Securing tropical forest carbon: the contribution of protected areas to REDD

Forest loss and degradation in the tropics contribute 6-17% of all greenhouse gas emissions. Protected areas cover 217.2 million ha (19.6%) of the world's humid tropical forests and contain c. 70.3 petagrams of carbon (Pg C) in biomass and soil to 1 m depth. Between 2000 and 2005, we estimate that 1.75 million ha of forest were lost from protected areas in humid tropical forests, causing the emission of 0.25-0.33 Pg C. Protected areas lost about half as much carbon as the same area of unprotected forest. We estimate that the reduction of these carbon emissions from ongoing deforestation in protected sites in humid tropical forests could be valued at USD 6,200-7,400 million depending on the land use after clearance. This is >1.5 times the estimated spending on protected area management in these regions. Improving management of protected areas to retain forest cover better may be an important, although certainly not sufficient, component of an overall strategy for reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD

Multiple Use Management of Tropical Forests: On the Superiority of Land Use Specialization

One of the debates in tropical forest management centers on how to manage these resources for multiple uses. In fact, although the need to account for multiple values in forestry decisions is widely recognized, its implications for forest management are not clear. In particular, how is multiple-use to be achieved? Should management for multiple values be adopted on each forest management unit? Or should multiple use be attained at the landscape level, for example by dividing the landscape into units and manage each unit for a dominant use (e.g., timber production, conservation, etc.)? In tropical forest settings, where multiple use is often attained with less intensive harvesting and at the expenses of bringing larger – often virgin – areas into production, the circumstances under which multiple-use management is superior to dominant-use remain unclear. Past scholarly work has pointed to some circumstances under which dominant use may be superior to multiple (joint) use. The empirical significance of these circumstances has been quantified only in limited temperate settings. In this paper, we review two circumstances that are likely to yield to a non-convexity in the forest production set: the existence of large fixed costs associated with the production of one good (e.g., timber); and the existence of inefficiencies in the timber production process. The empirical significance of such circumstances is evaluated with the aid of a simulation model developed for a lowland tropical forest in peninsular Malaysia. Results suggest that, for certain benefits associated with forest diversity, specialized use (separation of conservation and timber production processes) is likely to be a strategy superior to multiple use.tropical forests, multiple use, specialization, non-convexities, biodiversity, carbon storage

MODELING ECOLOGICAL CONSTRAINTS ON TROPICAL FOREST MANAGEMENT: COMMENT

We comment on four aspects of Albers' [1] model of ecological constraints on tropical forest management. Albers structures her model in a highly asymmetric manner, with strong, uniform biases against development and in favor of preservation. Despite Albers' repeated claims that her model is "complete" and that it has significant implications for tropical forest management, we contend instead that the results of a truly general, empirically defensible model are inherently ambiguous. Spatial and intertemporal dimensions clearly matter, but they do not point as neatly in favor of preservation as Albers would have us believe. Note: Forthcoming in Journal of Environmental Economics and Managementforest, interdependence, irreversibility, management, uncertainty, Resource /Energy Economics and Policy, D81, Q15, Q23,

Spatiotemporal changes in biomass after selective logging in a lowland tropical rainforest in peninsular Malaysia

We studied biomass changes in a lowland tropical rain forest in the Pasoh Forest Reserve of Peninsular Malaysia after selective logging in 1958. A tree census was undertaken every 2 years from 1998 to 2012 in a 6-ha logged forest plot. Total aboveground biomass (AGB) was 72 % of that in a primary forest plot within the same reserve in 1998, but reached 87 % in 2012. AGB regrowth was spatially variable within the logged forest plot and was much less in swampy areas than in upland areas. The overall annual growth rate of AGB in the logged forest throughout the study period was 1.5 % and slowed (to 0.6 %) in a dry period (2004-2006). The biomass of large trees (DBH ≥ 50 cm) increased by 56 % during the study period, but amounted to only 58 % of the biomass of the corresponding size class in the primary forest, suggesting that stand structure is still recovering from logging. Spatiotemporal variation in AGB recovery after logging needs to be taken into account for logging and subsequent management of the tropical lowland forest biome

Tracking REDD+ Finance: 2009-2012 - Finance Flows in Seven REDD+ Countries

Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD). This REDDX report tracks the 2009-2012 flow of REDD+ finance from a variety of donors to seven tropical forest countries for various types of REDD+ activities. It is based on the hard work and dedication of seven teams of national partners and other experts who surveyed donors, government agencies, implementing agencies, NGOs, and consulting firms involved in the management of REDD+ finance in key REDD+ recipient countries

Mitigation needs adaptation: Tropical forestry and climate change

International audienceThe relationship between tropical forests and global climate change has so far focused on mitigation, while much less emphasis has been placed on how management activities may help forest ecosystems adapt to this change. This paper discusses how tropical forestry practices can contribute to maintaining or enhancing the adaptive capacity of natural and planted forests to global climate change and considers challenges and opportunities for the integration of tropical forest management in broader climate change adaptation. In addition to the use of reduced impact logging to maintain ecosystem integrity, other approaches may be needed, such as fire prevention and management, as well as specific silvicultural options aimed at facilitating genetic adaptation. In the case of planted forests, the normally higher intensity of management (with respect to natural forest) offers additional opportunities for implementing adaptation measures, at both industrial and smallholder levels. Although the integration in forest management of measures aimed at enhancing adaptation to climate change may not involve substantial additional effort with respect to current practice, little action appears to have been taken to date. Tropical foresters and forest-dependent communities appear not to appreciate the risks posed by climate change and, for those who are aware of them, practical guidance on how to respond is largely non-existent. The extent to which forestry research and national policies will promote and adopt management practices in order to assist production forests adapt to climate change is currently uncertain. Mainstreaming adaptation into national development and planning programs may represent an initial step towards the incorporation of climate change considerations into tropical forestry

The Complier Pays Principle: The Limits of Fiscal Approaches Toward Sustainable Forest Management

This paper examines the role and impact of taxation on sustainable forest management. It is shown that fiscal instruments neither reinforce nor substitute for traditional regulatory approaches and can actually undermine sustainability. The paper uses the reasoning at the root of the Faustmann solution to draw conclusions on the incentives for sustainable tropical forest exploitation. It proposes a bond mechanism as an alternative market-based instrument to encourage sustainable forest logging while reducing monitoring costs. Copyright 2001, International Monetary Fund

Indigenous territories and tropical forest management in Latin America

Using data from Latin America, the authors argue that fundamental changes must take place in the legal recognition and demarcation of indigenous territories if indigenous peoples are to fulfill their potential as resource managers for threatened tropical forest ecosystems. The authors compare different national land tenure models for forest-dwelling indigenous peoples (contained in national Indian, agrarian, and protected-area laws in Latin America) and a model proposed by indigenous organizations in Latin America. The conventional models emerged during an era when most governments were more concerned with the rapid occupation and exploitation of frontier zones and the assimilation of indigenous peoples. Recent attention to the environmental degradation of these areas and the need to create alternative models of land use and development have directed attention to the potential contribution of indigenous peoples to the conservation and management of the vast tropical forests of Latin America. The authors find that indigenous peoples must be given some degree of control over their territories and resources. They contend that for successful management of tropical forests there must be a new type of partnership between indigenous peoples, the scientific community, national governments, and international development agencies. This relationship should be a contractual one, in which indigenous peoples are provided with juridical recognition and control over large areas of forest in exchange for a commitment to conserve the ecosystem and preserve biodiversity.Municipal Financial Management,Agricultural Knowledge&Information Systems,Forestry,Environmental Economics&Policies,Banks&Banking Reform