May 20, 2012
This training manual has been prepared for national and district level facilitators who are willing to learn and share the knowledge about climate change and REDD+ to different stakeholders in order to build capacity and raise their awareness.
Please click here to download.
April 22, 2012
Most of the terrestrial biodiversity within the Asia-Pacific region is contained within forests. Protected areas are the mainstay for biodiversity conservation although other forest areas are also important. Habitat destruction and extraction of high-value species are major threats to biodiversity. Ecosystem stability is based on interdependence among constituent species and with biodiversity loss, resilience to change is reduced. Awareness raising, stringent environmental impact assessments...
April 19, 2012
A protected area (PA) tends to be designated in an area where tracts of primary forest remain, often with poor accessibility due to terrain features and yet with some exposure to threats. Typically, a PA is at the start of a ‘forest transition’ gradient. The establishment of a PA influences the whole gradient.
Authors analyzed the temporal patterns of land-use change inside and outside four PAs, with one located in each of Laos, Indonesia, Madagascar and Cameroon. In...
April 5, 2012
Environmental and social safeguards and accurate information on environmental and social impacts are essential for the long-term success of activities for reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation and the role of conservation, sustainable management of forests and enhancement of forest carbon stocks in developing countries (REDD+) under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). In decision X/33, the Executive Secretary...
Many forest carbon projects are currently in the process of attaining registration and securing verification of Verified Carbon Standard (VCS) carbon credits. However, the number of projects that are being successfully managed according to international standards is limited. The first forestry project in South America that completed VCS registration, issuance, Climate Community and Biodiversity Standard (CCBS) validation and verification was the Asorpar Project in Colombia. This paper...
March 26, 2012
Development of a standard monitoring protocol for assessing the impacts of REDD+ (Reduced Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation) projects on biodiversity is desirable.
Drawing on the conservation literature and personal experience, the authors review whether such a one-size- fits-all approach is justifiable on scientific and practical grounds. They conclude that achieving a model biodiversity monitoring protocol suitable for use in all potential REDD+ sites is...
March 20, 2012
This paper compares the historic German discourse on forest functions with the current international debate on ecosystem services and analyzes the factors that may have triggered or inhibited the development and the institutionalization of both underlying concepts and subordinate debates. Ultimately, this comparison aims at drawing conclusions for the present debate on the currently negotiated REDDplus mechanism which can be considered as a major effort to upscale payments for environmental...
March 11, 2012
This document summarizes knowledge and experiences in forest management as a response to climate change, based on a literature review and a survey of forest managers. This is part of an FAO-led process to prepare climate change guidelines for forest managers. It examines climate change impacts on forests and forest managers throughout the world. The document also reviews the main perceived challenges that climate change poses to forests and their managers. It summarizes experiences in...
March 2, 2012
This customised ArcGIS 9.3.1 toolbox has been developed at UNEP-WCMC for REDD+ multiple benefits analyses. It provides both novice and experienced GIS users with a series of raster analysis tools to help identify, map and understanding the spatial relationship between ecosystem carbon stocks, other ecosystem services, biodiversity, land-use and pressures on natural resources. The resolution of the analysis is defined by the user. The toolbox is flexible, providing a set of tools that can be...
REDD+ SES consists of principles, criteria and indicators that define high social and environmental performance of government-led REDD+ programs. They provide a framework for country-led multi-stakeholder assessment of REDD+ program design, implementation and outcomes.
REDD+ SES were developed through a participatory and inclusive process from May 2009 through workshops in four developing countries and two public comment periods leading to publication of Version 1 in...