1. The Reduction of the Emissions from Deforestation and forests Degradation tool (REDD+)

2. What is REDD+? (1) Origin of REDD: Compensated Reduction (in deforestation) proposed by Coalition of Rainforest Nations at CoP 11 in Montreal in 2005 Basic idea is simple: “Developing countries willing and able to reduce their deforestation rate keyed to a reference time period will receive financial compensation. Transfers will be based either on foregone opportunity costs or on the value of carbon market prices.”

3. New (last?) opportunity: Previous global approaches to curb deforestation have been unsuccessful. REDD provides a new framework to break this trend. What is REDD+? (2)

4. Objectives: Primarily emissions reductions…but has the potential to deliver a range of “co-benefits” e.g. poverty alleviation in forest areas, biodiversity conservation… Plus activities are not directly linked to emissions reductions. Carbon storage, increased sequestration, protection of biodiversity. Example of activity: Restoring lost carbon pools and creating new carbon pools in forest areas. What is REDD+? (3)

5. REDD+ is not just about carbon… it is about welfare of people through forests (water related Ecosystems Services for instance), and multiple products and services from forests. What is REDD+? (4)

6. Kyrgyzstan is eligible for the REDD+ mechanism. Kyrgyzstan could use the « Clean and Development (CDM) » mechanism to finance carbon sequestration. But: the CDM mechanism is very expensive in term of assessements and policy change, not possible below 50,000 tons of CO2 saved. Also, the conditions of protection are very high. REDD+ in the Chon-Aksuu valley? (1)

7. Finally, the international market price of carbon is fluctuating a lot and is at the moment low (20US$/ton) The CDM doesn’t look to be an interesting mechanism for Kyrgyz forests REDD+ in the Chon-Aksuu valley? (2)

8. In Kyrgyzstan a national REDD+ mechanism cannot be expected in a short time: long political and legislative process. Need to be based at the local level and to create simple relationship between the sellers of the carbon credit (Forest Unit), and the buyer. Opportunities for the Chon-Aksuu watershed (1)

9. Ideas: –to start a dialogue with polluting firms in Kyrgyzstan; –To create a contract between these firms and the Forest Unit: The firm pays for forest protection/regeneration and beneficiates from a green label; –The price of the carbon is disconected from the carbon market and rely only on an agreement between buyers and sellers. Opportunities for the Chon-Aksuu watershed (2)

10. Activities to develop this idea: –To calculate the amount of carbon stored in the forests of the watershed; –To calculate the amount of carbon to be stored by new plantations; –To start a dialogue with selected polluting firms to raise there awareness about the interest of the REDD+ at the local level. Opportunities for the Chon-Aksuu watershed (2)