Don't Forget the Second "D" : The Importance of Including Degradation in a REDD Mechanism

DAVID GANZ, Director, Global Fire Initiative, The Nature Conservancy Visiting Scholar, University of California-Berkely

Monday, October 12, 2009
4:00 PM - 5:15 PM
La Kretz Hall 110

While deforestation is often the main focus of discussions on land based greenhouse gas emissions, forest degradation is also a significant source of emissions. Degradation generally refers to the gradual reduction of biomass within the forest without resulting in land use conversion. Within this gradual process, forests can remain degraded for a long time before being converted to other uses. Therefore, policies that address deforestation rates will not automatically capture degradation. Failing to explicitly include degradation in REDD frameworks could thus leave considerable amounts of forest-based emissions unaccounted for. In some cases, forest degradation may result in combined carbon losses of the same magnitude as deforestation. Additionally, degradation is often an important precursor for deforestation. This presentation will highlight human-induced degradation and deforestation drivers such as timber harvesting, fire, and fuelwood harvesting. By explicitly dealing with degradation, a REDD mechanism could stop this progression and preserve forests largely intact, before they have suffered the degrading impacts of these activities. This not only prevents emissions, it is also critically important for preserving biodiversity. Finally, incorporating degradation into a REDD framework is also critical for channeling incentives to the diverse range of stakeholders involved in the spectrum of activities that determine the fate of forests and their carbon emissions.