Description
This Review was commissioned by the Prime Minister. The Review is an independent report to government, prepared by Johan Eliasch with the support of the Offi ce of Climate Change. It aims to provide a comprehensive analysis of international fi nancing to reduce forest loss and its associated impacts on climate change. It does so with particular reference to the international efforts to achieve a new global climate change agreement in Copenhagen at the end of 2009.
The Review focuses on the scale of fi nance required to produce signifi cant reductions in forest carbon emissions, and the mechanisms that, if designed well, can achieve this effectively to help meet a global climate stabilisation target. It also examines how mechanisms to address forest loss can contribute to poverty reduction, as well as the importance of preserving other ecosystem services such as biodiversity and water services.
Approach to the Review
A range of new research and analysis was commissioned for this Review from the following international organisations and institutes:
– AEA
– Chatham House
– Climate Strategies
– CSERGE, University of East Anglia
– EcoSecurities
– International Energy Solutions (IES)
– International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA)
– International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED)
– Judge Business School, University of Cambridge
– LTS International
– The Met Offi ce Hadley Centre
– Overseas Development Institute (ODI)
– ProForest
– The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
– School of Biological Sciences, Plymouth University
– United Nations Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre
(UNEP/WCMC)
This Review also draws on a large amount of previous research in the literature. The subject of carbon fi nance and global forests is complex and wide-ranging, and not all literature, particularly in some of the specialised subject areas, could be cited in this report. However, where more information is sought on any section of this Review, we recommend referring to the previously published reviews, summary articles and more detailed references that are cited in the report.
During the Review, the team visited a number of countries to learn from projects and policies on the ground in forest nations, including Brazil, Indonesia, Cameroon and the Democratic Republic of Congo. The team also met with representatives of Papua New Guinea and Guyana.
In preparing its analysis the team has consulted broadly. Submissions to the Review were invited in March 2008 and a series of meetings and round-tables were held in May 2008 with representatives from NGOs, academic institutions and business groups who responded to the questionnaire. These included Fauna and Flora International, Greenpeace, The Rainforest Foundation, Sustainable Forest Management Ltd, The Prince’s Rainforests Project, Department for International Development, Global Canopy Programme, Forests Philanthropy Action Network, University of Leicester, Centre for Environmental Research, Quest, University of Reading, Forestry Commission, WWF, Down to Earth and Global Witness