Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation (REDD):

Preserving tropical forests the world over

by Patali CHAMPIKA RANAWAKA

The United Nations Climate Change Conference will be held in Copenhagen, Denmark between December 7-18, 2009. There are signs of this summit generating some awareness of climate change related issues among Sri Lankans as well. Some Sri Lankans have met me and also have sent e-mails to enlighten me about their innovations on carbon emission mitigation and adaptation possibilities. One enthusiast from Homagama had come up with the idea of breeding molluses in deep sea bed to facilitate absorption of excessive carbon. Another young man had come up with some ideas of capturing industrial and vehicular carbon emissions.

One Sri Lankan expatriate has already got a patent for his submission for carbon negativity using rubber plantations. As rubber is basically composed of carbon and water, the rubber tree can be used as a magic tree to sink green house gases. When I met with rubber research institute people, I found that Sri Lanka has over 146,000ha, of dedicated monoculture rubber plantations and every hectare of it absorbs 10 tons of carbon annually. That means it simply stores or sequestrate over 1.4 million tons of carbon annually.

In Sri Lanka burning of fossil fuels emits 12 million tons of carbon annually. (600kgs per-capita carbon emission). Therefore, these rubber plantations alone neutralize 10% of the fossil fuel emissions. If we take the other protected forests over 1.4 million ha, along with other Sri Lankan forests, monoculture plantations and green canopy, it would act as carbon sinks and thereby mitigate the whole Sri Lanka carbon emissions. If that is the story, why are these plantations and forests not qualifying for being rewarded in carbon trading business?

It has been reported that nearly 18% of the global carbon emission is due to deforestation or forest degradation. In many of the so called under developed or developing countries, the primary energy is supplied by fuel wood and in Sri Lanka it is nearly 48% of the total energy. Household and industries still extensively use fuel wood as their indigenous energy source and in some countries it is over 99%.

At the very beginning of the climate change discussions, deforestation was identified as one of the key contributors of the carbon emissions.

Therefore, some rewarding mechanism was proposed for aforestation and reforestation, Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation (REDD) was introduced. If you replant a forest on bare land which has been deforested for a period of 50 years or more, you are qualified for an aforestration scheme. Whereas, if you replant a bare land which has no trees since 1989, you are qualified for a reforestation scheme. Although, according to the present market conditions you are able to get carbon credits, there is no mechanism to get rewarded for not deforesting. Avoiding deforestation is less likely to be benefitted. This will pave the way for deforestation and thereafter reforestation of the same lands. It simply means you have to cut trees and replant to get rewarded in this carbon trading scheme.

Later-on forest degradation too had been taken into account. Generally a forest is defined as a cluster of trees which has 70% or more crown cover. Anything below that level is defined as a degraded forest. Now it has been identified that forest degradation is a major source of green house gases.

A path in a New Zealand rain forest.

In year 2003, rain forest coalition was formed in New York and a new mechanism in reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD Plus) was introduced, taken into account that avoiding deforestation should also be included in the scheme.

At the last UN general session, there was a UN sponsored REDD convention where I met its current president (from Papua New Guinea) and formally submitted our intention to join the Rainforest Coalition.

It is an inter governmental organization set up with the help of Indonesia which pioneered the move to protect tropical forests and we finally managed to get its membership. When our UN permanent representative Dr. Palitha Kohona informed me about our achievement, I was very proud specially due to the fact that in year 2000, the then government tried to exchange our rain forests, such as Singharaja for our financial debts to USA. I was the only Member of the Parliament (representing Sihala Urumaya) who revealed that betrayal and was instrumental in saving our rainforests. These developed countries who achieved their development using fossil fuels, tried to offset their emission by controlling the tropical forests of other countries. (That could be one reason)

As adopted at COP 9 in 2003, forest degradation is defined as direct human - induced long term loss of forest carbon stocks. Common degrading activities in the tropics include selective logging, large scale and open forest fires, collection of fuel wood and non timber forest products. The production of charcoal (black carbon), grazing, sub canopy fires, shifting cultivations etc.,

There is a curve called forest transition curve according to which four categories of countries could be identified. (see pic) this forest transition curve reflects the dynamics of agriculture and forest trends over time. Using this curve we could identify the gravity of the deforestation and degradation of forest, thereby measuring and monitoring of losing biomass of the particular country could be evaluated.

The four categories are, Countries and regions with low deforestation and high forest cover - such as Congo and Guyana, their forests are relatively undisturbed.

Countries and regions with high deforestation such as Brazil, Indonesia and Ghana.

Countries with low deforestation and low forest cover like India, Pakistan and North African countries.

Countries with increasing forest cover such as China and Vietnam.

Earlier countries that belong to category 4 above - increasing forest cover, was only able to benefit from aforestation and reforestation mechanisms. But using REDD Plus mechanisms which tried to avoid moving into category 1 to 2 and category 2 to 3 could also get benefits.

Theoretically, if we could be able to avoid that movement via forest transition curve, it seems we could reduce emission by 18%.

But this is not a simple task as some enthusiastic propagators of REDD Plus formula suggest. Because one third of the world population extensively use wood as their primary energy source. So, without giving them an alternative energy source no one could be able to stop the trend. In their recent report, “Development and Climate Change” the World Bank suggests another alternative. If the population of the USA could simply switch over from their SUV’s to fuel efficient passenger cars with EU fuel economy standards, that alone will offset the emissions generated in providing electricity to 1.6 Billion around the world without access to electricity.

Institutional arrangements

Between April and September 2009, the forest dialogue held four international dialogues. There, they identified five core areas, namely underpinning principles, phased approach, financial architecture, monitoring, reporting and verification and financial assurance.

In summary, there are four underpinning principles

REDD Plus finance mechanism should be sufficiently robust to deal with in country and international leakage use credible baselines must achieve variable addition and resulting value for money.

REDD Plus should lead to real reduction of carbon dioxide enhanced forest eco system functions and the supply of critical eco system services, protect and respect the rights of indigenous people and local community and ensure equal benefit sharing.

In addition to reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation REDD Plus finance mechanism should also create incentives for additional action in forest conservation, sustainable forest management and the enhancement of carbon stocks.

REDD Plus process should allow the broad participation of all stake-holders on equitable terms at the National and International levels.

(Executive summary - Sep.2009)

It was also suggested that REDD Plus oversight body with technical, financial and administrative responsibilities should be setup under the Conference of Parties to the UNFCCC with representation based on United Nations regions using the nine major groups structure under the ECOSOC frame work.

Whatever the reason maybe, there should be a market mechanism to value and reward forests for their environmental services. One such important functional service is to absorb, stock and sequestration of carbon. We cannot expect that all the carbon released by burning of fossil fuel could be absorbed by forests and green cover of the eco system. Because releasing of geological carbon (fossil fuel) is much more than absorbing ability of biological carbon sinks - forests. But it could be used as a natural storage of carbon by paying for the services it rendered. REDD Plus program is trying to introduce that kind of new financial mechanism which could be a real benefit to tropical countries which have tropical rainforest like Sri Lanka.

The writer is the Minister of Environment and Natural Resources