Geoscience Reference
In-Depth Information
have. established. systems. for. measuring. effectiveness. as. discussed. above..
Techniques. could. be. modiied. to. include. carbon. accounting.. Systems. of.
certiication. are. being. discussed. (Dudley. 2004).. In. addition,. protected.
area.systems.are.backed.up.by.networks.of.experts.ready.to.provide.advice.
and. assistance. including,. in. particular,. the. IUCN. World. Commission. on.
Protected. Areas,. development. agencies,. and. nongovernmental. organiza-
tions.(NGOs)..Established.protected.areas.have.already.invested.in.startup.
costs.and.are.often.supported.by.a.management.plan..Such.areas.also.have.
staff. and. equipment. that. provide. management. expertise. and. capacity,. so.
that. REDD. projects. could. use. existing. infrastructure.. Importantly,. most.
protected.areas.have.a.government.budget.and.often.also.funding.from.the.
Global. Environmental. Facility,. bilateral. donors,. and. NGOs.. Additional.
funding. needed. to. help. establishment. or. to. increase. effectiveness. would.
build.on.existing.resources.
.
. The
mechanism. is. not. perfect,. however,. and. protected. areas. some-
times. fail. to. deliver. expected. beneits. or. raise. important. social. concerns;.
some.but.not.all.of.these.challenges.paradoxically.add.to.their.suitability.
as. classic. REDD. projects. with. demonstrable. additionality.. Theory. does.
not.always.match.practice. and.protected.areas.are.often. under.threat.and.
losing.values,.including.loss.of.vegetation.and.thus.also.carbon.(Carey.et.
al.. 2000).. Protected. areas. are. also. coming. under. increasing. criticism. for.
their.social.impacts,.particularly.loss.of.land.and.resources.to.local.people.
(Dowie.2009)..Although.permanence.is.an.explicit.requirement,.in.practice,.
governments.and.others.sometimes.downgrade.levels.of.protection,.excise.
parts.of.a.protected.area,.or.completely.remove.legal.protection.and.con-
vert.the.land.or.water.to.other.uses..REDD.could.provide.resources.to.help.
address.social.challenges.and.threats.to.the.area's.integrity.
d
eVeloping
o
pTions
for
redd
Negotiations.currently.under.way.envision.the.establishment.of.reference.emissions.
levels. and. monitoring,. reporting,. and. veriication. systems. on. a. nationwide. basis..
Governments. would. therefore. negotiate. a. scientiically. defensible. reference. emis-
sion.level.from.deforestation.and.forest.degradation,.and.reduce.emissions.below.that.
level.in.order.to.receive.compensation.through.REDD.mechanisms..Existing.forest.
conservation,. including. protected. areas. and. indigenous. and. community. conserved.
areas,.that.have.reduced.reference.deforestation.levels.need.to.be.taken.into.account.
when. establishing. national. REDD. programs. so. as. not. to. penalize. these. efforts..
Compensation.may.occur.within.a.system.of.nationally.appropriate.mitigation.actions.
(NAMAs).with.relatively.lexible.accounting.standards.and.supported.through.fund-
based. mechanisms,. or. under. a. market-based. approach. that. would. be. inanced. by.
private.sector.investors.seeking.more.precisely.measured.emissions.reductions.
Initial.plans.to.make.REDD.incentives.available.only.to.high-emitting.countries.
that.have.undertaken.deep.cuts.seems.to.be.giving.way.to.the.inclusion.of.a.wider.
deinition.of.REDD.that.includes.conservation.of.standing.forests.and.enhancement.
of.carbon.stocks.(known.as.“REDD+”)..There.is.also.discussion.about.the.need.for.
