Indigenous Peoples and REDD+: A Critical Perspective / Indigenous Peoples' Biocultural Climate Change Assessment Initiative (IPCCA) / November 2014 / Public Political Ecology Lab / Executive Summary: REDD+ stands for Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation in developing countries (REDD) and includes conservation, sustainable forest management and the enhancement of carbon stocks (the +). An international initiative negotiated under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), REDD+ has been proposed as a central strategy for mitigating climate change in forests. While advocates highlight the cost effectiveness and social and ecological co-benefits that can be generated through REDD+, many indigenous and forest dependent groups have expressed concerns about the potential effects of projects on their access to land and resources. This report identifies key issues facing indigenous and forest-dependent communities with respect to REDD, and is based on existing academic literature and more current reports by NGOs and indigenous organizations. We first lay out a brief history of REDD+, interrogate its key assumptions, and discuss major issues of concern. We then discuss REDD+ as it relates to indigenous peoples and forest-dependent communities. This is followed by a series of case studies of developing countries participating in REDD+. We conclude with a discussion of the principal elements for an alternative vision for REDD+ that takes seriously the rights of indigenous peoples. / / Resumen Ejecutivo REDD+ es acrónimo para Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation (Reducir las Emisiones por Deforestación y Degradación de bosques) (en países en desarrollo). Incluye acciones para la conservación, el manejo sustentable de bosques y el aumento en los suministros de carbono (el +). Como una iniciativa internacional negociada bajo el United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) (Convención Marco de Naciones Unidas sobre el Cambio Climático), REDD+ ha sido propuesto como una estrategia principal para mitigar el cambio climático en bosques. Aunque sus defensores enfatizan la eficacia financiera y los co-beneficios sociales y ecológicos que se pueden generar a través del REDD+, muchos grupos indígenas y de gente quien depende de bosques para su sustento tienen preocupaciones acerca de los posibles efectos de los proyectos sobre el acceso a la tierra y los recursos forestales. Este informe identifica los problemas principales que enfrentan las comunidades indígenas y gente dependiente de bosques con REDD. Está basado en la literatura académica existente y otros reportes actuales escritos por organizaciones no gubernamentales (ONGs) y organizaciones indígenas. Primero proveeremos una historia breve de REDD+, evaluaremos las suposiciones principales y discutiremos los problemas de mayor preocupación. Luego describiremos la relación entre REDD+ y los pueblos indígenas y comunidades dependientes de bosques. Esto será seguido por una colección de casos de estudio en los países en desarrollo que participan en REDD+. Concluiremos con una discusión de los elementos principales para una visión alternativa de REDD+ que toma en cuenta los derechos de los pueblos indígenas.

Forests in developing countries have the potential to contribute to global efforts to mitigate climate change, promote biodiversity and support the livelihoods of rural, local people. Approximately one-fourth of such forests are under the control of local communities, which primarily manage forests for subsistence and to meet their livelihood needs. The trend of bottom-up community control is increasing through the adoption of decentralization reforms over the last 40 years. In contrast, the United Nations has introduced the top-down program, Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+) for the conservation and enhancement of forest carbon and the sustainable management of forest in developing countries. REDD+ incentivizes forest-managing communities to sequester carbon and reduce emissions. REDD+ has created hope for managing forests to mitigate climate change and has created fear that the new initiative may not be effective and may not ensure continuing forest-managing community benefits. However, little research has been conducted to answer these concerns. By taking nationally representative data from Nepalese community-managed forests (“forest commons"), I bring insights into whether and how these forests can contribute to REDD+ initiatives, particularly as they relate to carbon sequestration, biodiversity, equity in benefit sharing and collective action. My results indicated the highly variable carbon and biodiversity in the forest plots across the country, depicting the availability of space for additional growth in carbon storage and biodiversity conservation. My results also reflect the complex and varied relationships of carbon with different indices of biodiversity at the national level, across geographic and topographic regions, and in forests with varying canopy covers. Weak positive relationships between carbon sequestration and biodiversity conservation indicate the possibility of synergies between carbon-forestry and biodiversity conservation. I also found that the formal community forestry program (CFP) has clearly positive impacts on biodiversity conservation and household-level equity in benefit sharing and a negative impact on carbon sequestration at the national level. However, disaggregated results of impacts of CFP on biodiversity, carbon and equity across geography, topography, forest quality and social groups display mixed results i.e., either positive or negative or neutral. I also identified that different drivers of collective action have different (i.e., positive, neutral, and negative) associations with carbon sequestration, which either supports or challenges established knowledge. In aggregate, my research indicates the potential of contribution by forest commons, and specially the CFP, to global environmental initiatives such as REDD+. It suggests that targeted, dedicated policies and programs to increase carbon sequestration, biodiversity conservation and foster equity and collective actions are critical. In addition, my results also contribute to the growing literature on socio-ecological implications of forest commons that demonstrated the need of interdisciplinary research to understand human-nature relationships in the changing context.

Ethiopia is one of the sub-Saharan Africa countries whose energy depends on traditional use of biomass such as wood, charcoal, agricultural residues and animal dung. The traditional use of biomass mainly wood and charcoal leads the country to massive deforestation and forest degradation. Negative environmental impacts from poorly managed municipal solid waste are also serious problems in the country. Moreover, there is a wide range of fossil fuels demand in the country fully covered by importing which results to a significant expenditure from the country’s budget. This study investigates the long-term shifts in bioenergy use of the country and evaluates the expected social, environmental and economical implications. For this purpose, three scenarios are formulated within a timeframe that goes from 2013 to 2030. The baseline scenario assumes the existing energy practices of the country would undergo no significant change in the future while the moderate shift and high shift scenarios consider the long-term shifts in bioenergy use with and without considering constraints respectively. In this context, long-term shifts means: transition from traditional use of biomass to efficient and modern in the household sector, biofuels deployment in the transport sector, introduction of agricultural residues as a fuel for cement production, and electricity generation from bagasse and municipal solid waste. To model and analyze the scenarios, the long-range energy alternatives planning system (LEAP) software tool is used. Taking the results of high shift scenario by 2030, the use of improved wood stoves and fuel switch stoves could save 65 million tons of wood. The foreign currency saving from using biofuels and agricultural residues as fossil fuels substitute would reach to 674 million USD. The greenhouse gas emissions reduction is equivalent to 46 million tons of CO2e which is about 18.4% of the CO2e abatement target of the country for 2030. The corresponding revenue from carbon trading schemes would reach to 231 million USD. Electricity generation from bagasse and municipal solid waste would be 3,672 GWh that is around 3.7% of the total electricity generation target for 2030.

No description available.

Submitted by Rosina Valeria Lanzellotti Mattiussi Teixeira (rosina.teixeira@unisantos.br) on 2015-05-29T14:16:36Z No. of bitstreams: 1 FLAVIA MARTINS DA SILVA.pdf: 497417 bytes, checksum: 0a7e626a4d3f5de72fb63eb68446fdeb (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2015-05-29T14:16:36Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 FLAVIA MARTINS DA SILVA.pdf: 497417 bytes, checksum: 0a7e626a4d3f5de72fb63eb68446fdeb (MD5) Previous issue date: 2012-05-16 / The problem of climate change is one of the major challenges faced by mankind. The situation of the greenhouse effect and the ozone layer hole is the foremost threat to human life. One of the key causes for this situation was the exploration and fossil fuels usage and the high rates of deforestation in the world, mainly in Brazil. The Kyoto Protocol, created during the Conference of the Parties nº III held in the city of Kyoto, Japan in 1997 with the purpose of supplementing the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and establish a quantitative emission reduction limit of greenhouse gas (GHG) for countries under such Convention. At the present time the Kyoto Protocol is the only international climate agreement. The Protocol created flexibility mechanisms to achieve the ultimate goal of the Framework Convention, which is highlighted by the Clean Development Mechanism, which generated the carbon credits market. The mechanism for Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation with increasing forest carbon stocks in developing countries (REDD) is currently a voluntary mechanism suggested by some countries that take part in the Convention, and recommended to assist developing countries to combat deforestation and degradation especially in tropical forests. The present paper aims to provide an overview of the trajectory of the Kyoto protocol in international environmental law, as well as demonstrate the importance and urgency of the matter of the problem of climatic changes. / O problema das mudanças climáticas é um dos maiores desafios enfrentados pelo ser humano. A situação do efeito estufa e do buraco na camada de ozônio é uma grande ameaça para a vida humana. Uma das maiores causas para esse panorama foi a exploração e uso de combustíveis fósseis e as taxas elevadas de desmatamento no mundo, principalmente no Brasil. O Protocolo de Quioto, criado durante a Conferência das Partes n° 3, realizada na cidade de Quioto, Japão, em 1997, com a finalidade de complementar a Convenção Quadro das Nações Unidas sobre o Clima e estabelecer de maneira quantitativa limites de redução de emissão de gases de efeito estufa (GEE) para os países comprometidos pela Convenção. Atualmente o Protocolo de Quioto é o único Protocolo internacional climático. O Protocolo criou mecanismos de flexibilização para alcançar o objetivo final da Convenção Quadro, dos quais destacamos o Mecanismo de Desenvolvimento Limpo, que gerou o mercado de créditos de carbono. O mecanismo de Redução de Emissão do Desmatamento e Degradação Florestal com aumento de estoques de carbono florestal em países em desenvolvimento (REDD+) é atualmente um mecanismo voluntário sugerido por alguns países partes da Convenção, e recomendado para auxiliar os países em desenvolvimento a combaterem o desmatamento e degradação em especial nas florestas tropicais. O presente trabalho pretende fornecer um panorama sobre a trajetória do Protocolo de Quioto e do problema das mudanças climáticas, bem como mostrar a importância e urgência do tratamento do tema em questão.