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Forests and climate: EU Forest Watch

Forest Watch Update on REDD+ in the Congo Basin

March 13, 2013

Following on from FERN's Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade (FLEGT) Voluntary Partnership Agreement (VPA) updates. This is the first of FERN's six monthly updates on Reduced Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation (REDD+) for five countries in the Congo Basin: the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Republic of Congo, the Central African Republic, Cameroon and Gabon. It shows that although REDD+ processes are ongoing in four of the five countries, they are not inclusive, and are led in a top-down manner.

DocumentSize
REDD update.pdf206.49 KB

Doha climate talks: ForestWatch special issue

January 18, 2013
The 18th United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Conference of the Parties (COP18) was held in Doha, Qatar against a backdrop of high profile reports warning that the world is heading for between 4 and 6°C of warming. The Doha outcome continues low levels of ambition to mitigate climate change from developed countries, and fails to deliver on critically needed climate finance for adaptation and mitigation in developing countries. Worse still, the Doha outcome advances discussions on offsetting through trading carbon, strongly opposed by many developing countries and NGOs. As REDD+ negotiations look set to continue in the direction of establishing forest carbon trading, from 2013 FERN will focus efforts on forest governance reforms in forested countries and will no longer follow the UNFCCC negotiations. 

Photo: by Neil Palmer/CIAT

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Doha update.pdf162.72 KB

ForestWatch Issue 167 and Special Report from Durban

January 23, 2012
  • A Green Economy in 2012?
  • Liberian PUPs sidestep VPA reform
  • Durban’s COP17: Fiddling as Rome burns
  • New study: Biofuels behind many land grabs
  • Where biomass meets illegal logging
  • Durban aimed to save the market, not the climate
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FW 167 January 2012.pdf266.49 KB
Durban update.pdf187.17 KB

ForestWatch Issue 162 and Bonn climate talks update

July 20, 2011
  • Beech forests are acknowledged as world heritage
  • New rule to shed a glimmer of light on ECAs
  • Tackling challenges that confront European forests: Will a legally binding agreement help?
  • ‘Global’ carbon market a mirage: seek other funding
  • DRC: toward transparency?
  • Solidarity: Khimki forest
  • Forest Watch Special Report – Bonn climate talks 6-17 June 2011
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Bonn special July 2011_.pdf166.26 KB
FW 162 July 2011_.pdf234.38 KB

Forestwatch Issue 156 and Cancun and International Year of the Forest Specials

January 21, 2011

Welcome to the first Forest Watch of 2011. This is also United Nations Year of the Forest and so FERN has written a two-page Forest Watch special looking at the state of play for forests through the lens of our campaigns which can be accessed below. Last month too was  an important month for forests due to decisions made at the 16th Conference of the Parties in Cancun. FERN’s two-page special report from that meeting is attached below. Articles in this months Forest Watch include:

  • VPA processes see slow progression
  • Paralysis by Analysis
  • ‘Sustainable on Paper’
  • Congo approves a law to protect indigenous peoples
  • EEAS and DEVCO: the new EU external relations jargon
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Cancun update.pdf136.32 KB
Year of the forest special.pdf133.3 KB
FW 156 January 2011.pdf607.47 KB
FR_Cancun-update.pdf561.67 KB

ForestWatch Issue 155 December 2010

December 15, 2010
  • Social criteria are permissible in timber procurement policy
  • Questions remain about Cancun forests agreement
  • A bold move: the EP votes to address ECA flaws
  • The future of CAP: opinions welcome
  • Agrofuel plans drive destruction

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FW 155 December 2010.pdf217.33 KB

ForestWatch Issue 154 November 2010

November 9, 2010
  • Prelude to Cancun: Tianjin climate talks update
  • CAP reform: missing the opportunity to protect forests
  • Addressing carbon fraud?
  • Malaysian certificate rejected
  • How to reduce Madagascan forest destruction?
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FW 154 November 2010.pdf214.71 KB

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Most recent publications

Brazilian organizations urge California not to accept REDD offset credits in cap-and-trade scheme

May 1, 2013

Organizations and activists based in Acre and Brazil more widely have written to the Governor of California to express their opposition to the proposal of the government of the U.S. state of California to “reduce” its CO2 emissions through the acquisition of REDD+ offsets from the states of Acre and Chiapas, instead of pursuing emissions reductions in California itself.

DocumentSize
Open_Letter_Acre_english_portugese_spanish (1).pdf225.83 KB

Forest Watch Update on REDD+ in the Congo Basin

March 13, 2013

Following on from FERN's Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade (FLEGT) Voluntary Partnership Agreement (VPA) updates. This is the first of FERN's six monthly updates on Reduced Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation (REDD+) for five countries in the Congo Basin: the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Republic of Congo, the Central African Republic, Cameroon and Gabon. It shows that although REDD+ processes are ongoing in four of the five countries, they are not inclusive, and are led in a top-down manner.

DocumentSize
REDD update.pdf206.49 KB

Doha climate talks: ForestWatch special issue

January 18, 2013
The 18th United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Conference of the Parties (COP18) was held in Doha, Qatar against a backdrop of high profile reports warning that the world is heading for between 4 and 6°C of warming. The Doha outcome continues low levels of ambition to mitigate climate change from developed countries, and fails to deliver on critically needed climate finance for adaptation and mitigation in developing countries. Worse still, the Doha outcome advances discussions on offsetting through trading carbon, strongly opposed by many developing countries and NGOs. As REDD+ negotiations look set to continue in the direction of establishing forest carbon trading, from 2013 FERN will focus efforts on forest governance reforms in forested countries and will no longer follow the UNFCCC negotiations. 

DocumentSize
Doha update.pdf162.72 KB

Forest negotiations stalled at climate talks

December 3, 2012

This press release from the Accra Caucus on Forests and Climate Change urges negotiators to focus on the actions needed to reduce deforestation, not on complicated measurement and verification processes. A bid to secure a deal to save the worlds remaining forests has stalled, on the issues of monitoring emissions and the lack of secure funding , says the Accra Caucus coalition of groups tracking the UN negotiations in Doha.

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Forest negotiatons stalled at climate talks.pdf309.82 KB

REDD, FLEGT and carbon trading – a six part training course

October 17, 2012

It is not that easy to get to grips with Reduced Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation (REDD) or carbon trading without some prior knowledge; the fairly complex ideas are usually shrouded in even more complex technical language and jargon. This series of six training presentations is designed to give an accessible overview to some of the key concepts behind international discussions on carbon trading, REDD and Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade (FLEGT).  Although each presentation can be viewed alone, the entire course should give anyone a good overall understanding of the issues, and it is hoped that it will be particularly useful for community groups and local NGOs faced with engaging in REDD or forest governance schemes. The course has been translated into French and Spanish.

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