news and information from wwf’s international...
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NEWS AND INFORMATION FROM WWF’S INTERNATIONAL FOREST AND CLIMATE PROGRAMME
CALL TO INCLUDE LAND SECTOR, FORESTS IN CLIMATE ACTION PLANS As the race towards a global climate deal later this year heats up, we must recognize the vitally important role that forests play combating climate change
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As part of the climate negotiation process led by the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the member Parties of the UNFCCC must submit plans for how they will contribute to
achieving the objective of the convention for reducing emissions before the UN climate change meeting in Paris later this year. These plans, formally called “Intended Nationally Determined Contributions”, or INDCs, are the building blocks for the new global climate deal to be agreed upon in Paris. To date, the European Union, Gabon, Mexico, Norway, Russia, Switzerland and the United States have submitted these emissions reductions plans.
As other countries prepare these climate action plans, WWF is specifically calling for inclusion of the land sector, particularly by countries whose forests play, or have the potential to play, a major role in their emissions portfolios. The land sector has a serious impact on climate change as it is responsible for nearly a quarter (24 per cent) of global anthropogenic greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and it continues to emit 10-12 GtCO2e annually. About half of that derives from deforestation and forest degradation.
Right now, it is still uncertain if and how the land sector will be covered in the new climate agreement in Paris. Countries should submit INDCs sooner rather than later
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IN THIS ISSUE
NEWS................................................. 3RECENT PUBLICATIONS ............................. 6SPECIES HIGHLIGHT: SALVADORI’S PHEASANT ........................... 9REDD+ VIEWPOINTS ...............................11UPCOMING EVENTS ................................16
REDD+ PEOPLE
INTERVIEW WITH SUSANA VELEZ-HALLER ......10INTERVIEW WITH MONA WANG ..................12
REDD+ CAPACITY BUILDING
LEARNING SESSION: COMMUNITY-BASED MONITORING, REPORTING AND VERIFICATION .................... 8LEARNING SESSION: TRACKING REDD+ FINANCE ......................... 8LEARNING SESSION: CLEAN COOKSTOVES AND REDD+ .................. 8
CONTACT US
PETER GRAHAM Forest and Climate Programme Lead
BREEN BYRNESForest and Climate Programme Communications
Why we are here
WWF’s Forest and Climate Programme works to ensure that the conservation of tropical forests as carbon stores is secured by green economic development that benefits people, the climate and biodiversity in transformational ways.
www.panda.org/forestclimate
/ wwf
/ wwfforestcarbon
CANOPY IS ALSO AVAILABLE ELECTRONICALLY VIA EMAIL. SUBSCRIBE AT: bit.ly/CNPY-nws
NEWS AND INFORMATION FROM WWF’S GLOBAL FOREST
AND CLIMATE PROGRAMME
FEATURE
CALL TO INCLUDE LAND SECTOR, FORESTS IN CLIMATE ACTION PLANS .............. 1
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2015NEWS
F O R E S T A N D C L I M A T E P R O G R A M M E
MEDIA
VIDEO
High-tech eyes on the forest seek to curb climate change Remote sensing, unmanned aerial vehicles, spectrometry readers: these high-tech approaches may revolutionize the way we monitor our forests, according to CIFOR scientists.
WATCH: bit.ly/1BZhDEe
VIDEO
Conservation in Boca Pariamanu, Peru Learn how the indigenous community of Boca Pariamanu in the Peruvian Amazon preserves over 500 hectares of forest and encourages its development through investment plans and sustainable economic activities..
WATCH: bit.ly/1BjOnrd
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WWF News
WWF NEWS
W ith assistance from WWF-Indonesia, the district governments of Kutai Barat and Mahakam Ulu approved a
REDD+ strategic action plan in late 2014. The plan is a cumulative effort based on four years of collecting baseline data and testing the on-the-ground approaches to reducing deforestation and degrada-tion in the East Kalimantan province. The plan was shared with citizens and stakeholders for feedback and endorsed by heads of the districts and is now ready to be used as a reference for green development planning in the two districts.
A REDD+ strategic action plan identifies specific policy objectives and actions to be carried out over a period of time and focuses on measurement, reporting and verification of emissions reductions;
ensures the effectiveness of REDD+ funding; and often includes guidelines for periodic reporting on developments in regional programmes to a national REDD+ coordinating group.
The strategic action plan for these districts sets interim forest reference emission levels, identifies drivers of deforestation and forest degradation, and proposes strategic actions to address those drivers. Kutai Barat has a defores-tation rate of 12,000 hectares per year and a forest degradation rate of 1.3 per cent. This is equivalent to 8.6 million tonnes of CO2-e in yearly emissions. Mahakam Ulu has a deforestation rate of 1,000 hectares per year and a forest degradation rate of 0.33 per cent, or the equivalent of 3.5 million tonnes of CO2-e emissions per year. The primary sources of emissions in both districts include conversion of forests into oil palm plantations, unsustainable logging concessions (including fibre plantations), expansion of community farming toward natural forest areas, uncertainty around land tenure and changes in spatial planning.
The strategic action plan proposes land swaps to maintain high conservation value areas and improved management of logging concession with Forest Stewardship Council certifications and through reduced impact logging prac-tices that decrease carbon emissions. The plan also focuses on clarifying community land tenure and land use issues that have arisen around logging concessions and fibre plantations. Finally, the plan outlines actions that will support the government in establish-ing and reviewing spatial land planning to be more sustainable.
Now that the governments of Kutai Barat and Mahakam Ulu have completed the readiness phase of the green develop-ment plan with REDD+ at its centre, the efforts will turn to the next phase. The work will now focus on addressing the known sources and drivers of emissions such as logging concessions, oil palm production, mining, and expansion of community farming into the natural forest. WWF-Indonesia has collaborated with Kutai Barat and Mahakam Ulu to identify potential opportunities for green investment through the FCPF Carbon Fund, the BioCarbon Fund and the Millennium Challenge Account-Indonesia. (Reporting by Zulfira Warta,
WWF-Indonesia)
REDD+ STRATEGIC ACTION PLAN COMPLETED FOR KUTAI BARAT AND MAHAKAM ULU DISTRICTS IN EAST KALIMANTAN, INDONESIA
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A public consultation meeting on the strategic action plan.
DID YOU KNOW? This publication by WWF Forest and Climate Programme’s Naikoa Aguilar-Amuchastegui has been read 1500+ times since it was published late last year.
Identifying areas of deforestation risk for REDD+ using a species modelling tool Carbon Balance and Management (29 Nov 2014)
bit.ly/species_modeling
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WWF News
In February, stakeholders, including members of government, civil society and indigenous groups, signed a memorandum of understanding
showing support for a transparent and participatory collaboration on the emissions reduction programme design process for the Mai-Ndombe province in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
Most aspects of the design of the Mai-Ndombe Emissions Reduction Programme, covering 12.3 million hectares in high deforestation forests north of Kinshasa, are due to be completed in July and will be one of the first emissions reduction programmes in the world to reach implementation stage. This inception workshop brought together more than 200 participants
WWF NEWS
from Kinshasa, Bandundu City, Plateaux and Mai-Ndombe districts, and from outside the country.
Last year, the Forest Carbon Partnership Facility gave funding to the government of DRC to cover REDD+ programme design over a 12-month period starting July 2014 based on the approved emissions reductions programme idea note (ERPIN). A preliminary road map has been prepared, and this workshop was a stepping stone in the process that is being led by CNREDD with the participation of the National Minister of Environment and Sustainable Development, the provincial governor, provincial ministers, the private sector, and community and civil society representatives.
The inception workshop was an important opportunity for provincial stakeholders to better understand the emissions reductions programme document (ERPD) preparation process required for the signing of an emission
reduction purchase agreement (ERPA) with the Carbon Fund – FCPF. The ER-PD is planned to be presented to the Carbon Fund at its meeting in spring 2016.
Representatives for indigenous peoples and local communities from Plateaux District (Bolobo, Yumbi, Mushi, Kwamouth) and Mai-Ndombe (Inongo Kutu, Kiri, Oshwe) played a central part in this meeting. For many of the commu-nities’ representatives, this workshop was the first of its scale where they could freely share their experiences with other stakeholders, such as the administrative and political authorities.
Lilanga Ekonda Jean, an indigenous person and the delegate from the Inongo territory, took the opportunity to discuss some of the challenges related to the forest and land expropriation and intensive timber activities in his commu-nity. He was pleased to participate in this meeting and noted, “I’m happy because we can now follow what is currently
PROGRESS ON MAI-NDOMBE EMISSIONS REDUCTION PROGRAMME
Participants at the February inception workshop in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
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WWF News
REDD+ REFERENCE LEVELS AND WHY THEY MATTER
Dr. Naikoa Aguilar-Amuchastegui, a Senior Forest Carbon Scientist and member of the Forest and Climate Programme gives us a brief overview of how reference levels work, why they matter, and how countries are moving ahead on establishing these important benchmarks for REDD+.
What is a reference level? A reference level is a way to assess how good your performance is when doing something. So for example, if you’re running on your own, you may think you’re fast, but in reality the only way to know if you’re fast is to run with other people or against a time goal for a comparison.
being done in our land, not as spectators but as stakeholders and key actors in the process.”
WWF is one of the lead partners respon-sible for designing REDD+ interventions on the ground as well as providing support on technical issues such as safeguarding the rights of local communities and ensuring their participation; and promoting benefit sharing.
Bruno Perodeau, conservation director for WWF-DRC, also presented on the Forest Investment Programme’s funding allocation to support enabling conditions for implementation of the ER-Programme in the REDD+ Sub-Project in the Plateaux District (known as PIREDD Plateaux). Perodeau explained how these funds will facilitate the changes in practices and land management that will lead to the emissions reductions registered (and later paid for) under the Carbon Fund. WWF has developed a technical and financial proposal of the
PIREDD. This will support the design of a conservation investment plan aligning with green economic development.
At the conclusion of the workshop, Perodeau reflected on the work happening in the region: “WWF-DRC is proud of the work we have done in Mai-Ndombe to build up the capacities needed to deliver REDD+ and in creating the first large-scale REDD+ and green development pilot programme in the Congo Basin, in an area with incredibly high biodiversity and tremendous risks of deforestation. It is an exciting time for REDD+ in DRC.”
(Reporting by Jolly Sassa-Kiuka, Flory
Botamba, WWF-DRC)
LEARN MORE ABOUT WWF-DRC’S
REFORESTATION EFFORTS: bit.ly/1yonXpk
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For REDD+, a reference level is the benchmark against which your future reporting on emissions from deforesta-tion and degradation will be compared in order to be able to assess whether these emissions are moving in the right direction (ideally below that reference level). Countries need to have a reference level as a starting point to know if they have actually achieved emissions reductions. For REDD+ countries, reference levels are the result of an interesting combination of both technical and political elements related to measur-ing emissions.
What’s the process for establishing a reference level? The first step a country takes is to get an idea of historic emissions levels from deforestation and degradation. In most cases, countries look at a 10-year period,
often from 2000 to 2010. In many instances, countries use the average level of emissions from the historical period, but sometimes they make proposals for adjustments based on specific circum-stances. When a country believes that the historical average is not a good indicator of the future emissions levels because of political circumstances, for example, it can propose another approach that could be based on a given trend the emissions have shown during the historical period or by comparing the country’s perfor-mance with that of others. This is most common in high forest cover, low deforestation (HFLD) countries because these countries want to have the flexibility to be able to support future development while still tracking and reducing emissions.
Aerial view of Mai-Ndombe region in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
MORE: bit.ly/1yoqOi9
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C ommunity-based monitoring, reporting and verification (CMRV) is the involvement of local people in the monitoring, reporting and
verification of carbon stocks and other forest data. This approach to forest monitoring can potentially provide cost-effective and locally collected biomass data, promote equality in benefit sharing, and maximize the social and environmental co-benefits of work around reducing emissions from deforestation and degradation, known as REDD+. This report highlights challenges and lessons learned and serves as a resource for others focused on similar efforts. DOWNLOAD: bit.ly/CMRVreport2015
Recent Publications
RECENT PUBLICATIONS The community of REDD+ practitioners and experts from around the world grows every day, and WWF’s global Forest and Climate Programme is working to ensure that the capacity- building and informational materials it produces are available to the most diverse audience possible. Many of the publications highlighted here are available in English, Bahasa, French, Portuguese and Spanish, and can help us build our collective capacity to deliver successful REDD+ initiatives around the globe that benefit people and nature.
REDD+ INSPIRING PRACTICE: CREATING THE ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES AND REDD+ ROUNDTABLE OF MADRE DE DIOS
This publication presents resultsof an initiative led by WWF- Colombia, with support from the German Cooperation Agency
Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) and the Forest Carbon, Markets and Communities Program (FCMC), in conjunction with Colombia´s Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development (MADS), to collectively develop guidelines for the construction of a National Social and Environmental Safeguard Scheme for REDD+ in Colombia.
DOWNLOAD: bit.ly/1wU9wsh
COMMUNITY-BASED MONITORING, REPORTING AND VERIFICATION KNOW-HOW: SHARING KNOWLEDGE FROM PRACTICE
SALVAGUARDAS: SOCIAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL SAFEGUARDS FOR REDD+ IN COLOMBIA
This short case study focuses onthe formation and action of theEnvironmental Services andREDD+ Roundtable of Madre de
Dios, a region of the Peruvian Amazon.This process aimed to create a participa-tory space for technical advancementand discussion, in order to strengthenenvironmental governance in a regionfacing serious threats to its vast andextensive biodiversity. The resultingroundtable, known as MSAR, is helping to foster greater transparency andparticipation in the local dialogue about wREDD+.
DOWNLOAD: bit.ly/1AeldoF
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Recent Publications
Dawn in Ambawang River, West Kalimantan, Indonesia.
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REDD+ Capacity Building
REDD+ CAPACITY BUILDING
LEARNING SESSION: TRACKING REDD+ FINANCE
In this webinar, speakers from Forest Trends discuss their REDD+ EXpenditures Tracking Initiative (REDDX). REDDX was launched in
2011 to provide greater transparency into the financial flows that have been committed for REDD+ programmes. Despite estimates of over US$7.3 billion pledged to support REDD+ Readiness by 2015, information has remained limited on how much of this financing has actually flowed into support for national-level initiatives and the organizations managing and implementing REDD+ on the ground. Presenters discuss how the REDDX initiative fills this gap by providing detailed information on REDD+ commit-ments and disbursements from donors to recipients and the types of activities being funded and supported.
WATCH: bit.ly/1EsI5Wp
LEARNING SESSION: CLEAN COOKSTOVES AND REDD+
Woodfuel is a vital source of energy for an estimated two and a half billion people in developing countries. A recent
study from Climate Focus highlights that woodfuel emissions are equivalent to around a quarter of gross emissions from deforestation and that these can be mitigated through a combination of supply and demand-side interventions. There are clear forest-related benefits arising from the use of clean cookstoves and similarly REDD+ is increasingly aiming to address the drivers of defores-tation and forest degradation. This webinar covers the benefits and challenges of developing closer align-ment between the REDD+ and clean cookstoves and fuels.
WATCH: bit.ly/1FlEKX2
LEARNING SESSION: COMMUNITY-BASED MONITORING, REPORTING AND VERIFICATION
In this session, presenters from the WWF Forest and Climate Programme and the Global Canopy Programme highlight the relevance of community-
based monitoring, reporting and verification; share tools and technologies that can make it more effective; discuss the enabling conditions that help make it successful; and wrap up with some key lessons learned. The session is based on outcomes from an August 2014 work-shop on the topic held in Guyana with participants from around the world.
WATCH: bit.ly/1CItY0Z
WWF FOREST AND CLIMATE PROGRAMME LEARNING SESSIONS ARE FREE AND ARE DESIGNED TO LEVERAGE AND SHARE REDD+ KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERTISE. EVERY MONTH, WE INVITE A REDD+ EXPERT TO PRESENT ON A KEY ISSUE SO THAT REDD+ PRACTITIONERS CAN HAVE ACCESS TO THE LATEST INFORMATION RELEVANT TO REDD+. To watch an archived Learning Session or to register for an upcoming webinar, please visit: bit.ly/REDDlearn.
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REDD+ Species
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REDD+ SPECIES
SALVADORI’S PHEASANTCommon Name:Salvadori’s pheasant
Scientific Name:Lophura inornata
Location:Sumatra, Indonesia
Population:5,000-19,999
Status:Near Threatened
This fairly plain bird earns its specific name, inornata (Latin for non-ornamental), for its rather unspectacular plumage. Males of this small species are bluish-black, with red facial skin and grey legs. Females are chestnut-brown with buff streaks and irregular blotching, particularly on their underparts, and have a dark tail, red facial skin and pale grey legs.
The small population of Salvadori’s pheasants is declining and becoming increasingly fragmented in the face of ongoing habitat loss due to deforestation and hunting pressure.
Sources: bit.ly/Arkivepheasant, bit.ly/Birdlifepheasant
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REDD+ People
ways to build the foundation for reducing deforestation and enhancing livelihoods. For example, we have focused on developing the proposal for a safeguards process that starts from the bottom up working directly with communities on how it should be set up. We are also working with the national government to ensure that our WWF vision for REDD+ is echoed in the national REDD+ strategy. All of these efforts support one of the biggest roles WWF has to play, which is preserving our forests using all of the tools we have at hand.
Q: Why is REDD+ a sensitive subject at times in Colombia? SVH: REDD+ can be a sensitive topic here because some indigenous groups have had negative experiences with
“carbon cowboys” trying to make business deals that don’t work out, or trying to set up REDD+ programmes and being promised funding that they didn’t ultimately get. So, it’s understand-able that when we talk about REDD+, there are sometimes negative connota-tions. However, our work is really focused on a bottom-up approach
– which means working from the start with the people who live in and depend on the forests.
Colombia is a very diverse country, and everybody has different ideas about how to manage their territories. When we’re working on deforestation issues, we involve all of these different communi-ties – Afro-Colombians, indigenous groups and peasant farmers – in the process. We aim to train these groups on what REDD+ is and what it isn’t so that they can make their own decisions about what’s best for their territories and communities. We also underscore that if a REDD+ project is proposed and done right, it should have positive social and cultural impacts in addition to reducing deforestation. That’s a really key lesson we try to get across.
REDD+ PEOPLE
Q: What is your position and what do you do? SVH: I am a forest and climate change policy specialist for WWF-Colombia. I am based in our
Bogota office and focus on coordinating projects and giving policy advice to the national and regional governments on forest and climate change issues. I also help with our advocacy work related to forests, climate change and REDD+.
Q: What’s your background (aca-demic, professional, personal interests), and how did you get into this field? SVH: I studied forest engineering at public university in Colombia, and it was wonderful to see so many people interested in forests. I think there has been a shift toward more interest in the topic for university students recently, which is great news. I also later did graduate work in Munich, Germany, with a focus on environmental manage-ment and REDD+.
When I started working right after university, I was initially focused on climate change projects at a small NGO in Colombia called Carbono y Bosques. During my time in Germany, I met people who worked with the IPCC and became very interested in this conver-gence of policy and climate change
SUSANA VELEZ-HALLER, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE POLICY SPECIALIST, WWF-COLOMBIA
issues. My graduate work in Germany focused on REDD+ along with interna-tional negotiations and processes, so when I came back to Colombia in 2010, I took a job working with a regional environmental authority. When the chance came to work with WWF a few years after that, I jumped on it!
Looking further back, I can say that I was always interested in the natural world and had planned to study biology at university from the time I was a kid. My father is a veterinarian and I grew up on a farm, so I was around plants and animals from a young age. When it was time to decide what to study in univer-sity, my dad suggested I look into the forestry engineering major instead, and I’m so happy I did. I don’t know if I would have made it through biology!
Q: Where is your work focused and why do those forests matter? SVH: Our work focuses on the Choco-Darien and the Amazon, as those are the two biggest forest regions in Colombia. Those are also the places where we see the most deforestation hotspots along with high levels of poverty. So, we work on forest governance in trying to address the drivers of deforestation in those areas in particular through different perspectives and approaches. One of those approaches is REDD+, while others focus more specifically on agriculture, which is also a big driver of deforestation in Colombia.
Q: How does the work you do relate to WWF-Colombia’s overall goals? SVH: One of our overall goals at WWF is to reduce deforestation and enhance livelihoods for the people who live in and depend on forests. REDD+ is a great way to do both of those things. However, REDD+ can be a sensitive topic in our country, so we sometimes work on REDD+ issues without explicitly framing them as “REDD+ work” but rather as
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Viewpoints
VIEWPOINTS
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On UN climate negotiations
“GLOBALLY, CIVIL SOCIETY IS ALREADY MOBILISING CITIZENS TO DEMAND POLITICAL LEADERS ACT DECISIVELY IN TACKLING WHAT IS BEING CALLED THE GREATEST CHALLENGE OF OUR TIMES.”—Tasneem Essop, WWF’s head of delegation to the UNFCCC
On the link between forests and climate
“TO BUILD A SUSTAINABLE, CLIMATE-RESILIENT FUTURE FOR ALL, WE MUST INVEST IN OUR WORLD’S FORESTS. THAT WILL TAKE POLITICAL COMMITMENT AT THE HIGHEST LEVELS, SMART POLICIES, EFFECTIVE LAW ENFORCEMENT, INNOVATIVE PARTNERSHIPS AND FUNDING.”
—Ban Ki-Moon, UN Secretary-General
On REDD+ and climate change
“OVER TIME, I THINK ALL THE MAJOR ACTORS HAVE COME TO THE CONCLUSION THAT REDUCING EMISSIONS FROM DEFORESTATION IS A KEY PIECE OF SOLVING THE CLIMATE CHANGE PUZZLE.”—Steve Schwartzman, director of tropical forest policy at the Environmental Defense Fund
On including forests in climate action plans
“IF WE DON’T LINK THE LAND SECTOR, INCLUDING FORESTS, TO THE NEW CLIMATE AGREEMENT, WE MISS A HUGE OPPORTUNITY TO TAKE REAL STEPS IN THE FIGHT AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE IN A WAY THAT BENEFITS BOTH PEOPLE AND NATURE NOW, BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE.”
—Josefina Brana-Varela, policy director, WWF Forest and Climate Programme
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REDD+ People
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MONA WANG, FOREST PROGRAM OFFICER, WWF-US
REDD+ PEOPLE
Q: How would you describe yourself in a few words? MW: Foodie, forest-loving, adventure-seeking, audacious and vivacious.
Q: What have you been doing with WWF for the past year? MW: For the past year I worked with the WWF private sector engagement team on identifying ways in which major food companies can make positive changes in the way they get and make their products to help both people (e.g. farmers, growers and consumers) and the environment. I also spent much of my time researching the environmental and social impacts of producing certain agricultural commodities in various countries, like pineapples in Panama and tomatoes in Turkey. There is a big knowledge gap that exists currently in where the products that we eat and use come from, and WWF works to put those pieces together so that both consumers and companies can be better informed and make better decisions on the kinds of impact have that they’ll have on this planet.
Q: What are you most looking forward to in your new role and how will it be different? MW: This new position will be a great way to link WWF’s work on commodities and food to our work on forests. I’m excited to be focusing on forests in particular because they are where all the major forces come into play – markets, public policy, agriculture, climate change and indigenous rights. In this role I’ll also get to look at how we can use REDD+ to fully address the drivers of deforestation and to facilitate deforesta-tion-free supply chains.
Mona worked for much of the past year with the WWF private sector engage-ment team on supply chain risk analyses for their major corporate partners to help advance better sourcing. In her new role with the WWF forest team, she’ll be helping link WWF’s deep private sector experience and recent
“deforestation free” commitments with climate finance and public policy work in places like Indonesia and Colombia. Initially, this will include a collaboration with the WWF-US food team to develop indicators of forest governance at jurisdictional levels so that buyers can make better-informed decisions on where to buy (or not to buy), and governments may have additional incentives to advance policy reform and enforcement.
Mona has a master’s degree in environmental management and brings a wealth of experience in conservation. This includes working on forest governance and REDD+ benefit-distribution systems in Peru; evaluating supply chain links to deforestation in Brazil, Colombia and Peru; and exploring avenues for improved indigenous peoples’ participation in REDD+ pilot programs.
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REDD+ People
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Q: Why do both of those things matter? MW: These agricultural commodities are some of the main drivers of deforesta-tion. If we don’t focus on making their production more environmentally sound, we won’t be able to reduce global deforestation rates or make strides significant enough to keep global temperature rise within 2 degrees Celsius. They are a key part of fighting deforestation and climate change.
Q: Do you have any hobbies that we may not know about? MW: I am a fearless water sports enthusiast, though ironically, I don’t know how to swim. I live for rafting, snorkelling and kayaking ¬– always with a life vest!
Q: What is a “supply risk analysis”? MW: A supply risk analysis is a way to assess the environmental and social impacts of sourcing a raw material, such as an agricultural commodity, and where certain risks may potentially occur in getting the material from point A to point B. Q: What is a “deforestation-free commitment”? MW: A deforestation-free commitment is a pledge made by major players, such as governments, companies and civil society, to do their part in reducing – and eventually stopping – deforesta-tion. These commitments are primarily aimed at the production of palm oil, beef products, soy, and pulp and paper.
Women harvesting potatoes near Boukima village, Virunga National park, Democratic Republic of Congo, Africa.
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and should use the plan as an opportu-nity to highlight the impact that the land sector, including forests, can have in addressing climate change. Despite the diversity of forest-related guidance and mechanisms already adopted by the UNFCCC, including the Clean Development Mechanism, LULUCF principles and guidance, and the Warsaw Framework for REDD+, until very recently there has not been much discussion in the current negotiations under the Durban Platform about the importance of forests for climate change mitigation and adaptation.
Failure to reflect on the important contribution of the land sector in the new climate agreement under negotiation could jeopardize its long-term success because the agreement wouldn’t be creating the opportunities and incentive framework that countries will need to contribute significantly to cutting down global emissions. If countries do not consider the land sector when developing their INDCs, in particular the potential
to reduce emissions and enhance sequestration from forests, it will be very difficult to meet the goal of limiting the global temperature increase to 1.5 degrees Celsius.
We know that climate change is happen-ing, that it is a huge threat, and that we aren’t doing enough to stop it. While advocating for phasing out fossil fuels and shifting to renewable energy is a key part of our work, we must also under-score the vitally important role that forests play in climate change, not only for mitigation, but also for adaptation. We have seen some remarkable suc-cesses in the past years to slow and stop deforestation, but more is needed.
“Looking toward the next UN climate meetings in Bonn, and then to Paris, we urge Parties to focus on emissions reductions plans that include the land sector, promote transparency, and reflect the urgency of ambitious climate action,” said Josefina Brana-Varela, policy director for the WWF Forest and Climate
Programme. “If we don’t link the land sector, including forests, to the new climate agreement, we miss a huge opportunity to take real steps in the fight against climate change in a way that benefits both people and nature now, before it is too late.”
TO READ THE INDCS THAT HAVE BEEN
SUBMITTED TO DATE, PLEASE VISIT
THE UNFCCC PAGE:
bit.ly/UNFCCCsubmissions
To learn more about WWF’s Global Climate and Energy Initiative, please visit bit.ly/GCEI_INDC
1 UNFCCC, Art. 2 states that the ultimate objective of the convention is to achieve the stabilization of greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere at a level that would prevent dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate system.
2 Latvia and the European Commission on behalf of the European Union and its Member States.
The Mahakam River, East Kalimantan.
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REDD+ People
REDD+ PEOPLE - SUSANA VELEZ-HALLER (Continued)
Q: What do you think is most confusing or challenging about REDD+ for the general public? SVH: The question that comes up most frequently here when we’re talking about REDD+ is how does it work with the buyers? Indigenous communities often ask why foreign donors want to preserve their forests, give them money or see how they live. At the local level, there is a big disconnect around the idea of a person from Sweden paying to conserve part of a forest in Colombia, and sometimes communities are suspicious of this interest in their lands in particu-lar. So our biggest challenge is to explain why these tropical forests are so impor-tant to the global community. Once we can help make that connection – that these forests are important for literally everybody on the planet – communities get excited that we appreciate the amazing work they are doing preserving these forests as they have done for thousands of years.
Q: How do you think we can help make it easier to understand or do REDD+? SVH: We have a big focus on capacity-building with communities – and that’s not just focused on REDD+ but also on the basics of climate change, ecosystem services and governance. So we work on building a foundation of knowledge and how these things are all connected before moving on to the more compli-cated topics like REDD+. We work very closely with communities to put together capacity-building programs to meet their needs, so if a group wants to learn more about forestry law, for example, we are sure that we include that in our training sessions and materials. We aim to have a participatory process that is very much driven by what the communities want rather than what we think they need.
Q: Why should people in Colombia, in particular, care about reducing emissions from deforestation and degradation? SVH: Colombia is a forest country. While much of the population lives in cities, more than half of our country is forested, which means we should all care. Colombia has a big part of the amazing Amazon forest within its borders, but that really belongs to the world, and it’s our responsibility to take care of it. It is also so exciting that Colombians can play such a vital role in conserving our forests in a way that also benefits the people who live in and depend on them.
Q: What is the most memorable trip you’ve taken as part of this work? SVH: Before joining WWF, I worked mainly in the Choco region, which is an incredibly beautiful place where the jungle and the ocean meet. However, I will never forget my first trip with WWF to the Colombia Amazon. I was surprised not by the forest, but rather by the river. It is such an amazing ecosystem of freshwater, forests and ocean that are interconnected in a way that I haven’t seen before. I was struck by how vibrant yet peaceful it was and will always cherish that first visit.
Q: Any final thoughts to share? SVH: We are already facing great challenges for our forests in Colombia. This year we will probably have a climate agreement, which means it will be more important than ever to keep our momen-tum up on this important work in a way that benefits both people and nature.
Saving Forests at Risk: An analysis of the world’s “deforestation fronts”
WWF’s new Living Forests Report takes a close look at 11 deforestation fronts in the world, places that will account for over 80% of forest loss between 2010 and 2030. The report provides detailed, geographically-specific projections and analysis of future worldwide deforestation, while providing compelling solutions to halt forest loss.
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panda.org/forests
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CANOPY • ISSUE 2 •2015PANDA.ORG /FORESTCLIMATE
UPCOMING EVENTS
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Why we are hereTo stop the degradation of the planet’s natural environment andto build a future in which humans live in harmony with nature.
Why we are here
www.panda.org/forestclimate
To stop the degradation of the planet’s natural environment andto build a future in which humans live in harmony with nature.
Photos and graphics © WWF or used with permission. Text available under a Creative Commons licence.
® WWF Registered Trademark Owner © 1986, WWF-World Wide Fund for Nature (formerly World Wildlife Fund), Gland, Switzerland
06-09 MAY 2015 SOFIA, BULGARIA
FORESTRY: BRIDGE TO THE FUTUREbit.ly/1Der276
04-15 MAY 2015 NEW YORK, UNITED STATES
UNITED NATIONS FORUM ON FORESTS (UNFF) SESSIONbit.ly/1w2BLVl
22 MAY 2015 GLOBAL
INTERNATIONAL DAY FOR BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITYbit.ly/1DbqVfr
01-11 JUNE 2015 BONN, GERMANY
BONN CLIMATE CHANGE CONFERENCEbit.ly/1yk6iPf
05 JUNE 2015 GLOBAL
WORLD ENVIRONMENT DAYbit.ly/1Hk0N59
06-09 JUNE 2015 KELOWNA, CANADA
THE 4TH INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON FORESTS AND WATER IN A CHANGING ENVIRONMENTbit.ly/1vCBsju