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WWF Guide to Building REDD+ Strategies

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WHat iS Redd+?<br />

tropical forests cover around 15 per<br />

cent of the world’s land surface (FAO,<br />

2006) and s<strong>to</strong>re about 25 per cent of<br />

the carbon in the terrestrial biosphere,<br />

thus playing a critical role in global climate<br />

regulation (Bonan, 2008). Tropical forests<br />

are also home <strong>to</strong> nearly 90 per cent of the<br />

world’s terrestrial biodiversity and directly<br />

support the livelihoods of 90 per cent of the<br />

1.2 billion people living in extreme poverty<br />

(World Bank, 2004).<br />

Despite the multiple benefits that forests<br />

provide <strong>to</strong> humankind and nature, tropical<br />

forests are being degraded at an alarming<br />

rate. Every year, roughly 13 million hectares<br />

are converted <strong>to</strong> other land uses (FAO, 2006)<br />

<strong>to</strong> feed the growing world’s demand for<br />

food, fuel and fiber. Deforestation and forest<br />

degradation now account for up <strong>to</strong> a one<br />

hundred-fold increase in global species loss<br />

(CBD, 2008) and up <strong>to</strong> 20% of <strong>to</strong>tal greenhouse<br />

gas emissions—more than the<br />

world’s transport industry.<br />

Preserving forests, therefore, plays a critical<br />

role in our efforts <strong>to</strong> combat climate change,<br />

halt biodiversity loss and support and<br />

maintain the livelihoods of local and indigenous<br />

communities. If we are <strong>to</strong> stay within<br />

a 2°C target for global warming, meet the<br />

2020 Aichi Biodiversity Targets 1 and achieve<br />

the Millennium Development Goals, 2 it is<br />

essential that we slow, halt and reverse<br />

tropical forest loss. This, in the parlance of<br />

the United Nations Framework Convention<br />

on Climate Change (UNFCCC), is what<br />

is known as achieving <strong>REDD+</strong>: reduced<br />

emissions from deforestation and forest<br />

degradation.<br />

Redd+ State oF Play<br />

The issue of reducing emissions from<br />

deforestation and forest degradation in<br />

tropical forests first gained prominence in<br />

Bali in 2007 under the 13th Conference of the<br />

Parties (COP) <strong>to</strong> the UNFCCC. At the time,<br />

forest-related emissions were excluded from<br />

the Kyo<strong>to</strong> Pro<strong>to</strong>col and forest conservation<br />

efforts were failing due <strong>to</strong> a lack of political<br />

will and international funding. In a groundbreaking<br />

decision spearheaded by Papua<br />

New Guinea and Costa Rica, REDD (which<br />

then s<strong>to</strong>od for Reducing Emissions from<br />

Deforestation in Developing Countries) was<br />

officially gaveled in<strong>to</strong> the climate change<br />

negotiations. 3 REDD was <strong>to</strong> be a new way of<br />

thinking about forest conservation that tied<br />

efforts <strong>to</strong> conserve tropical forests with the<br />

global fight against climate change. It was<br />

hoped that this would leverage unprecedented<br />

political attention <strong>to</strong> tropical forest<br />

loss along with new levels of funding for<br />

forest conservation efforts.<br />

It was not until discussions at COP 15<br />

(Copenhagen, 2009), though, that the term<br />

REDD Plus (or <strong>REDD+</strong>) first emerged. 4<br />

This subtle yet important shift recognized<br />

the growing awareness and pressure from<br />

developing countries that forest loss could<br />

not adequately be addressed unless it<br />

included a set of activities broader than just<br />

deforestation. This shift was not formally<br />

codified until COP 16 (Cancun, 2010) when<br />

it was agreed that any developing country<br />

wishing <strong>to</strong> undertake <strong>REDD+</strong> could engage<br />

in any of the following five activities:<br />

n Reducing emissions from deforestation<br />

n Reducing emissions from forest<br />

degradation<br />

© J. FERGUSON-MITCHELL / <strong>WWF</strong><br />

n Conservation of forest carbon s<strong>to</strong>cks<br />

n Sustainable management of forests<br />

n Enhancement of forest carbon s<strong>to</strong>cks<br />

At COP 16 and COP 17 (Durban, 2011) major<br />

advances were made on several key methodological<br />

aspects of <strong>REDD+</strong> including<br />

decisions on reference levels and safeguards<br />

and on tropical countries developing <strong>REDD+</strong><br />

national strategies. 5 In Cancun, recognizing<br />

that <strong>REDD+</strong> countries are in different<br />

stages of development, it was also agreed<br />

that <strong>REDD+</strong> should proceed in phases<br />

(see Box 1 below).<br />

Though no decisions were made on <strong>REDD+</strong><br />

at COP 18 (Doha, 2012), significant advances<br />

are expected from the intercessional activities<br />

in the run up <strong>to</strong> COP 19 (Warsaw, 2013).<br />

These advances lay out the blueprint for<br />

future guidance necessary <strong>to</strong> ensure that<br />

national <strong>REDD+</strong> programs can eventually roll<br />

up in<strong>to</strong> a coherent and credible international<br />

framework. In addition, <strong>REDD+</strong> continues<br />

<strong>to</strong> be progressed through various bilateral<br />

and multilateral funding initiatives<br />

(see Accessing Finances chapter).<br />

<strong>WWF</strong> FOREST AND CLIMATE INITIATIVE WHy and WHen iS a Redd+ StRateGy needed? // 5

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