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IUCN welcomes the emerging consensus on the scope of forest-based mitigation options to be included in the post-2012 REDD regime, encompassing forest conservation, sustainable forest management and enhancement of forest carbon stocks, as identified in the Bali Action Plan (the ‘REDD+ option).
Significant emissions can be avoided through initiatives that lead to conservation of natural forest, particularly primary forest. “Conservation” includes policies and measures that avoid emissions from extant natural forest carbon stocks by preventing the introduction of land use activities that would cause emissions and deplete organic carbon stocks.
Conservation as a mitigation option is especially relevant in largely intact naturally forested landscapes, and can be achieved through a range of measures including: establishing protected areas and connectivity corridors; payments for ecosystem services including carbon storage and regulation of water supply and quality; recognising and rewarding community conserved areas and the promotion of forms of economic development that are compatible with mitigation.
IUCN believes that existing forest carbon stocks need to be included in the future REDD+ regime to avoid the risk that large-scale international leakage may occur to countries with historically low deforestation rates if only those forest nations that are currently experiencing high rates of deforestation participate3. Provision should be made to reward countries and communities that are already conserving, sustainably managing and expanding their natural forests, including high-forest, low-deforestation (HFLD) countries
Generally, forest-based mitigation options, such as those envisaged in the REDD+ regime, should be implemented as part of a national policy framework that promotes Sustainable Forest Management (SFM)4.
In landscapes where commercial or subsistence activities take place, such as logging, the “sustainable management of forests”5, when implemented through robust and credible frameworks can help reduce carbon emissions, increase sequestration of carbon, and enhance societal adaptation to climate change. At the same time, it can provide co-benefits including a supply of renewable forest products; reduced impacts on biodiversity; secure freshwater supplies and maintain and improve the livelihoods of forest dependent people.
The sustainable management of forests includes policies and measures (inter alia criteria and indicators, independent certification, low impact logging) that deliver economic returns while reducing long term and continuous carbon emissions.
The REDD+ regime should also acknowledge the significant potential for enhancing forest carbon stocks through the restoration of degraded forests. There are 850 million hectares of degraded forest lands that are unlikely to be converted to another land-use. The UNFCCC estimates that the restoration of these lands could account for a saving of approximately 117 GtCO2e until 2030 – which is equivalent to one and a half times the estimated potential available from avoiding deforestation until 20306. Indeed the restoration of degraded forests offers a triple climate benefit, avoided emissions from further degradation, significant additional sequestration and enhanced ecosystem and livelihood resilience to the impacts of climate change. Also, employment opportunities generated by forest restoration activities can play an important role in supporting rural economic development.
IUCN recommends that a full range of options with respect to conservation, sustainable forest management and enhancement of forest carbon stocks be included in the future REDD+ mechanism;
IUCN recommends that climate change mitigation funds such as those envisaged under the future REDD+ mechanism will be most effective when they encourage the conservation, sustainable management, and restoration of natural forests.
IUCN also recommends that outstanding definitional issues with the purpose of including restoration of degraded forest lands in future REDD+ arrangements be resolved as part of SBSTA’s methodological work, drawing on ongoing work in other forest-related fora, such as the Collaborative Partnership on Forests.
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| Reducing emissions (REDD) 
