutor Ty Soveinthal denied this.

Ty Soveinthal also said there were no plans to investigate Kim Saruon, the chief of Puor Thivong village, where some of the families used to live, or Hean Sok, deputy commander of the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces in Samraong, both of whom were initially accused of convincing the soldiers to move to the protected area in the first place.

Source: Phnom Penh Post

A Community Forestry Approach to Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation (REDD) in Cambodia

2010-05-11T11:24:00.000-07:00

Deforestation accounts to over 17% of the world’s global CO2 emission placing it on the front line of the climate change debate. With more than 240 million of the world’s poor in developing countries relying on forestry resources for their livelihoods, deforestation threatens our planet and increases poverty rates. The U.S. Government and the international community have embraced REDD as a priority for mitigating climate change.

Kurt MacLeod, Associate Vice President for Asia and Eurasia, spoke at the US Forest Services International Programs on 30 April, 2010 on A Community Forestry Approach to Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation (REDD) in Cambodia. This innovative project is one of the first in the world to utilize a community-based approach to address the effects of deforestation on the environment and local livelihoods. Deforestation accounts for over 17% of the worlds' global carbon emissions, placing it on the front lines of climate change debates. This project entitles local communities to a significant portion of carbon revenues, leading to long-term protection of forest resources.

Barriers and opportunities in management and conservation of protected areas in Cambodia

2010-04-25T11:04:00.000-07:00

Protected area has long history in natural reserve in Cambodia and its idea is not new to this nation. It has been introduced for not only management and conservation of ecosystem but also protection of cultural value and landscape. In 1925, 10,800 hectares of forests surrounding Angkor temple was declared as the first national park in Southeast Asia. To respond to the loss of biodiversity in the nation, conservation and management effort has been made continuously. In 1957, one third of country has been allocated into 173 forest reserves and six wildlife reserves and most of those sites currently declared as the protected areas which offer recreation services to the society along with nature conservation. The long delay of civil war caused the management of protected areas to collapse and over the past decade effort was made to restore the protected area systems into practical sense. In 1993, the King Norodom Shihanouk issued the decree on a new national protected area system. Ministry of Environment is responsible for the management and development an area of 3,327,200 ha in cooperation with Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fishery.The Royal Decree 126 on “The Creation and Designation of Protection Area” designates 23 protected areas which constitute to 19 percent of the country. In addition, four management categories was defined, namely (1) national parks, (2) wildlife sanctuaries, (3) protected landscapes, and (4) multiple-use management areas. Until February 2008, law on protected areas was approved and it defined the clear roles, obligations and authority of different stakeholders. The increase of number of fish sanctuaries and protected forest areas set up through Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fishery bring the national protected area up to 21 percent of the nation. Even though protected area systems have been put in place, the implementations are still in process and face many challenges. In contrast, there are also some opportunities for protected areas in Cambodia.

Achieving forest carbon information with higher certainty: A five-part plan

2010-04-16T10:25:00.000-07:00

By Baker et al., Environmental Science & Policy (2010)

International negotiations on the inclusion of land use activities into an emissions reduction system for the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) have been partially hindered by the technical challenges of measuring, reporting, and verifying greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and the policy issues of leakage, additionality, and permanence. This paper outlines a five-part plan for estimating forest carbon stocks and emissions with the accuracy and certainty needed to support a policy for Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation, forest conservation, sustainable management of forests, and enhancement of forest carbon stocks (the REDD-plus framework considered at the UNFCCC COP-15) in developing countries. The plan is aimed at UNFCCC non-Annex 1 developing countries, but the principles outlined are also applicable to developed (Annex 1) countries. The parts of the plan are: (1) Expand the number of national forest carbon Measuring, Reporting, and Verification (MRV) systems with a priority on tropical developing countries; (2) Implement continuous global forest carbon assessments through the network of national systems; (3) Achieve commitments from national space agencies for the necessary satellite data; (4) Establish agreed-on standards and independent verification processes to ensure robust reporting; and (5) Enhance coordination among international and multilateral organizations.

Do Uncertainties in Climate Change Predictions Make It Impossible to Set Priorities for Conservation and Management of Biodiversity?

2010-03-30T18:04:00.000-07:00

The consequences of climate change to social, economical and environment are becoming the most concern issues of political, business and society leaders in both developed and developing countries. However, prediction of climate change impact becomes the concern among the scientists around the world. Uncertainties in climate prediction are the main obstacles for climate change mitigation and adaptation.The high level of uncertainties in climate changes prediction causes high risk in management action. The uncertainties can mean that the impact of climate change can be lower or higher than expected by scientists.The uncertainties derive from the range of socio-economic development scenarios, climate model projections, the downscaling of climate effects to local/regional scales, impacts assessments, and feedbacks from adaptation and mitigation activities. In addition, high level in uncertainties can increase the cost of climate change adaptation and mitigation strategies. Moreover, setting up the priorities for conservation and management of biodiversity is the challenge for all the countries in the world because climate change may happen rapidly than the current prediction. This is not meant that it is impossible to set up the priorities for conservation and management under the uncertain impact of climate change. This essay will look into the conservation and management measures of biodiversity under the climate variability due to uncertainties in prediction. Then it will highlight some practical examples from both developed and under developed countries.

Cambodia’s forests and climate change: Mitigating drivers of deforestation

2010-03-15T12:41:00.000-07:00

By Mark Poffenberger, Natural Resources Forum 33 ( 7 December 2009)

The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) is exploring a mechanism to reduce emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD) to address global warming. This represents a major expansion of earlier forest-oriented initiatives under the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) that focused on afforestation and reforestation activities. While the scope of REDD projects is still being defined, potential categories include conservation, stock enhancement, and sustainable management, creating a range of new opportunities for forest-related climate projects. The core concept behind REDD is that deforestation trends can be slowed, halted, or even reversed conserving billions of tons of carbon that would otherwise be emitted. To succeed, REDD projects will need to control powerful drivers of deforestation and forest degradation operating at multiple levels and carried-out by a variety of actors, from rural people to political and economic elites. This case study of a REDD pilot project in northwest Cambodia explores how drivers might be contained under a project scenario and how the future international articulation of project design parameters could enable or constrain a global REDD strategy. The paper concludes that to be successful REDD projects will require a hybrid approach in which local drivers are controlled by communities and national drivers are mitigated through policy actions necessitating strong partnerships between diverse institutions.

To download open access paper: Please click here

Community Forestry REDD in Cambodia

2010-01-26T14:37:00.000-08:00

The Community Forestry Carbon Offset is the first REDD pilot project that involving 13 community forestry sites located in the Northwestern part of Oddar Meanchey province. The area was covered with 75% of evergreen, semi-evergreen (mix deciduous) and deciduous forest types but due to demand for timber and agricultural and settlement land, forest cover has declined at an average rate of 2.1% per annum. Because of the high deforestation rate, the area was selected for REDD pilot project. This Community Forestry Carbon Offset project was launched in 2008 by Forestry Administration with the collaboration of PACT Cambodia and Terra Global Capital. In addition, the project was also officially endorsed by the Prime Minister of Cambodia under Decision no 699 dated 26 May 2008.

The Royal Government of Cambodia (RGC) strongly supports the REDD mechanism and believes not only that REDD will help reduce GHG emission, but also contribute to alleviating poverty, improving forest governance, and enhancing sustainable forest management in the nation. Butler (2006) estimates potential earnings from REDD for Cambodia at between US$ 85 - 875 million depending on the extent of forest protected for REDD and that REDD can increase the country’s GDP by between 1.7% - 18.5%. The large tracks of forests in Cambodia make it a suitable country for REDD and indeed the country already participated in both Forest Carbon Partnership Facility (FCPF) of the World Bank and United Nations Collaborative Programme on Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation in Developing Countries (UN-REDD).

REDD in Prey Long (Cambodia)

2010-01-23T12:49:00.000-08:00

Global warming is fast becoming the issue of the 21st century. It is also widely accepted that we indeed are a major course. The question is what we are going to do about it. Deforestation and forest degradation now accounts for about 12% of global emissions. If we are to be serious about reducing greenhouse gas emissions, we have to address deforestation in developing countries. “REDD in Prey Long” is about such a project in Cambodia.

The film follows the development of a Cambodian forest climate project where researchers from Forest & Landscape are working together with local NGOs and the Cambodian forest administration to protect the country’s last intact lowland rainforest. This is being achieved by purchasing the existing timber concessions and financing the transaction by selling carbon credits from the preserved forest.

In addition to its climate benefits, the project seeks to preserve a unique flora and fauna as well as safeguarding the existence of the 250,000 people whose livelihoods depend on the forest.

The film tries to answer questions such as: What is the connection between tropical forests and climate change? How much CO2 is there in a tropical forest? How do you calculate it? What does it correspond to in terms of Danish consumption? And how much is the CO2 bound in the forest worth in the international carbon credit markets?

Finally, the film aims to find out whether climate projects can be structured so they have a positive impact on the biological diversity and economic development for the most disadvantaged people in the developing countries.

The film has been made by Ida Theilade and Lars Schmidt from Forest & Landscape, Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Copenhagen, in collaboration with Conservation International and the Blue Moon Foundation. It is produced by Asian Images.

Source:Forest & Landscape, Faculty of Life Sciences(LIFE), University of Copenhagen(UC),Denmark

Forest and Nature Conservation Policies in Europe: Spain, France, Germany and The Netherlands

2010-01-13T18:52:00.000-08:00

Management and sustainable use of natural resource are the main issues on policy agenda in Europe.Nature conservation practice in Central Europe is importantly concerned on protection of nature and preservation of particular species. As a result, the European Commission has passed a common legal framework for nature conservation which based on the Bird and Habitats directive. In 1997, the Natura 2000 initiative was created on the basis of the bird and habitats directive of European Commission. Additionally, the establishment of Natura 2000 areas cannot be accomplished without mentioning the contribution of European forest sector. Even though there was not any common comprehensive forest and nature conservation policies at European level, these policies are integrated with other common legal frameworks and policies such as environmental policy and the bird and habitats directive which have an effect on national forest policy of member states. In 1997, the European Commission issued the “European Union Forestry Strategy” in order to promote cooperation among the member state on forest sector. Multi-functional forestry is the main focus of the strategy because it has integrated the important functions such as ecological, economic, protective and social. In this paper, Spain, France, Germany and the Netherlands will be selected as the examples in order to highlight and understand more about the forest and nature conservation policies in Europe. Furthermore, the primary data which based on personal communication with professors, government official, forest owners and other relevant stakeholders were also used to support the literature. Based on the analysis, the forest and nature conservation policies adopted by the four states have showed different integration to other related policies. In practice, the forest and nature conservation policy would not work smoothly without combination with other policies like agriculture, land use, tourism, and environment. The future trend of forest and nature conservation policy seems to regulate according to the ecological, economical and social perspectives of these countries.

Cambodia-COP15 in Copenhagen

2009-12-19T05:56:00.000-08:00

H.E. Mr. Hor Namhong, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation at COP15 of United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)

REDD Carriage of the Climate Express Train

2009-12-18T09:50:00.000-08:00

Original Link:http://www.dbecoprogram.com/?ID=22&lang=en

UN-REDD Programme welcomes five new countries

2009-11-03T03:24:00.000-08:00

Source: UN-REDD Programme

Argentina, Cambodia, Ecuador, Nepal and Sri Lanka join the UN-REDD Programme, Denmark becomes a new donor and Panama gets approval of its UN-REDD national programme.

Nairobi, 02 November 2009 - The UN-REDD Programme's third Policy Board welcomed five new countries. Argentina, Cambodia, Ecuador, Nepal and Sri Lanka are the first to officially request to participate in the UN-REDD Programme, in addition to the initial nine member countries. Nearly 20 countries have expressed interest and more are expected to join.

All five countries indicated their interest in benefiting from the experience and knowledge generated by the UN-REDD Programme, particularly on the issues of measurement, reporting and verification (MRV) systems, and consultation with civil society and indigenous peoples.

"For us, joining the UN-REDD Programme is mostly about tapping into the Programme's experience and expertise," stressed Mr Leandro Carlos Fernandez, Argentina's REDD National Focal Point . "We have forests on our borders with Bolivia, a UN-REDD country, and we would like to be part of the process to increase cooperation between countries, and create a regional initiative on REDD."

"We are here to address issues of deforestation and degradation together, as we are trying to improve the development of local communities," said Dr Omaliss Keo, Cambodia's focal point on REDD. "We look forward to working with the UN-REDD team to develop a REDD roadmap for Cambodia to guide all our REDD work in the future."

The UN-REDD Programme's third Policy Board approved funding for Panama's national programme. The Policy Board approved the allocation of US$5.3 million to help the country get ready for REDD.

Panama went through an extensive and challenging process of consultation with civil society and indigenous peoples in order to prepare its national programme, building on the previous administration's initial work. "I would like to congratulate the government of Panama," said Mr Diego Escobar Guzman, representative of indigenous peoples of Latin America and the Caribbean. "You were able to successfully fill the gaps [in civil society consultations] in three months. This is a world record!"

With the approval of Panama's national UN-REDD programme, the total approved funds for the UN-REDD Programme in its first year of operations amounts to US$37.4 million, or 72.3% of its US$51.7 million portfolio. Of the six countries that have had their programmes approved by the Policy Board, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Tanzania and Viet Nam have started implementing readiness activities.

Denmark became the second donor to the UN-REDD Programme after Norway, with an announcement of US$2.0 million.

The Policy Board meeting also welcomed four new representatives of civil society organizations. The elected civil society members of the Policy Board are: Mr. Pacifique Mukumba Isumbisho, Executive Director for the Support Center for Indigenous Pygmys and Vulnerable Minorities, representing civil society organizations from Africa; Ms. Effrey Dademo, Programme Manager of the Papua New Guinea Eco-Forestry Forum, representing civil society organizations from Asia and the Pacific; Ms. Paula Moreira, Lawyer for the Brazilian-based Amazon Environmental Research Institute, representing civil society organizations from Latin America and the Caribbean; and Ms. Rosalind Reeve, Forest Campaign Manager for Global Witness, representing industrialized countries' civil society. Amongst the representatives, Ms. Rosalind Reeve was selected by consensus within the group to hold the first rotating seat for the first meeting.

The UN-REDD Programme, a collaborative partnership between FAO, UNDP and UNEP, supports countries to develop capacity to reduce emissions from deforestation and forest degradation and to implement a future REDD mechanism in a post-2012 climate regime.

For more information on the third Policy Board meeting, please visit:http://tinyurl.com/3rdPolicyBoard

Erasmus Mundus Joint Doctorates (EMJDs) 2010

2009-10-24T08:30:00.001-07:00

List of all Erasmus Mundus Joint Doctorates (EMJDs)

ASEAN Logics 2009

2009-10-18T03:53:00.000-07:00

ASEAN Logics 2009 Kuala Lumpur will be held on the 6th of December until the 18th of December this year.

Brief Introduction

ASEAN Logics (ASEAN Students Engaging Action for Local and Regional Contribution to Society) is specifically focused on increasing the regional awareness among Southeast Asian youths. The Programme seeks to provide a platform for participants to share their knowledge and discuss their roles and responsibilities as youth in addressing the issues in the ASEAN region. The Programme aims to cultivate a continuous network of collaboration among ASEAN Youth as well as building concrete measures for action.

Call for papers

The Call for Papers is open to all undergraduate students of colleges and universities from the ASEAN Region. Any undergraduate may propose papers on the following topics:

1) SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT OF ETHNIC MINORITIES

2) SUSTAINABLE ECO-TOURISM

3) BIOTECHNOLOGY AND AGRICULTURE

4) PRESERVATION: TRADITIONAL ART ON THE BRINK OF EXTINCTION

Deadline for submission of Paper: 15th November 2009

Paper must be sent through: aseanlogics09@gmail.com

For more information: www.iiu.edu.my/aseanlogics

36 Cambodian students and academic staffs to study and teach in Europe

2009-08-17T03:00:00.000-07:00

In the academic year 2009-2010, the European Union (EU) will fund for 36 Cambodian students and academic staffs to study and teach in Europe under European Commission’s Erasmus Mundus scholarship programme. Remarkably, the number of students is 7 times higher than the previous year which only 5 students were awarded the scholarship through Erasmus Mundus Master Courses. The year 2009 is the second phase of the EU Erasmus Mundus scholarship programme which not only supports the master degree programme but also undergraduate, graduate, doctorate, and post-doctorate levels. Under the new program called “Erasmus Mundus Mobility for Regional Asia” (EMMA), Cambodian students and academic staffs are given a chance to study and teach at European universities in France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Romania, Spain and Turkey.

Opportunities for Biomass Production in Cambodia

2009-07-28T19:00:00.000-07:00

Located in Southeast Asia, Cambodia covers an area of 181 035 square kilometers, with a population of over 14 million (July 2008) of which about 85-90 percent lives in the rural areas (Ministry of Rural Development 2006, Central Intelligence Agency 2008). More than 80 % of energy derives from biomass (De Lopez, 2003). Fuel wood is the major source of energy for rural population and tile brick industries. According to De lopez, natural forests are the main source of fuel wood in Cambodia that lead to severely degradation of forest for the past twenty years. Currently, woody biomass also can be obtained from old rubber plantation by harvesting the old rubber trees (Hevea brasiliensis) (Abe, 2007). In addition, the biomass is not only the produce from woody plants but also the residues from agricultural crops such as rice, sugar cane and maize (ReCambodia, n.d.).

Tree plantations would be highly suitable for supplying biomass fuel for rural mini-grid electrification especially fast growing legumes such as Leucaena spp. and Gliricidia spp., farmers are able to harvest stems and branches one year after planting. There is about 111.3km² of tree plantations of Acacia spp. And Eucalyptus spp but the purpose of these plantations is generally production of wood chip materials for export (Abe, 2007). Furthermore, there is currently about 2500km² of grassland with scattered trees area in Cambodia, a substantial proportion of which is abandoned lands and previously cleared forest.Tree plantations for biomass production therefore have great potential for expansion, not only for rural electrification but also for main grid electricity supply (Abe, 2007).

Recently, the government has introduced the Economic Land Concession scheme which allows both domestic and foreign investors to gain access of state land especially wasteland areas for forestry and agro-industrial plantation. As a result, several large scale plantation of Jatropha (Jatropha curcas) are being established for bioenergy production and because Jatropha is a non food and non animal feeding crop, it has the advantage not to compete with food production within the country. In conclusion, Economic Land Concession scheme will provide the opportunities for both oil seed plants and woody tree plantation for biomass production to be established under this scheme. However, the low level of awareness in biomass production from tree plantation is still limited for the policy maker, private sectors and society compare to oil seed plant from Jatropha. The lack of bioenergy technology is also a major obstacle for the development of biomass production in Cambodia.

References List

Forest Conflict in Cambodia (Case: Forest conflict between local communities and forest industries )

2009-07-28T18:42:00.000-07:00

In Cambodia, the majority of the population lives in rural areas by earning their livelihood base on forest resources for timber and non-timber forest products. Because nation’s forests provide great benefit to many people, the forest conflicts are avoidable in the society. The conflict between forest industries and local communities in Tum Ring commune, Kampong Thom province was taken as the example because it was the remarkable forest conflict in Cambodia.

After the Royal Government of Cambodia allowed the domestic and international companies to manage and harvest the forest under forest concession permits, local communities in Tum Ring commune were suffered from the forest harvesting operation due to restricted access of forest resources. As a result, there were some conflicts between the local communities and forest concessionaires. Global witness, international ENGO in United Kingdom, started its campaign against forest industries and government to draw the attention from national and international organizations. The forest conflicts seem not to end yet even the government decided to suspend and cancel some the forest concession permits to response to the issues. After forest concession activities were stopped, Economic Land Concession Projects were introduced by the government and conflicts between local people and rubber plantation companies occurred again. Under the intervention from international institutions and the government, the conflict has been solved by offering compensation and other alternative solutions to the local communities. Forest conflict in Cambodia can be seen as the lesson learned of government regarding to forest concession and economic land concession scheme. To avoid forest conflicts, environmental and social economic impact assessments at local level need to be done before the implementation of any development projects like economic land concession (e.g rubber plantation).

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Experiences in Master of European Forestry in EU

2009-07-09T01:59:00.000-07:00

I am in Europe for almost 8 months as a part of ERASMUS MUNDUS scholarship program; I experienced several things from professional aspects to social life in European countries. I would like to begin with my internship experience that I gained from a research institute in Europe. As a part of this Master program (Master of European Forestry); I had a valuable opportunity to do my internship at the Laboratory of Forest Policy in the French Institution of Forestry, Agriculture and Environmental Engineering (ENGREF) for three months (October-December 2008). This internship program offered me the chance to work at European research institution and enhance my knowledge about the forest sectors in European Union. I had a nice working time dealing with European forestry policies in some countries.

After finishing internship in France, I returned in Finland to continue my course at University of Joensuu. Up on my arrival in Finland for the first day, I found the weather was extremely cold (- 9 C^o to - 25 C^o) and it took me few weeks to adapt. Because Erasmus Mundus is an international program, I met with a lot of friends from different countries and experience wide range of cultures. Furthermore, I was offered a basic Finnish Language Course too and with a basic phrase like “Hello (Moi) and Thank you (Kiitos)” which I always use to speak to Finnish people, I felt quite close to this society although most Finns are a little bit reserve and shy.

Regarding the university itself, the learning environments and facilities are well equipped such as internet access, library, and expertise of the professors. In the university, lectures, seminars, independent work and exams have traditionally been the main study methods. Students have a freedom to take any courses that they want since there are no limitations for students in selecting the study courses.

Anyway, this is the last month here in Finland and in May, I will have a long European Field Trip in Spain, France, Germany, The Netherlands and finally Austria. In this meantime I will finish my first year study and then I am going to continue my second year study at University of Wageningen in the Netherlands from September 2009.

MSc of European Forestry Poster