Don’t hold REDD hostage in Copenhagen After good progress in
week one, concerns remain that a deal on REDD-plus (Reducing
Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation) could yet
stall on a small number of unresolved issues, or could be
sacrificed because of lack of progress in other areas of the
bigger deal, says IUCN. “Don’t hold REDD hostage to the current
impasse in the negotiations,” says Stewart Maginnis, Director of
IUCN’s Environment and Development Group. “If we are going to
stabilize atmospheric concentration of greenhouse gases by 2020
we urgently need REDD-plus up and running as soon as possible.”
Two new reports from IUCN released today underline the
importance of REDD-plus in fighting global warming. According to
IUCN’s Cost of REDD study forest communities, the environment
and businesses can all benefit from REDD-plus. The study found
that in many cases in the Brazilian Amazon and in Indonesia, the
financial returns to agriculture and livestock production on
recently deforested land are s