Integrating REDD+ programmes
into a Green Economy approach can conserve
and even boost the economic and social benefits
forests provide to human society
Geneva/Jakarta, 20 March
2014 - An investment of US $30 billion per
year - under seven per cent of the US $480
billion paid in annual global fossil fuel
subsidies - in the REDD+ forest conservation
initiative can accelerate the global transition
to green and sustainable growth and ensure
the long-term wellbeing of tens of millions
in developing countries, a new report released
today said.
Building Natural Capital:
How REDD+ Can Support a Green Economy, a
report by the International Resource Panel
(IRP) and the UN REDD Programme, outlines
how integrating REDD+ programmes into a
Green Economy approach can conserve and
even boost the economic and social benefits
forests provide to human society.
The IRP report lays
out recommendations to deliver the new integrated
REDD+ and Green Economy approach, including
better coordination, stronger private sector
engagement, changes in fiscal incentive
frameworks, greater focus on assisting policymakers
to understand the role forests play in propping
up economies, and equitable benefit sharing.
The report stresses in particular the needs
for a rights-based approach to ensure that
benefits flow to the rural poor.
Reducing Emissions from
Deforestation and Forest Degradation in
Developing Countries (REDD) is the approach
to cut greenhouse gas emissions from deforestation
and forest degradation-estimated at up to
20 per cent of the global total-through
payments for services. REDD+ is an expanded
approach that includes the conservation
and sustainable management of forests, and
the enhancement of forest carbon stocks.
Forests support the
livelihoods of 1.6 billion people, with
the value of ecosystem services from tropical
forests estimated at an average of US $6,120
per hectare each year. Despite these economic
gains, forest loss averaged 13 million hectares
per year between 2000 and 2010, according
to the Food and Agriculture Organization
of the United Nations (FAO). This market
and policy failure will undermine sustainable
development by destroying the natural capital
that supports so many economies.
The report argues that
integration of REDD+ into all economic planning
processes is essential, as deforestation
and forest degradation are driven by consumption
patterns in virtually every sector of the
economy. Green Economy innovations resulting
from REDD+ have the potential to increase
the resource efficiency of many of these
sectors.
REDD+ is so far backed
by a total of US $6.27 billion. However,
an estimated US $30 billion is projected
to be needed each year from 2020. The IRP
report seeks to encourage delivery of this
funding by demonstrating that REDD+ approaches
can support economic development and increase
long-term returns on investments.
The report shows how
activities supported by REDD+ can be designed
to increase income by boosting output on
land under cultivation, developing new green
industries, encouraging forest-based ecotourism,
and increasing sustainable production of
commodities for which demand is increasing.
For example, a stimulus package in the sustainable
management of forests could provide up to
16 million additional jobs globally. At
the same time, restoring just 15 per cent
of degraded forest can double household
income in rural areas in developing countries,
as an example from Tanzania cited in the
report shows.
It also points out that
an increasing number of countries have Green
Economy growth plans that clearly define
the role of protecting forests and other
natural capital.
The United Nations Collaborative
Initiative on Reducing Emissions from Deforestation
and Forest Degradation in Developing Countries
(UN-REDD)-jointly implemented by the FAO,
the United Nations Development Programme
(UNDP) and UNEP-supports REDD+ readiness
efforts in 49 partner countries in Africa,
Asia-Pacific and Latin America.
Quotes
Achim Steiner, UN Under-Secretary-General
and Executive Director of the United Nations
Environment Programme (UNEP), said: "The
true value of forests comes to life when
national and local decision making processes
are directed towards natural capital investment,
supporting livelihoods and achieving sustainable
economic growth. The ecosystem services
provided by tropical forests are estimated
at around US $6,120 per hectare per year.
Despite this clear macroeconomic case, the
total yearly forest loss averages 13 million
hectares per year - equivalent to the surface
of a football field being destroyed every
three seconds."
"REDD+ is a bold
project that offers an opportunity for countries
to pursue a more sustainable development
pathway through the conservation, restoration
and sustainable management of forests. We
need to create the enabling conditions required
for REDD+ to succeed from good governance
and sustainable financial policies to equitable
distribution of benefits. These enabling
conditions are themselves the building blocks
for an inclusive Green Economy," he
added.
H.E. Dr. Kuntoro Mangkusubroto,
Head of the President's Delivery Unit for
Development Monitoring and Oversight, Republic
of Indonesia, said, "REDD is an entry
point to empower citizens as stewards for
a more sustainable, equitable, and economically
viable Indonesia...through partnership,
consultation, and collaboration, [we are]
empowering Indonesia and Indonesians as
owners and implementers."
For more information, please contact
About UNEP
Created in 1972, UNEP's
mission is to provide leadership and encourage
partnership in caring for the environment
by inspiring, informing, and enabling nations
and peoples to improve their quality of
life without compromising that of future
generations. Visit: http://www.unep.org
About the UN-REDD Programme
Launched in 2008, the
UN-REDD Programme is the United Nations
collaborative initiative on Reducing Emissions
from Deforestation and forest Degradation
(REDD) in developing countries. It builds
on the convening role and technical expertise
of the Food and Agriculture Organization
of the United Nations (FAO), the United
Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and
the United Nations Environment Programme
(UNEP). The Programme supports national
REDD+ readiness efforts in 49 partner countries,
spanning Africa, Asia-Pacific and
Latin America. Visit:
www.un-redd.org
About the International
Resource Panel
The International Resource
Panel was established in 2007 to provide
independent, coherent and authoritative
scientific assessments on the sustainable
use of natural resources and the environmental
impacts of resource use over the full life
cycle. By providing up-to-date information
and the best science available, the International
Resource Panel contributes to a better understanding
of how to decouple human development and
economic growth from environmental degradation.
UNEP hosts the secretariat for the panel.
http://www.unep.org/resourcepanel/
+ More
UNEP and UAE Agree to
Cooperate on Environmental Issues Wed, Mar
5, 2014
UNEP Executive Director
Achim Steiner (L) and UAE Minister of Environment
and Water, Dr Rashid Ahmed Mohammed Bin
Fahad (R) sign the agreement during the
first international Partnership for Action
on Green Economy (PAGE) conference in Dubai
Dubai, 5 March 2014
- United Nations Under-Secretary-General
Achim Steiner and United Arab Emirates (UAE)
Minister of Environment and Water, Dr Rashid
Ahmed Mohammed Bin Fahad, on Tuesday signed
a wide-ranging agreement to cooperate on
urgent environmental issues.
Signed during the first
international Partnership for Action on
Green Economy (PAGE) conference, held in
Dubai, the agreement enhances collaboration
between UNEP and a nation that has already
shown its commitment to environmental issues.
The agreement covers
UNEP's priority areas of Climate Change,
Disasters and Conflicts, Ecosystem Management,
Governance, Harmful Substances and Hazardous
Waste, Resource Efficiency and Environment
under Review.
It also brings in other
cross-cutting areas such as environmental
education, communication and outreach, the
post-2015 sustainable development agenda,
and environment and sports.
UNEP will, among other
actions, provide consultations on the UAE's
environmental reports related to the environment,
cooperate on capacity building of institutions
and local communities, and assist in implementation
of collaborative projects and programmes.
UNEP's Regional Office for West Asia, headed
by Iyad Abumoghli, will manage the cooperation.
Mr. Steiner also signed
a funding agreement with the Republic of
Korea Deputy Minister of Environment, Mr.
Lee Jae-Hyun, on behalf of PAGE. The country
was one of the first supporters of PAGE,
which aims to assist countries interested
in transitioning to a green economy.
At the conference, donors
including Finland, Norway, the Republic
of Korea, Sweden and Switzerland pledged
over $11 million in support of PAGE activities.
The event attracted
more than 30 ministers of finance, environment,
labour and trade from around the world in
addition to high-level UN officials, international
experts, representatives from the business
community and civil society.
PAGE is currently supporting
five countries to shift investment and policies
towards a new generation of assets that
include clean technologies and resource-efficient
infrastructure, green jobs and healthy ecosystems.
PAGE aims to extend its support to a total
of 30 countries by 2020.
