Reduced emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD): a climate change mitigation strategy on a critical track

Michael Köhl,Daniel Plugge,Thomas Baldauf,Joachim Krug

doi:10.1186/1750-0680-4-10

Abstract

BackgroundFollowing recent discussions, there is hope that a mechanism for reduction of emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD) will be agreed by the Parties of the UNFCCC at their 15th meeting in Copenhagen in 2009 as an eligible action to prevent climate changes and global warming in post-2012 commitment periods. Countries introducing a REDD-regime in order to generate benefits need to implement sound monitoring and reporting systems and specify the associated uncertainties. The principle of conservativeness addresses the problem of estimation errors and requests the reporting of reliable minimum estimates (RME). Here the potential to generate benefits from applying a REDD-regime is proposed with reference to sampling and non-sampling errors that influence the reliability of estimated activity data and emission factors.ResultsA framework for calculating carbon benefits by including assessment errors is developed. Theoretical, sample based considerations as well as a simulation study for five selected countries with low to high deforestation and degradation rates show that even small assessment errors (5% and less) may outweigh successful efforts to reduce deforestation and degradation.ConclusionThe generation of benefits from REDD is possible only in situations where assessment errors are carefully controlled.

Highlights

Following recent discussions, there is hope that a mechanism for reduction of emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD) will be agreed by the Parties of the United Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) at their 15th meeting in Copenhagen in 2009 as an eligible action to prevent climate changes and global warming in post-2012 commitment periods
Deforestation is generally understood as the direct human-induced conversion of forest land to non-forest land [3], while forest degradation is according to Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) [3] the direct-human induced long-term loss of forest carbon stocks in areas which remain forest land
In this study we present error sources associated with the monitoring of above ground forest biomass and carbon stock in the scope of REDD and discuss the implications of uncertainties on the reliable minimum estimate (RME) that is requested for International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) reporting

Summary

Introduction

There is hope that a mechanism for reduction of emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD) will be agreed by the Parties of the UNFCCC at their 15th meeting in Copenhagen in 2009 as an eligible action to prevent climate changes and global warming in post-2012 commitment periods. In 2005 at the Eleventh Session of the Conference of Parties (COP 11) to the United Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Papua New Guinea together with 8 other developing countries proposed a new agenda item "reducing emissions from deforestation in developing countries" at a national level This was the start of the process for considering reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation in developing countries (REDD) as a mitigation option for those countries. Following the related discussions and proceedings, there is hope that a REDD mechanism will be agreed by the Parties of the UNFCCC at their 15th meeting in Copenhagen in 2009 as an eligible action to prevent climate changes and global warming in post-2012 commitment periods

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Conclusion