An initiative that is developing a framework for REDD+ programs at state and provincial levels gained three more members last week.
The Peruvian departments of San Martin, Loreto, and Ucayali officially joined the Governors’ Climate & Forests Taskforce (GCF), a body of states and provinces in Brazil, Indonesia, Mexico, Nigeria, Peru, Spain, and the United States that is setting up rules for projects that aim to reduce emissions from deforestation and forest degradation.
The addition of the three Peruvian departments means that jurisdictions representing 80 percent of Peru’s forest cover are now part of the GCF. More than 20 percent of the world’s tropical forests are located in GCF states, provinces, and departments.
The GCF initiative is broadly viewed as a test case for the inclusion of forest-based carbon offsets in regulatory frameworks for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. As such, the GCF has been a lightning rod for criticism of REDD+ and carbon offsets. Opponents of REDD+ say a poorly designed mechanism could fail to reduce carbon emissions, while undermining the rights of forest-dependent people and increasing the risk of land conflict. For its part, REDD+ Offset Working Group — a panel of scientists, policy experts, and conservationists up under the CGF process — has published a set of recommendations designed to mitigate these risks. Support for REDD+ from environmentalists and forest peoples groups is largely contingent on the inclusion of safeguards to protect against potential abuses.
Deforestation and forest degradation account for roughly ten percent of global greenhouse gas emissions and, like climate change, are major threats to wildlife.
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