PART II / CHAPTER 4
BIO-CULTURAL COMMUNITY PROTOCOLS AND REDD
2. Background to REDD
The following year in Poznan, Poland (COP 14), indigenous
2.1 UNFCCC
groups had become much more organized and vocal about
Although the connections between forests, carbon and
the lack of inclusion of reference to indigenous peoples’ rights
climate change are well-established, the idea of paying
within REDD. The original omission was due to opposition by
countries to reduce deforestation has only recently been given
Canada, Australia, the US, and New Zealand, the same countries
serious consideration. The specific term “reducing emissions
that did not sign on to the UN Declaration on the Rights of
from deforestation and forest degradation” (REDD) was first
Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP). At present, UNFCCC parties
proposed by the Coalition of Rainforest Nations in Montreal
are negotiating the terms of REDD as part of the LCA in a
at the 11th Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework
series of meetings leading up to COP 15 in Copenhagen in
Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC COP 11) in December
December 2009. After three rounds of discussions held in
2005, and has since gained significant momentum.
Bonn in April, June and August 2009, a negotiating text
It has effectively eclipsed other forest-related processes and
containing a range of options was produced and will be
institutions in importance, largely because of the
further discussed at subsequent meetings in Bangkok and
unprecedented levels of funding that are expected to flow
Barcelona in September and November 2009, respectively.
from climate-related funds. However, from the outset,
While the current work plan foresees a decision on REDD to
indigenous peoples and various NGOs have been concerned
be agreed upon at COP 15, there remain a number of
about the potential for REDD to create perverse incentives to
contentious issues to be resolved, including the scope,
further marginalize forest-dependent communities.
objectives and financing, which raises questions about the
These communities have proven their abilities to sustainably
likelihood of the former occurring.
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use forests over countless generations, but have often struggled
to maintain access to the forests and their traditional ways of
2.2 The World Bank and UN-REDD
life in the face of national development schemes, which are
often funded by international banks and organizations.
The Forest Carbon Partnership Facility (FCPF) was launched
at UNFCCC COP 13 in Bali in December 2007, in order to
At UNFCCC COP 13 in December 2007, REDD first formally
appeared in the negotiated text of the Bali Action Plan.
build capacity for REDD and establish pilot programmes of
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performance-based incentive payments in select countries,
A major breakthrough in climate negotiations, the Bali Action
with the intent to expand it into a much larger system in the
Plan provides the basis for long-term cooperative action (LCA)
future. The FCPF is composed of the Readiness Mechanism
to implement the UNFCCC up to and beyond 2012, when the
and the Carbon Finance Mechanism. The Readiness
Kyoto Protocol is set to expire. In contrast to the Kyoto Protocol,
Mechanism will provide several forms of technical assistance
this new agreement would apply to all parties to the UNFCCC,
and capacity-building in order to prepare countries to engage
not just the developed countries and those with economies
with REDD, including the following: determining forest carbon
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in transition. Most importantly for the forest sector, the Bali
stocks and sources of forest emissions; developing strategies
Action Plan calls for consideration of “policy approaches and
for preventing deforestation and forest degradation; and
positive incentives on issues relating to reducing emissions
designing national monitoring, reporting and verification
from deforestation and forest degradation in developing
systems. The Carbon Finance Mechanism will select countries
countries… and the role of conservation, sustainable
that have demonstrated “measurable and verifiable” progress
management of forests and enhancement of forest carbon
towards REDD and award financing from the Carbon Fund
stocks in developing countries.”
3.
4.
5.
6.
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based on a system of “compensated reductions.”
Here it was referred to reducing emissions from deforestation “in developing countries” instead of “degradation”.
These Parties are also known as Annex I Parties.
Bali Action Plan, paragraph 1b. Report of the Conference of the Parties on its thirteenth session, held in Bali from 3 to 15 December 2007.
Addendum Part Two: Action taken by the Conference of the Parties at its thirteenth session. (FCCC/CP/2007/6/Add.1.) 14 March 2008.
See: http://www.tebtebba.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=41:hr-day-2008-a-sad-day-for-indigenous-peoples&catid=51:ip-declarations
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