Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO), an associate of the UN, called for early action on its initiative on Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD) in developing countries in their The Global Forest Resources Assessment 2010.
The report of FAO says that though world deforestation, mainly the conversion of tropical forests to agricultural land, has decreased over the past decade (2000-2001) it continues at an alarmingly high rate in many countries. The global loss, owing to conversion or natural disaster has reduced three million hectares annually from that of the 1990’s (16.1 million hectares per year)
Biggest loss in South America, Africa:
The report says that South America and Africa had the highest annual loss of forest during the decad – 4 and 3.4 million hectares respectively. However, Brazil that lost a significant amount of forest during the 1990s, has been able to reduce its deforestation rate.
Asia, on the other hand, has gained 2.2 million hectares annually in the last decade mainly because of large afforestation programmes in China, India, and Vietnam in the last five years. However, conversion of forested lands to other uses continued at high rates in many countries, which have expanded their forest area by a total of close to four million hectares annually.
“We need to look forward because the large tree planting programmes in China, India and Vietnam, accounting for most of the recent gains in forest area, are scheduled to end by 2020.” said Mette Løyche Wilkie, the Coordinator of the Assessment.
Forests and Climate Change and REDD:
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has estimated that deforestation and forest degradation contribute approximately 17 % of global greenhouse gas emission. REDD was initiated in Bali, Indonesia (Cop 13) and had been intensified in Copenhagen, Denmark (Cop15). During Cop-15, Australia, Britain, France, Japan, Norway and the US jointly announced USD 3.5 billion to support developing countries that produce comprehensive plans to slow and eventually reverse deforestation. Dr Yemi Katerere, Head of the UN-REDD Programme said it was the most cost-effective way to mitigate climate change in the short term. Both the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon and the World Bank president Robert Zoellick defined REDD as an essential element of tackling global climate change.
Through REDD, the developing countries create incentives for them developing countries to protect, and better manage their forest resources, thus contributing to the global fight against climate change. REDD goes beyond reducing deforestation and forest degradation solely for the purpose of emission reductions, and includes the role of conservation, sustainable management of forests and enhancement of forest carbon stocks in REDD strategies. When fully operational, payments for verified emission reductions and removals, either market or fund-based, provide an incentive for REDD countries to pursue climate compatible development.
Copyright@ Business Economics June 1-15 2010 page 31 ( Green earth: can it survive the climate change?)
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