Impacts of Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation and Enhancing Carbon Stocks (IREDD+) (original) (raw)

Impacts of Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation and Enhancing Carbon Stocks (IREDD+)

The project of "Impacts of Reducing Emiss ions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation and Enhancing Carbon Stocks" (I-REDD+) is funded by the 7th Frnmework Programme of the European Commission for four years (201 1 to 2014). The objectives of l-REDD+ is to enhance the understanding of the implementation of a REDD+ mechanisms. The issues related to increase in posit ive impacts and mitigat ion of poten tially negative impacts of REDD+ are addressed at national to local level in four countries, inc luding Laos, Vietnam, China, and Indonesia. TI1e seven work packages (WPs) of the project work closely together to reach the objectives of the project. Up to now, the first results from the six thematic work packages (WP) are emerging. WP2 focuses on GHG emissions and has completed the first rounds of biomass and soil sampling in the Lao and Indonesian sites and reviewed allometric models. WP3 works on developing improved remote sensing based methods for monitoring land use change and C-stocks to specifically address the monitoring problems related to forest degradation. The results of WP3 include I ) development of a land cover classification system based land cover legend to compare the I-REDD+ field sites 2) and a landscape mosaic approach to detect the spatially and temporally dynamic swidden cultivation. In WP4, community based monitoring is compared to scientist executed monitorin g in order to assess the feasibility of local monitoring. The preliminary results show that local communit ies can effectively estimate carbon stocks. In WPS, the loca l costs and benefits of R EDD+ are assessed through opportunity costs analysis and participatory simulation of land use planning with hypothetical REDD+ schemes. Results are still preliminary as field work was only completed in June 2012, but a high variability in villagers' interest in REDD+ between study sites was observed. WP6 works at several levels and analyzes how REDD+ payments may work under different payment scenarios and under different governance and institutional structures in the four case countries. Twelve benefit distribution mechanisms were identified in the four countries and these are current ly being analyzed in terms of the disttibution of use rights, control rights, and authoritative rights among involved actors as well as social outcomes. WP7 works towards guiding the improvement of measurement, reporting and verification (MRV) system by integrating the results of other work packages and establishing drivers of land use change and reference emission levels in the four field sites. The work completed so far is on drivers and this shows that increases in commodity price caused a significant share of the large-scale land use changes. Other underlying drivers such as population growth and improvement in transportation networks played the crucial role for forest degradation (mainly in Laos and Vietnam). The expected final results of I-REDD+ are closely linked to the objectives men tioned above and should provide a better basis for implementing - or, perhaps, for not implementing - REDD+, especia lly with regard to avoided forest degradation. · The results will be disseminated accord ing to a detailed dissemination plan that besides scientific publications, envisage reaching policy-makers at local, nat ional and global levels. KEYWORDS : Carbon stock, Deforestation, Forest degradation, R EDD+