REDD+, RFM, Development, and Carbon Markets

Bastiaan Louman,Miguel Cifuentes,Mario Chacón

doi:10.3390/f2010357

Bastiaan Louman, Miguel Cifuentes + Show 1 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/f2010357

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Abstract

Combining responsible forest management (RFM) experiences with literature reviews and stakeholder discussions allows an assessment of the potential role of RFM in reduced emissions from deforestation and forest degradation and conservation, sustainable forest management and enhancement of carbon stocks (REDD+). RFM contributes to greater carbon storage and biodiversity in forest biomass in comparison to conventional logging and deforestation. Using an adjusted von Thünen model to explain land user behavior in relation to different variables, considering a general forest transition curve and looking at a potential relation between governance and deforestation rates, the authors conclude that reduction of deforestation and forest degradation can only be achieved by a combined approach of increasing forest rent relative to other land uses and reducing transaction costs for forest management and conservation. More than providing an additional income for a privileged few, REDD+ will need to address the barriers that have been identified in RFM over the past 30 years of investment in forest management and conservation. Most of these are of an institutional nature, but also culture and social organization as well as locally specific development trends play a significant role in increasing the potential for application of RFM and REDD+.

Highlights

Some authors discuss whethertrees grow on money‘ [1], whether monetary income is the main incentive to maintain or grow trees
As part of pilot projects in responsible forest management (RFM), reduced impact logging (RIL) practices have been implemented in the Latin American tropics for more than 20 years and many studies have shown their potential to reduce impacts on remaining vegetation by up to 50% [8,9,10,11,12,13,14,15]
Louman and Stoian [26] argue that community forest management, combined with stakeholder platform with political relevance, simplified rules, secure land and forest use tenure, and assistance in monitoring and control, business administration and commercialization, is likely to contribute to reducing the transaction costs of RFM, whereas Payment for environmental services (PES), higher prices for certified timber, responsible purchasing policies of government and reduced subsidies to the agricultural sector are likely to contribute to increasing the forest use value (GRRFM in Figure 1) relative to its competing land uses

Summary

Introduction

Some authors discuss whethertrees grow on money‘ [1], whether monetary income is the main incentive to maintain or grow trees. Attention is increasingly directed towards who should get what part of the potentially large sums of money that developed countries are committing to mitigating climate change through avoiding deforestation, reducing forest degradation and conserving and enhancing forest carbon stocks (REDD+). We examine the potential role responsible forest management (RFM) may have in the context of REDD+. In our analysis of the potential role of RFM in reducing deforestation and forest degradation, we use the conceptual approach initially proposed by von Thünen [7] relating land rent to land use decisions. Using the forest transition curve, we look at how different forms of measuring development may influence the potential for reducing deforestation and forest degradation. We discuss briefly how well carbon markets could address the issues related to deforestation and forest degradation

Approach Used

Results and Discussion

Conclusions