Avoided Deforestation (REDD) and Indigenous ... - Amazon Fund

REDD in Venezuela
Since REDD mechanisms have been introduced in the international legislation as a part
of the compensation mechanisms to facilitate that countries with obligatory goals can meet
their obligations, Venezuela maintains its position NOT to apply compensation mechanisms in
its territory, and in this context, the implementation of REDD projects to produce compensation
credits in Venezuela would not be possible.
The Venezuelan State declared that: “The Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela supports
the Kyoto Protocol, with the important difference not to implement the Clean Development
Mechanisms in its national territory, since its economic incentives favor the environmental crisis
and the capitalist model, without significantly diminishing the real volume of greenhouse gas
emissions.” 127
It is important to clarify that, if eventually the Venezuelan State approves the
implementation of REDD mechanisms in its territory; indigenous people have legal ground to
exercise their full legal capacity and effective control over the forest resources in their territories
and to be the direct executors and beneficiaries of this type of project. Yet, it will be the manner
in which the REDD mechanisms are defined in the international legislation, and the position of
the Venezuelan State with respect to incorporating these aspects into the national legislation,
which will determine if the implementation of REDD mechanisms in the Bolivarian Republic of
Venezuela is viable or not.
Conclusion
There has been much international criticism with regards to risks associated with the
valuation of the forests as carbon sinks, to the detriment of the communities which depend on
the forests and have, directly and indirectly, conserved them up to now. Such risk of territorial
expropriation should be inadmissible in the Amazon Basin region when referring to indigenous
people, since the current legal structure and protection in countries such as Bolivia, Brazil,
Colombia and Ecuador should make the arrival of expropriation highly difficult, as well as the
denial of the legitimate owners, the indigenous people, receiving the benefits derived from the
conservation of the forests. However, the fight for the consolidation of the specific rights in the
formal regulations is still ongoing in the whole region and REDD mechanisms, if they are well-
127 Climate Change. Position of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela before the 15th Reunion of the CDS.
68 Av o i d e d d e f o re s t A t i o n (redd) A n d i n d i g e n o u s p e o p l e s: experiences, chAllenges A n d o p p o r t u n i t i e s in t h e A m A zo n c o n t e x t