Climate Action 2010-2011

Redd, Sustainable Forest Management and Agriculture
the specific country/region and by the timely delivery of
information on the dynamics of deforestation and forestry
activity to all stakeholders. It is crucial, for example, to
acknowledge that the perception of the value of forests
in tropical countries varies according to the importance
of the forestry sector in local economies. The drivers of
deforestation are a reflection of the greater economic
gain presented by competing economic activities, namely
agriculture and cattle ranching, over conservation.
Summing up, a successful REDD+ strategy should
not only encompass improvement of monitoring and
enforcement, but also policies to enhance capacity in the
sustainable use of forests and to increase the value of forest
production and protection when compared to alternative
uses of the land. In this regard, an effective and sustainable
REDD+ can only be ensured if forests are considered in
their multiple dimensions. REDD+ is about reducing
carbon emissions and mitigation of climate change,
but can also be a tool to trigger investments in forests.
REDD+ can deliver the dual benefit of raising funds for
emissions reduction and promoting conservation and the
sustainable use of forests while simultaneously addressing
governance, co-benefits and sustainability issues.
Redd+ development in the Brazilian
Amazon
The legally-defined Brazilian Amazon encompasses an
area of over 5 million km 2 – a land mass larger than that of
the 27 countries of the European Union combined – and
corresponds to some 60 per cent of Brazil’s total territory.
The entire Amazon basin, from its source in the Peruvian
Andes until its estuary in the Atlantic, totals 6.9 million
km 2 . It also shelters strategic natural resources, such as the
world’s largest freshwater reserve, a number of valuable
ores, such as diamond, gold, and nickel, and the world’s
richest region in terms of biodiversity. It also has a unique
role in the carbon cycle and rain distribution in the two
hemispheres. Safeguarding this vast megadiverse region
on which the health of the planet depends is a mammoth
task, not only for Brazil, but for all Amazonian countries.
The challenge to balance environmental conservation with
economic development needs grows even more complex
when we consider that the Brazilian side alone is populated
by over 25 million people with legitimate demands for
jobs, income, health, education, sanitation and transport.
Their needs do not always receive the same international
attention as the region’s vast ecological reserves.
A good deal of this Amazonian population is a result
of government-induced migration from the 1960s to
1980s. The motto in Brazil at the time was “to give land
to the landless” and immigrants from the south-central
and northeastern regions arrived looking to establish the
same type of agriculture as they had in their homelands.
In order to prove land tenure, they were encouraged to
cut the forest and clear the areas through ‘slash and burn’,
which often resulted in uncontrollable forest fires.
The average deforestation rate in the Brazilian
Amazon up to 2004 was around 2 million hectares per
year. In 2004, after hitting a deforestation peak of 2.7
million hectares, a taskforce involving 11 ministries
was commissioned by the Brazilian President which
| 132 |
Figure 1: History of deforestation in the Amazon (sq km).
established a Plan to Prevent and Control Deforestation
in the Amazon (also known as PPCDAM). The plan
began implementing its 144 actions in 2005. Since then,
deforestation has been decreasing rapidly: 1.8 million ha
in 2005; 1.4 million ha in 2006; 1.2 million ha in 2007
and 2008; and 0.7 million ha in 2009. For 2010, the
figure is predicted to be even lower.
The Amazon Fund
The first three years of PPCDAM implementation
brought CO 2
emissions savings of over 1 billion tonnes.
These results were the inspiration for the creation of the
Amazon Fund in 2008.
The Amazon Fund pools donations made to protect
the rainforest. It funds non-refundable prevention actions
including forest monitoring, the promotion of conservation
and the sustainable use of the Amazon biome. The Fund
has a technical board and a guidance board which together
guarantee information integrity on emissions data and
align the Fund’s priorities with the interests of the multiple
stakeholders involved in the fight against deforestation.
The Amazon Fund began operations in April 2009,
after the first contribution was made by Norway. From
April to December 2009, five projects were approved.
The expectation for 2010 is that the Fund might
approve another 20 projects. The confirmation of future
contributions from Norway for 2010 and 2011 has
enabled the Fund to assess more ambitious projects. The
Amazon Fund is recognised as the world’s first largescale
financial instrument for REDD+, as it receives
funds based on estimates of reducing emissions from
deforestation already obtained in Brazil.
In its national CO 2
emissions targets, Brazil has
included a target of reducing emissions from deforestation
in the Amazon by 80 per cent by 2020, from the average
annual deforestation rate between 1996-2005.
Beyond the Amazon: tackling
deforestation across Brazil
In the past few years, policies to fight deforestation in
the Amazon have brought tangible results. However,
deforestation in the Cerrado biome is still a concern. In
order to fight it, an Action Plan to Prevent and Control
Deforestation in the Cerrado was established in 2009,
following the lines of PPCDAM. The Plan’s goals
include; reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions
www.climateactionprogramme.org