1 Avoiding Emissions from Deforestation Workshop: Ian Fry Review of Oceania Regional Workshop Report on the Underlying Causes of Deforestation and Forest Degradation and its Implications for Carbon Accounting

2 Avoiding Emissions from Deforestation Workshop: Ian Fry The Oceania Regional Workshop on the Underlying Causes of Deforestation and Forest Degradation held in September 1998 in Nadi, Fiji It was held back-to- back with a Pacific Heads of Forestry. Participants included representatives from Pacific forestry departments, environmental NGOs and Indigenous Peoples’ Organisations.

3 Avoiding Emissions from Deforestation Workshop: Ian Fry Five Discussion Papers: Underlying Causes of Deforestation and Forest Degradation and Policy Implications in Australia, Dr Stephen Dovers, Dr Jann Williams and Dr Tony Norton Underlying Causes of Deforestation and Forest Degradation and Policy Implications in Australia, Dr Stephen Dovers, Dr Jann Williams and Dr Tony Norton Forest Loss in Papua New Guinea, Brian D. Brunton Forest Loss in Papua New Guinea, Brian D. Brunton Kaitiakitanga: The Reclamation of the Domain Of Tane Mahuta: A Look at the Deforestation of Aotearoa, and an Argument for Structuring an Idealised Future, Sandy Gauntlett Kaitiakitanga: The Reclamation of the Domain Of Tane Mahuta: A Look at the Deforestation of Aotearoa, and an Argument for Structuring an Idealised Future, Sandy Gauntlett

4 Avoiding Emissions from Deforestation Workshop: Ian Fry Deforestation and Forest Degradation in the Kingdom of Tonga: A Case Study, Denis Wolff Paths in the Jungle: Landowners, Deforestation and Forest Degradation in Solomon Islands, Tarcisius Tara Kabutaulaka

5 Avoiding Emissions from Deforestation Workshop: Ian Fry Papua New Guinea: 1. Excessive demand for log and timber exports 2. Structural adjustment policy, decline in enforcement and fee payments 3. Subsidized logging industry 4. Peasant clearances, rapid population increase 5. Clearing for plantations

6 Avoiding Emissions from Deforestation Workshop: Ian Fry Kingdom of Tonga: 1. Population growth and associated demographic changes 2. Export economy and demand for agricultural land Solomon Islands: 1. Excessive demand for log and timber exports 2. Landowners lack of capacity to negotiate logging agreements 3. Entrepreneurial landowner middlemen

7 Avoiding Emissions from Deforestation Workshop: Ian Fry Workshop Group Exercises 1. Lack of stakeholder resources and involvement 2. Poorly directed foreign assistance programmes 3. International and domestic trade pressures 4. Domestic financial pressures 5. Unsustainable population growth 6. Lack of recognition of cultural values and land tenure systems

8 Avoiding Emissions from Deforestation Workshop: Ian Fry 7. Inappropriate development policies and practices 8. Inadequate valuation of forests 9. Inadequate policies and capacity to manage resources

9 Avoiding Emissions from Deforestation Workshop: Ian Fry Underlying CausesStrategies to Address Underlying Causes Excessive demand for log and timber exports  Promote consumer education programmes in consumer countries  Promote timber certification strategies (e.g. FSC criteria) in key timber products market  Encourage participation in, and community awareness of, the effect of globalization on the timber trade in the region.  Establish national parks and reserves  Develop eco-tourism enterprises and other economic alternatives to logging  Legislate to enshrine Reduced Impact Logging and Sustainable Forest Management practices  Strengthen investigative and prosecutorial capacities of key law enforcement institutions associated with ensuring good leadership and good governance

10 Avoiding Emissions from Deforestation Workshop: Ian Fry Peasant clearances/ Unsustainable population growth  Establish education programs on the connection between population increase, land use and resource issues  Expand family planning education programmes Export economy and demand for agricultural land  Develop and implements appropriate/acceptable farming systems, e.g. agroforestry

11 Avoiding Emissions from Deforestation Workshop: Ian Fry Greenhouse Gas Emissions Avoidance Effectiveness Criteria Feasibility Feasibility Emissions displacement (leakage) Emissions displacement (leakage) Short and long term effectiveness (permanence) Short and long term effectiveness (permanence) Potential as a credit exchange project (e.g. CDM- like) Potential as a credit exchange project (e.g. CDM- like) Potential as funded activity other than through credit exchange Potential as funded activity other than through credit exchange Environmental or social effects Environmental or social effects Overall effectiveness with respect to CO 2 changes in atmosphere: Overall effectiveness with respect to CO 2 changes in atmosphere:

12 Avoiding Emissions from Deforestation Workshop: Ian Fry Strategies to Address Underlying Causes Feasibility Emissions displacement (leakage) Short and long termeffectiveness(permanence) Legislate to enshrine Reduced Impact Logging and Sustainable Forest Management practices Difficult to enforce, reluctance due to market pressures and governance issues Leakage highly likely if deforestation due to timber trade Enforceability biggest obstacle

13 Avoiding Emissions from Deforestation Workshop: Ian Fry Potential as a credit exchange project (e.g. CDM-like project) Potential as funded activity other than through credit exchange Environmental or social effects OverallEffectiveness with respect to CO 2 changes in atmosphere Possible to establish as project but complex Potential ODA project Enforcement may infringe community rights but may have positive environmental effects Limited effectiveness due to leakage

14 Avoiding Emissions from Deforestation Workshop: Ian Fry Strategies to Address Underlying Causes Feasibility Emissions displacement (leakage) Short and long termeffectiveness(permanence) Establish national parks and forestry reserves Possible limited local support due to limited income opportunities Leakage highly likely if deforestation due to timber trade Generally long term benefits if effectively enforced

15 Avoiding Emissions from Deforestation Workshop: Ian Fry Potential as a credit exchange project (e.g. CDM-like project) Potential as funded activity other than through credit exchange Environmental or social effects OverallEffectiveness with respect to CO 2 changes in atmosphere Possible as credit exchange project but has major flaws due to leakage Potential funding from CBD, ODA and NGOs Both positive and negative effects depending on local involvement Limited effectiveness due to leakage. If undertaken as project could result in increase in net emissions

16 Avoiding Emissions from Deforestation Workshop: Ian Fry Strategies to Address Underlying Causes Feasibility Emissions displacement (leakage) Short and long termeffectiveness(permanence) Develop and implements appropriate/ac ceptable farming systems, agroforestry Possible but economic viability would need to be assured Limited leakage unless people displaced Potential short to medium term benefits if viability shown

17 Avoiding Emissions from Deforestation Workshop: Ian Fry Potential as a credit exchange project (e.g. CDM-like project) Potential as funded activity other than through credit exchange Environmental or social effects OverallEffectiveness with respect to CO 2 changes in atmosphere Potential to develop as project though baseline may be difficult Potential ODA and NGO funded activity Potential positive environmental and social effects Potential atmospheric benefits if long term viability assured

18 Avoiding Emissions from Deforestation Workshop: Ian Fry Conclusions: Conclusions only apply to Pacific Island countries considered, though there may be parallels elsewhere Conclusions only apply to Pacific Island countries considered, though there may be parallels elsewhere Underlying causes of deforestation and forest degradation are complex and often distant from the actual trees in the ground Underlying causes of deforestation and forest degradation are complex and often distant from the actual trees in the ground If logging for timber and log trade is a major cause of deforestation and forest degradation then leakage is going to be a major complication that will undermine efforts to avoid emissions. If logging for timber and log trade is a major cause of deforestation and forest degradation then leakage is going to be a major complication that will undermine efforts to avoid emissions.

19 Avoiding Emissions from Deforestation Workshop: Ian Fry If logging for timber and log export is a major cause of deforestation and forest degradation then it highly likely that any carbon exchange project (e.g. the CDM) will not derive any atmospheric benefit. Could result in increase in emissions If logging for timber and log export is a major cause of deforestation and forest degradation then it highly likely that any carbon exchange project (e.g. the CDM) will not derive any atmospheric benefit. Could result in increase in emissions Setting aside reserves (or national parks) in exchange for carbon credits will not create atmospheric benefits unless the causes of deforestation are proximate Setting aside reserves (or national parks) in exchange for carbon credits will not create atmospheric benefits unless the causes of deforestation are proximate

20 Avoiding Emissions from Deforestation Workshop: Ian Fry Setting aside reserves to protect existing stocks of carbon is not necessarily creating an atmospheric benefit, unless there is an assurance that all those carbon stocks would have been converted into emissions Setting aside reserves to protect existing stocks of carbon is not necessarily creating an atmospheric benefit, unless there is an assurance that all those carbon stocks would have been converted into emissions

21 Avoiding Emissions from Deforestation Workshop: Ian Fry  Ensuring permanence for emissions avoidance projects, even for proximate causes, is difficult and creates many challenges  Many activities to address the underlying causes of deforestation and forest degradation are unlikely to fit within the project format where baselines can be developed and changes measured

22 Avoiding Emissions from Deforestation Workshop: Ian Fry  While there may be some opportunities to undertake activities or projects to avoid emissions from proximate causes of deforestation and forest degradation, the most significant causes are far more complex  While recognising that any step to reduce deforestation and forest degradation, is a step in the right direction, we must ensure the ultimate objective of the UNFCCC, as ultimately climate change is likely to be a significant cause of deforestation and forest degradation in itself

23 Avoiding Emissions from Deforestation Workshop: Ian Fry Thank you