Cash for tropical peat: land use change and forestry projects for climate change mitigation

While tropical peat swamps can present very large stocks, the threat of greenhouse gas emissions to the atmosphere is much lower. Given the current agreement for activities to be conducted through the Clean Development Mechanism (afforestation and reforestation only), it seems there is little opportunity for peat swamp project because they are unlikely to effectivelly compete with projects on terra firma. There is still a chance that forest conservation could be included as a project alternative in the future commitment periods. It is important that scientists working on tropical peat swamps seek to influence policy makers to include forest conservation in the Kyoto Protocol if peat swamps are to be conserved through climate change mitigation mechanisms

Capturing the value of forest carbon for local livelihoods: opportunities under the clean development mechanisms of the Kyoto protocol

Projects implemented as part of the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) of the Kyoto Protocol will have the dual mandate of reducing greenhouse gas emissions and contributing to sustainable development. It is not yet clear what, if any, forestry activities will be eligible for CDM. Nor is it known what rules will guide the implementation of CDM projects. These decisions have important implications for poor people who live in and around forests in developing countries. Suitably designed CDM forestry projects can significantly benefit local communities by supplementing and diversifying income, increasing access to forest goods and services, improving land productivity, developing the local knowledge base and local institutions and increasing the energy efficiency of using forest products. In some cases there will be trade-offs between the amount of greenhouse gas reductions sought and direct benefits to local livelihoods. Without adequate safeguards, some CDM activities could have negative effects on local people, such as denying them access to resources they depend on for their livelihood. Pro-active efforts will be needed in some cases to ensure that community-based CDM forestry projects and local land uses can compete effectively in carbon trading markets with projects managed by large-scale operators. As this policy brief describes, however, CDM guidelines can be designed to not only minimize the likelihood of negative effects on local communities but to directly improve their livelihoods while achieving net greenhouse gas emissions reductions. Proposed measures include: explicitly including forest management and agroforestry in the CDM;•implementing social impact assessments for all CDM projects; providing incentives for projects with multiple benefits; approving tonne-year carbon accounting; reducing transactions costs of community-based projects; and building capacity at local, national and international level

Forest carbon for local livelihoods

Projects implemented as part of the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) of the Kyoto Protocol will have the dual mandate of reducing greenhouse gas emissions and contributing to sustainable development. It is not yet clear what, if any, forestry activities will be eligible for CDM. Nor is it known what rules will guide the implementation of CDM projects. These decisions have important implications for poor people who live in and around forests in developing countries. Suitably designed CDM forestry projects can significantly benefit local communities by supplementing and diversifying income, increasing access to forest goods and services, improving land productivity, developing the local knowledge base and local institutions and increasing the energy efficiency of using forest products. In some cases there will be trade-offs between the amount of greenhouse gas reductions sought and direct benefits to local livelihoods. Without adequate safeguards, some CDM activities could have negative effects on local people, such as denying them access to resources they depend on for their livelihood. Pro-active efforts will be needed in some cases to ensure that community-based CDM forestry projects and local land uses can compete effectively in carbon trading markets with projects managed by large-scale operators. As this policy brief describes, however, CDM guidelines can be designed to not only minimize the likelihood of negative effects on local communities but to directly improve their livelihoods while achieving net greenhouse gas emissions reductions. Proposed measures include: •Explicitly including forest management and agroforestry in the CDM •Implementing social impact assessments for all CDM projects •Providing incentives for projects with multiple benefits •Approving tonne-year carbon accounting •Reducing transactions costs of community-based projects •Building capacity at local, national and international level

Captando el valor del carbono del bosque para las comunidades locales: oportunidades existentes en el mecanismo de dessarollo limpio del protocolo Kioto

Projects implemented as part of the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) of the Kyoto Protocol will have the dual mandate of reducing greenhouse gas emissions and contributing to sustainable development. It is not yet clear what, if any, forestry activities will be eligible for CDM. Nor is it known what rules will guide the implementation of CDM projects. These decisions have important implications for poor people who live in and around forests in developing countries. Suitably designed CDM forestry projects can significantly benefit local communities by supplementing and diversifying income, increasing access to forest goods and services, improving land productivity, developing the local knowledge base and local institutions and increasing the energy efficiency of using forest products. In some cases there will be trade-offs between the amount of greenhouse gas reductions sought and direct benefits to local livelihoods. Without adequate safeguards, some CDM activities could have negative effects on local people, such as denying them access to resources they depend on for their livelihood. Pro-active efforts will be needed in some cases to ensure that community-based CDM forestry projects and local land uses can compete effectively in carbon trading markets with projects managed by large-scale operators. As this policy brief describes, however, CDM guidelines can be designed to not only minimize the likelihood of negative effects on local communities but to directly improve their livelihoods while achieving net greenhouse gas emissions reductions. Proposed measures include: explicitly including forest management and agroforestry in the CDM;•implementing social impact assessments for all CDM projects; providing incentives for projects with multiple benefits; approving tonne-year carbon accounting; reducing transactions costs of community-based projects; and building capacity at local, national and international levels

Estimating DBH of commercial trees from stump measurement in Malinau, East Kalimantan

Studies predicting diameter at breast height (dbh) from stump height measurements are numerous but none had been conducted in Malinau distric, East Kalimantan. The objective of this study is to develop a relationship between stump height and dbh in order to predict dbh from diameter at estimated stump height (dsh) for those species being harvested. Analysis of stump height data (170 samples) established the mean stump height for the study area at 111 cm. This figure was then used to measure dsh for a total of 800 sample trees, dbh was measured at 1.3 m for all sample trees. General linear model equation were used to develop relationships between dbh and dsh. The coefficients for determining dbh range between 0.96 and 0.99

Multipurpose tree species for small farm use : proceedings of an international workshop held Nov. 2-5, 1987 in Pattaya, Thailand

Co-published with IDR