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ContenceI. In THE PRESS I. In THE PRESS
13 November 2009 BRAZIL: Deforestation Down 45 Percent Deforestation in Brazil's Amazon jungle was reduced more than expected between August 2008 and July 2009 - 45 percent compared to the previous 12 months, the National Institute for Space Research (INPE) reported.
13 November 2009 Forest CO2 projects could bring Brazil $16 billion Brazil could earn up to $16 billion per year to fund emissions reductions and Amazon rainforest protection by selling forest carbon credits, a Brazilian carbon markets expert said in an interview.
13 November 2009 Forest-CO2 scheme will draw organized crime: Interpol Organized crime syndicates are eyeing the nascent forest carbon credit industry as a potentially lucrative new opportunity for fraud, an Interpol environmental crime official said on Friday.
12 November 2009 Asia governors endorse U.N. forest carbon scheme Six provincial governors from Indonesia, Laos and the Philippines on Thursday backed an expanded U.N. scheme aimed at protecting and conserving forests in return for carbon credits.
12 November 2009 Climate finance gap will be 32 billion euros in 2020 The world will face a finance shortfall of 32 billion euros ($47.99 billion) in 2020 to combat climate change, analysts at Societe Generale/orbeo said on Thursday.
12 November 2009 Boreal forests store carbon, need help: Canada study The world needs to do more to protect boreal forests and peatlands, which store more carbon than any other ecosystem and help mitigate the effects of climate change, a Canadian report issued Thursday said.
10 November 2009 Deforestation accounts for 12% of emissions The latest scientific estimate of deforestation’s annual contribution to global greenhouse emissions downgrades widely-quoted figures from 17-20 per cent to 12 per cent. But the study producing the lower estimate says that it has more to do with rising energy and industrial emissions from burning fossil fuels – deforestation rates haven’t gone down.
5 November 2009 Climate deal 'unlikely' this year The UK government says it is highly unlikely that a new legally binding climate treaty can be agreed this year - and a full treaty may be a year away.
3 November 2009 CO2 from forest destruction overestimated – study The carbon dioxide emissions caused by the destruction of tropical forests have been significantly overestimated, according to a new study. The work could undermine attempts to pay poor countries to protect forests as a cost-effective way to tackle global warming.
30 October 2009 EU strikes climate funding deal The EU has agreed a conditional deal on how to help other nations fight global warming, ahead of a key climate summit, but set no figure on what it would pay.
30 October 2009 Carbon values drive forest investment, greens wary New rewards to store carbon in trees are driving forestry investments, but green groups fear they pose a threat to ancient woodlands and rainforests.
30 October 2009 Rainforest treaty 'fatally flawed' A vital safeguard to protect the world's rainforests from being cut down has been dropped from a global deforestation treaty due to be signed at the climate summit in Copenhagen in December, says Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF-UK).
24 October 2009 India-China climate change deal Two of the world's biggest polluters, India and China, have signed an agreement to work together on addressing climate change.
24 October 2009 Global forest monitoring to help mitigate climate change For the first time worldwide, free and ready-to-use high-resolution satellite data is now available to monitor forests and help reduce emissions from deforestation and forest degradation.
20 October 2009 Forests, farms key in 2050 emissions goal Forestry and agriculture are two sectors that must help lead an economic transformation toward climate sustainability beginning over the next five years.
20 October 2009 Governing Body Selected for Forest Investment Program World Bank has announced the results of the regional self-selection process for member States in the governing body of the Forest Investment Program (FIP). Six developing countries (Brazil, the Democratic Republic of Congo, India, Morocco, Nepal and Romania) will join five contributor countries (Australia, Denmark, Norway, the United Kingdom and the United States). II. The Road to Copenhagen - UNFCCC negotiations and related discussionsUnited Nations Framework Convention on Climate ChangeThe Parties to UNFCCC met in Barcelona from 2 to 6 November for the last negotiating session before the Fifteenth Conference of the Parties takes place in Copenhagen from 7-18 December. A “Copenhagen outcome” in December is expected to define further action under the Convention for all Parties and further commitments of Annex 1 (industrialized) countries under the Kyoto Protocol.
The negotiations in Barcelona took place in two ad hoc working groups: the Ad hoc Working Group on Long-term Cooperative Action under the Convention (AWG-LCA) and the other on the Further Commitments for Annex 1 Parties under the Kyoto Protocol (AWG-KP). The main objective of the Barcelona session was to continue streamlining text of these working groups, and to identify key issues and provide clear options for ministers to choose from in Copenhagen.
The legal form of the AWG-LCA’s outcome in Copenhagen remains undecided but it is most likely that the negotiations in Copenhagen will not lead to a legally binding instrument (a treaty), but rather a series of COP decisions, containing agreement on certain fundamental issues, such as mitigation and finance. The outlook for a new treaty is thought by many to be possible within a year after Copenhagen.
The AWG-KP did not finish consideration of the key issue of new quantified emissions reductions commitments of Annex 1 countries or of the other issues included in its work programme, such as the flexibility mechanisms, land use, land-use change and forestry (LULUCF), and the potential consequences of response measures. The AWG-KP will resume its work on all these issues in Copenhagen
Points of particular interest regarding forests
REDD-plus: Issues were discussed in a sub-group established under the AWG-LCA. The group primarily made progress on consolidation and clarification of the draft negotiation text. At the end of the week a new “non-paper” on REDD-plus came out.
As in Bangkok the discussions focused on the objective, scope, principles (including safeguards against perverse consequences of mitigation actions), means of implementation (including finance and technology) and measurement, reporting and verification (MRV). Progress was made on several issues, but areas of disagreement included the inclusion of safeguards against the conversion of natural forests to plantations, whether REDD-plus should be part of “nationally appropriate mitigation actions” (NAMAs) and the design of a phased approach. On MRV there seem to be a consensus that a substantial part of the discussion could be moved to SBSTA.
LULUCF: The discussion on the various options for including carbon accounting in harvested wood products and for forest management continued in Barcelona. According to some NGO's the forest management accounting for developed countries has also taken a severe turn for the worse. The reason according to some is that Parties have put forward various loopholes in the LULUCF text that will allow each to arbitrarily adjust its own reference level for measuring greenhouse gas emissions from forest management, undermining their emissions targets under the Kyoto Protocol. Also the shift to a land-based approach were discussed but is seems now clear that even that most Parties find this desirable they do not consider it with in reach for implementation in the second commitment period.
CDM: In AWG-KP the discussion on including REDD, wetlands, sustainable forest management etc. under CDM in the second commitment period were continued and will be taken up again in Copenhagen.
"Non-papers" on REDD-plus and LULUCF resulted from the Barcelona negotiations. These will be forwarded to Copenhagen for further negotiation. The main non-papers are found at:
REDD-plus: http://unfccc.int/files/meetings/ad_hoc_working_groups/lca/application/pdf/awglca1biiinp39051109.pdf LULUCF: http://unfccc.int/files/kyoto_protocol/application/pdf/awgkplulucfnp061109.pdf CDM: http://unfccc.int/files/kyoto_protocol/application/pdf/awgkpmechsnp061109.pdf
See also the UNFCCC website and the Earth Negotiations Bulletin for more information on the Barcelona session. III. Events & meetingsForests for people - The role of national forest programmes and the non-legally binding instrumentNovember 16-20 2009, Guilin, China. Country-led initiative in support of the unff. For more information. Forest Day 3December 13, 2009 Forest Day 3 will take place alongside the 15th Conference of the Parties of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. It will be hosted by the Collaborative Partnership on Forests under the leadership of CIFOR and the Government of Denmark. It will build on the success of Forest Days 1 and 2 at the UNFCCC Bali and Poznan COPs respectively, which helped to position forests on the global agenda for climate change. It will bring together stakeholders from the forest and climate change communities to look beyond Copenhagen at the issues related to implementation of the Copenhagen outcomes. More. Tropical Forests Under a Changing Climate: Linking Impacts, Mitigation, and AdaptationFebruary 11-13, 2010, International Society of Tropical Foresters, Yale Student Chapter From 11-13 February 2010, the Yale Chapter of the International Society of Tropical Foresters will bring together practitioners and researchers from government, academia, communities, and environmental and development organizations to explore the relationship between tropical forests and climate change. Following soon after the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen, this symposium will elaborate on the decisions that have consequences for tropical forests. More. 17th session of the African Forestry and Wildlife CommissionFebruary 22-26 2010, Brazzaville, Republic of Congo. This meeting will address: forestry and wildlife in support of sustainable livelihood systems in Africa; sustainable management and benefits; climate change, forests and wildlife in Africa; and other regional issues. For more information.
IV. Research ArticlesA global overview of drought and heat-induced tree mortality reveals emerging climate change risks for forestsCraig D. Allen, Alison K. Macalady, Haroun Chenchouni, Dominique Bachelet, Nate McDowell, Michel Vennetier, Thomas Kitzberger, Andreas Rigling, David D. Breshears, E.H. (Ted) Hogg, Patrick Gonzalez, Rod Fensham, Zhen Zhang, Jorge Castro, Natalia Demidova, Jong-Hwan Lim, Gillian Allard, Steven W. Running, Akkin Semerci and Neil Cobb Greenhouse gas emissions have significantly altered global climate, and will continue to do so in the future. Increases in the frequency, duration, and/or severity of drought and heat stress associated with climate change could fundamentally alter the composition, structure, and biogeography of forests in many regions. Of particular concern are potential increases in tree mortality associated with climate-induced physiological stress and interactions with other climate-mediated processes such as insect outbreaks and wildfire. Despite this risk, existing projections of tree mortality are based on models that lack functionally realistic mortality mechanisms, and there has been no attempt to track observations of climate-driven tree mortality globally. Here we present the first global assessment of recent tree mortality attributed to drought and heat stress. Although episodic mortality occurs in the absence of climate change, studies compiled here suggest that at least some of the world's forested ecosystems already may be responding to climate change and raise concern that forests may become increasingly vulnerable to higher background tree mortality rates and die-off in response to future warming and drought, even in environments that are not normally considered water-limited. This further suggests risks to ecosystem services, including the loss of sequestered forest carbon and associated atmospheric feedbacks. Our review also identifies key information gaps and scientific uncertainties that currently hinder our ability to predict tree mortality in response to climate change and emphasizes the need for a globally coordinated observation system. Overall, our review reveals the potential for amplified tree mortality due to drought and heat in forests worldwide. Revisiting the politics of expertise in light of the Kyoto negotiations on land use change and forestryLovbrand, E. Forest Policy and Economics. 2009. 11: 5/6, 404-412 This paper examines the close links between knowledge-making authority and decision making authority in the multilateral negotiations on terrestrial sinks of greenhouse gases. Drawing upon social constructivist science studies and public sphere theories in international relations, the paper traces the communicative contexts in which state actors have struggled to bring meaning to the sink concept and hereby translated the production and validation of knowledge claims into political authority. In particular focus are instances of "epistemic chaos" when the lack of consensual knowledge and shared normative commitments has forced states to publicly interpret and justify what counts as credible carbon cycle expertise and good terrestrial carbon management. The empirical tracing of such justificatory arguments begins at the third conference of the parties (COP3) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in Kyoto in 1997, and ends at COP 10 in Buenos Aires in 2004. Although scientific expertise emerges a central avenue for political bargaining in this negotiation process, the paper does not interpret expert politics as a mere reflection of material power and dominant state interests. Rather, when approaching authoritative knowledge as a product of social relations, the course and outcome of global climate governance appear more inclusive and open-ended. Carbon sequestration in the growing stock of trees in Finland under different cutting and climate scenariosMatala, Juho; KcTrkkcTinen, Leena; HcTrkcenen, Kari; KellomcTki, Seppo; Nuutinen, Tuula European journal of forest research. 2009 Sept. 128(5) p. 493-504 In this work the aim was to determine how carbon sequestration in the growing stock of trees in Finland is dependent on the forest management and increased production potential due to climate change. This was analysed for the period 2003-2053 using forest inventory data and the forestry model MELA. Four combinations of two climate change and two management scenarios were studied: current (CU) and gradually warming (CC) climate and forest management strategies corresponding to different rates of utilisation of the cutting potential, namely maximum sustainable removal (Sust) or maximum net present value (NPV) of wood production (Max). In this analysis of Finland, the initial amount of carbon in the growing stock was 765 Mt (2,802 Tg CO). At the end of the simulation, the carbon in the growing stock of trees in Finland had increased to 894 Mt (3,275 Tg CO) under CUSust, 906 Mt (3,321 Tg CO) under CUMax, 1,060 Mt (3,885 Tg CO) under CCSust and 1,026 Mt (3,758 Tg CO) under CCMax. The results show that future development of carbon in the growing stock is not only dependent on climate change scenarios but also on forest management. For example, maximising the NPV of wood production without sustainability constraints results, over the short term, in a large amount of wood obtained in regeneration cuttings and a consequent decrease in the amount of carbon in growing stock. Over the longer term, this decrease in the carbon of growing stock in regenerated forests is compensated by the subsequent increase in fast-growing young forests. By comparison, no drastic short-term decrease in carbon stock was found in the Sust scenarios; only minor decreases were observed. Carbon sequestration in forest trees of the EU as affected by long-term changes of land useKauppi, P.; Rautiainen, A.; Lehtonen, A.; Saikku, L. CAB Reviews: Perspectives in Agriculture, Veterinary Science, Nutrition and Natural Resources. 2009. 4: 041, 1-14. The biomass of forest vegetation expands in all EU countries. This review analyses the long-term development of forest vegetation and, thereby, the sequestration of carbon in forest biomass in the EU, country by country. The sequestration estimates and their uncertainties are assessed focusing on the period 1990-2006. The most recent estimates are compared with those for earlier times. A case study from Finland is presented, which helps understand the causal mechanisms affecting long-term sequestration of carbon in forest vegetation on a centennial scale. The forests of the 27 countries of the European Union (EU-27) represent approximately 4% of global forest area and 5% of global growing stock volume [1]. Despite their relatively small global shares, the region's forests remove carbon from the atmosphere at a surprisingly high rate. During 1990 to 2006 within the 27 countries (that were members of the EU in 2008) the expanding woody biomass annually sequestered 360 to 495 million tonnes CO<sub>2</sub> from the atmosphere (<i>high confidence</i>). The rate of sequestration accelerated over time during the same period (<i>low confidence</i>). Over a more extended decadal scale from 1900 to 2006, the rate accelerated (<i>high confidence</i>). The biomass sink was mainly driven by increasing density of average European forests and to a lesser extent by increasing forest cover (<i>high confidence</i>). Changes in forestry, nature conservation and other land management practices were the main drivers of carbon sequestration (<i>medium confidence</i>). The contribution of carbon sequestration in forests to the national carbon budget varied among countries depending on the extent of forests. Estimates for individual years varied and the accuracy and precision of the national estimates was not high, typically +or-30%. A three-year moving average can be recommended as a basis for calculations, because it evens out inter-annual variation. Biomass sequestration has potential to continue in the EU for at least 50 years into the future. If land use trends revert and consumption patterns change, for example, if the demand for agricultural and wood products increases and bioenergy is developed on a large scale, sequestration can decelerate in the very long term. Climate change in itself is a risk factor to forest ecosystems in terms of increasing risks of storm damage, forest fire, forest pests and drought. Losing the biomass sink in EU, notably only a theoretical scenario in the next 20 to 30 years, would become an obstacle to reaching the main goal of climate policy: a stable atmosphere in terms of greenhouse gases. Promoting the sink on the other hand would make a contribution to achieving that goal. If the global trends of deforestation and forest degradation are reverted, forest sequestration of carbon can make an important contribution to stabilizing the atmosphere and preventing a serious climate change. Forest biomass has a potential to expand significantly worldwide. Environmental services and climate changeStaiss, C.; Boy, J.; Kupper, B.; Mertens, J.; Schworer, P.; Ullrich, S. Rural 21. 2009. 43: 5, 38-41 The Republic of Ghana - one of Africa's stable democracies - faces on-going overexploitation of its natural resources resulting in huge financial losses and serious implications for the poor. The EU-financed project "Tropical Forests and Climate Adaptation" tries to identify appropriate instruments to finance adaptation measures to climate change. One of these financing tools could be Payments for Environmental Service (PES). A study by Humboldt University Berlin has revealed that PES very much depends on the right institutional framework. High opportunity costs, a lack of security in land use rights between landowners and land users, unequal distribution of yields from timber use and the lack of interest in sustainable biodiversity conservation limit the possibilities for efficient PES systems. Marketable non-timber forest products and water, as products linked to biodiversity-related PES models, enhance the local poor population's adaptability to possible negative impacts of climate change. Seeing the Global Forest for the Trees: How U.S. Federalism can Coexist with Global Governance of ForestsBlake Hudson ; Erika Weinthal b Journal of Natural Resources Policy Research, Volume 1, Issue 4 October 2009 , pages 353 - 365 Both international forest and climate negotiations have failed to produce a legally binding treaty that addresses forest management activities—either comprehensively or more narrowly through carbon capture– due, in part, to lack of US leadership. Though US cooperation is crucial for facilitating both forest and climate negotiations, the role of federalism in constraining these trends has been given scant attention. We argue that, as embodied in the US Constitution, federalism complicates the US’s role in creating any legally binding treaty that directly regulates land uses (e.g. forest management). Because federalism reserves primary land use regulatory authority for state governments, voluntary, market-based mechanisms, like REDD and forest certification, should be included within any binding treaty aimed at forest management, in order to facilitate US participation. Tripping points: barriers and bargaining chips on the road to CopenhagenJinnah, S.; Bushey, D.; Munoz, M.; Kulovesi, K.; Environmental Research Letters. 2009. 4: 3, 034003. 11 ref. This letter aims to help scholars and practitioners alike prepare for the 15th Conference of the Parties (COP15) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), to be held in Copenhagen in December 2009, by providing a bird's eye view of the increasingly complex terrain of the global climate negotiations. It identifies and explains the most important and contentious 'tripping points' for reaching any agreement on a post-2012 framework, by explaining the primary barriers among countries to reaching consensus and the bargaining chips that countries may draw upon to get there. Namely, the letter details the contours of the ongoing debates on: developed and developing country mitigation; reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD); technology transfer; adaptation; and finance. A review of forestry mitigation and adaptation strategies in the Northeast U.SEvans, Alexander M.; Perschel, Robert Climatic change. 2009 Sept. 96(1-2) p. 167-183 The forests of the Northeast U.S. will be significantly affected by climate change, but they also play a role in mitigating climate change by sequestering CO. Forest management decisions can increase forests' resilience and ability to adapt to altered precipitation and temperature patterns. At the same time, management strategies that increase carbon storage will help reduce climate disruptions. Because of climate change, foresters on managed lands should take into account changes in species composition, more frequent disturbances, potential changes in growth rates, and distorted insect and disease dynamics. Silvicultural prescriptions should emphasize low impact logging techniques, the perpetuation of structural complexity, legacy trees, extended rotations, and uneven aged management systems where appropriate. In order to maintain resilience as well as to store carbon, forests should be protected from land use conversion. Forest policy in conditions of a changing climateShutov, I. V.; Ryabinin, B. N. Lesnoe Khozyaistvo. 2009. 2, 4-9. The intensifying greenhouse effect is discussed, with reference to change in the amount of carbon in forest ecosystems, the effect of clear-fellings, and the amount of carbon in even-aged ecosystems (spruce, birch) developing on felled areas. The prospects for specially organized Permanent Forest Enterprises are discussed, with a notional example of an enterprise consisting of 50 blocks, each of 200 ha, aged 1 to 50 years, and managed on a 50-year rotation, producing 100 000m3 of stemwood per annum. It is argued that Russia needs a new forest policy, and a new forest law, together with a strong state Forest Department organized on similar lines to the Forest Department of the Ministry of Agriculture of the Russian Empire prior to 1914. Only this will enable Russian forestry to get out of what is seen as the current 'morass of wild criminal capitalism'. Evaluating the global warming impact of palm oil productionHenson, I. E.; Chang, K. C.; Planter. 2009. 85: 997, 193-211. 35 ref. There is substantial interest in the extent to which palm oil production affects global warming via its impact on fluxes of greenhouse gases. Oil palm planting has expanded considerably in recent years, most markedly in Southeast Asia, replacing forest and other vegetation and hence most likely changing the overall carbon balance of the region. Several previous attempts have been made to assess effects of these changes and to determine the nature of the impacts. This paper describes a flexible model which applies to individual sites and stands of oil palm, and which takes account of the major factors likely to influence the carbon balance of the crop. The model calculates all major on-site (plantation) and off-site (mill) gains and losses of C, taking into account different site conditions and management practices. It offers numerous options that include choice of previous land use and crop lifespan. There are specific options governing C emission from peat soils, while different crop yield potentials are represented a choice of oil palm growth curves. Provision is made for input of data by the user. Different management options are catered for such as use of palm oil mill by-products and fossil fuel equivalent inputs in the field, the latter including both direct (i.e. fuel for transport and machinery) and indirect (fertilisers, herbicides, crop protection chemicals etc.) sources. Outputs from the model showing effects of differed previous land uses and other factors are presented. The model is also extended to track the C balance over successive oil palm crops. Tropical forest carbon assessment: integrating satellite and airborne mapping approachesAsner, G. P. Environmental Research Letters. 2009. 4: 3, 034009. 33 ref. Large-scale carbon mapping is needed to support the UNFCCC program to reduce deforestation and forest degradation (REDD). Managers of forested land can potentially increase their carbon credits via detailed monitoring of forest cover, loss and gain (hectares), and periodic estimates of changes in forest carbon density (tons ha<sup>-1</sup>). Satellites provide an opportunity to monitor changes in forest carbon caused by deforestation and degradation, but only after initial carbon densities have been assessed. New airborne approaches, especially light detection and ranging (LiDAR), provide a means to estimate forest carbon density over large areas, which greatly assists in the development of practical baselines. Here I present an integrated satellite-airborne mapping approach that supports high-resolution carbon stock assessment and monitoring in tropical forest regions. The approach yields a spatially resolved, regional state-of-the-forest carbon baseline, followed by high-resolution monitoring of forest cover and disturbance to estimate carbon emissions. Rapid advances and decreasing costs in the satellite and airborne mapping sectors are already making high-resolution carbon stock and emissions assessments viable anywhere in the world. Are forestry CDM projects cost effective?Mohit Gera; Neelu Gera; Indian Forester. 2009. 135: 6, 729-744. Financial efficacy of a CDM forestry project for realization of carbon benefits on account of carbon sequestration service provided by the afforestation or reforestation interventions under CDM has been studied for four different sized projects. All the costs associated with the preparation of these projects such as costs on project development, validation, registration, monitoring, verification & certification, issuance of CERs, adaptation levy and the Tax implications have been taken into account and benefits were estimated assuming a carbon sequestration rate of 2tC/ha/year under two price scenarios. The results have shown that all the project sizes are financially viable with higher values of B/C ratios, in the range of 3.94 to 14.28 and the IRRs, in the range of 55% to 110%. The results also confirmed that with in a given category of the project size, the returns increase with the size of the project. The authors are of the opinion that investment in forestry A&R projects development and registration under CDM is not only a financially viable option but also the regular returns on account of CER revenue could help in sustenance for the CDM project interventions. IPCC method for calculation of annual carbon deposition and its application for Russian forestsMoiseev, N. A.; Filipchuk, A. N. Federal'naya Sluzhba Lesnogo Khozyaistva Rossii The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) proposed in 2006 equations for calculation of annual carbon deposition in forests based on change in total yield and average increment of total yield (stem wood). Calculations made by State Forest Register (SFR) for Russian forests (1956-2008) are controversial due to estimation errors of total yield and area under forest. Critical analysis of previous calculations and discussion on additional parameters which have to be taken into account are provided. All data are summarised in 3 tables and 2 graphs. Main conclusions are: (1) calculations of annual carbon deposition on the basis of change in total yield is not applicable as they underestimate the potential of Russian forests and a national carbon budget; (2) reliable calculation is possible on the basis of average increment of total yield, using published and verified SRF data; (3) net ecosystem carbon product in Russian forests is 510 million tonne per year, taking into account that average increment of total wood yield is 980 million m3 per year and carbon loss in wildfire, felling and diseases is 100 million tonne per year; (4) existing forests fully compensate current national industrial emission of 1.8 billion tonne CO2 per year. Tundra, meadows and swamps absorb additional 0.7 billion tonne CO<sub>2</sub> per year. Therefore after 2012 Russia will be able to increase its industrial output with emission level not to exceed that of 1990.
V. Publications, Reports and other mediaAdapting to Climate Change in Europe and Central AsiaWorld Bank The World Bank release report on Adapting to Climate Change in Europe and Central Asia. The report highlights that the region faces a substantial threat from climate change, with a number of the most serious risks already in evidence. Report. Information Note on "Sustainable Management of Forests and REDD+"FAO The scope of a REDD+ instrument is a key and increasingly contentious issue in the ongoing negotiations in UNFCCC. The lack of a common understanding of forest terminology is confusing the debate. The Note addresses this issue. Information note. Connecting Biodiversity and Climate Change Mitigation and AdaptationCBD The Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) has released the report of the Second Ad Hoc Technical Expert Group on Biodiversity and Climate Change (AHTEG). The outcome of scientific and technical deliberations conducted by experts from 23 countries as well as United Nations organizations, intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations and representatives from indigenous communities, the report provides biodiversity-relevant information to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). The report. Forests and Climate Change: adaptation and mitigationETFRN With this publication, ETFRN underpin discussions on the role of forests and forest management in mitigating and adapting to climate change with the evidence gained from early experiences in this fast moving field. The articles in this issue are the result of an open call for papers, announced a/o through this list server. More. The impacts and opportunities of oil palm in Southeast Asia: What do we know and what do we need to know?CIFOR This review examines what we know and what we don’t know about oil palm developments. Our sources include academic publications and ‘grey’ literature, along with expert consultations. Publication. Forest Agencies' Early Adaptations to Climate ChangeIUFRO This report seeks to determine to what extent forest agencies are changing their policies and management operations in response to current and anticipated future climate change. In order to achieve this goal, it summarizes the state of the art of forest policy responses regarding adaptation to climate change in Australia, Austria, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Costa Rica, Finland, France, Germany, Russia, Spain, Sweden, and the United States. Report. The Economics of Climate Change Mitigation: Policies and Options for Global Action Beyond 2012OECD The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) has produced a book which through quantitative analysis, seeks to identify cost-effective policies and options, including forest degradation (REDD). Publication. The “Cloud” over the Climate Negotiations: From Bangkok to Copenhagen and BeyondThe Centre for Policy Research After months of faltering and incremental progress on negotiating text, two months before the end of the two year process leading to the Copenhagen Climate Conference, 2009, diplomats in Bangkok finally started debating the substantive ideas underlying Parties’ proposals. In the process they unearthed the fault lines of what is already a deeply divisive set of negotiations. Brief. Climate Change in AfricaInternational Institute for Environment and Development Impacts of climate change on Africa’s development and prospects for the continent’s growth in a new low-carbon economy are among the subjects covered in a new book by the director of the International Institute for Environment and Development, Camilla Toulmin. Link to the book. Getting Ready: A Review of the World Bank Forest Carbon Partnership Facility Readiness Preparation ProposalsWRI This working paper is part of a series of regular updates on the Forest Carbon Partnership Facility (FCPF) readiness process. It reviews documentation detailing national REDD initiatives emerging from the FCPF in order to assess how these efforts are dealing with fundamental issues of forest governance that underpin deforestation and forest degradation problems in REDD countries. Paper. VI. JobsSpecialist with expertise in the area of Forests and Fragile StatesPROFOR The Program on Forests (PROFOR) has an opportunity for a short term consultancy to assist in developing a program on conflict/post-conflict and forests. The position will also support in organizing downstream work around the themes of: the impacts of conflicts on forests; financial flows to conflict linked to illegal logging; and some of the characteristics of fragile states emerging from conflict which need to be addressed to help prevent forest loss. The work is expected to contribute to a symposium during which these themes will be addressed. More. Adaptation CoordinatorCARE International's Poverty, Environment and Climate Change Network (PECCN) Secretariat Climate change We are seeking to recruit an Adaptation Coordinator who is responsible for facilitating the development and implementation of CARE International's adaptation sub-strategy, as well as supporting development and implementation of our overarching climate change strategy. More. CDM Project ManagerResponsible for developing full project documentation, steering the project through formal United Nations Clean and Development Mechanism (CDM) approval processes, monitoring and verifying greenhouse gas reductions, maximizing the delivery of CERs and VERs from projects. More. Managing Director, Forest Carbon InitiativeWWF World Wildlife Fund is seeking a Managing Director for its forest carbon program who will also serve as Deputy Director for the WWF Network’s Forest Carbon Initiative to be based in its Washington, D.C., headquarters office. More.
VII. AnnouncementsMessage from the XIII World Forestry Congress to UNFCCCWFC Several sessions on climate change were held at the XIII World Forestry Congress, which was convened in Buenos Aires from 18-23 October and involved over 7000 participants. The Congress sent a strong message on climate change and forests to the upcoming UNFCCC COP in Copenhagen. The message stated above all: "Maintaining high carbon stocks by reducing deforestation and forest degradation and promoting the sustainable management of all types of forests, including the conservation of biodiversity, forest protection and restoration, should be amongst the world's highest priorities for the forestry sector. For more information on the climate change sessions and the message, see http://www.fao.org/forestry/en/ AFOLU methodologies, VCSVCS The following AFOLU methodologies are being assessed under the Voluntary Carbon Standard double approval process, and as part of this process have been posted on the VCS website for a 30-day public comment period: 1) Improved Forest Management through Extension of Rotation Age, Ecotrust: http://www.v-c-s.org/methodology_eifmm.html 2) Adoption of Sustainable Agricultural Land Management (SALM), BioCarbon Fund, World Bank: http://www.v-c-s.org/methodology_salm.html Comments on the methodologies are invited and should be emailed to secretariat@v-c-s.org by the date indicated on the relevant link above. When providing comments, respondents must also provide their name, organisation/institution, country and email address. Global Forest Resources Assessment PortalFAO The Remote Sensing Survey portal provides access to global sample tiles used by the Global Forest Resource Assessment (FRA-RSS). It enables the search, display and download of tile information, associated satellite imagery and auxiliary data. The database consists of 13,689 samples of 10 km squares located at the junction of each latitude and longitude line across the globe (excluding Antarctica). Public users can find out about the study and view and download the Landsat data. Authorised national expert users can login and download draft labelled polygons for checking and then upload the validated data. The site.
The UN-REDD Programme welcomes five new countries Expert Group for Forest Investment ProgramWB The World Bank announce an open call for nominations of internationally recognized experts to serve on the Expert Group for the Forest Investment Program. The deadline for submitting nominations to the CIF Administrative Unit is Friday, November 27, 2009. Please see the Call for Nominations of Experts Letter and the Criteria for Selection of Expert Group Members under the Forest Investment Program, Terms of Reference and Working Modalities, a document pending final approval by the FIP Sub-Committee.
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last updated: Friday, November 20, 2009