REDD should be about protecting forests, not raising money / New report provides alternative vision for reducing deforestation

A broad coalition of civil society organizations (CSOs) warns that the provisions for protecting forests being discussed this week in Bonn in the global climate change negotiations concentrate too much on carbon, and not enough on the rights of the more than 300 million poor people who depend on the forests for their livelihoods.

CARE is a member of the Accra Caucus, a network of more than 100 northern and southern civil society organisations campaigning on forests and climate change, which released a report today that proposes an alternative vision for achieving the objectives of REDD (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation). Based on case studies from around the world, the report argues for socially just policies and actions that tackle the drivers of deforestation, rather than focusing exclusively on carbon.

“This study by the Accra Caucus argues that a global REDD agreement could do harm unless it safeguards the rights of people. Action on REDD must not occur without the free and prior and informed consent by the people affected by those decisions,” said Raja Jarrah, CARE International’s senior advisor on REDD and co-editor of the report. “We are concerned that REDD deals are already being done without the safeguards in place.”

The report – Realising Rights, Protecting Forests: An Alternative Vision for Reducing Deforestation –highlights three critical components to protecting forests: full and effective participation; secured and equitable land rights; and community-based forest management. These are illustrated by case studies from Accra Caucus member organizations in Indonesia, Ecuador, Democratic Republic of Congo, Brazil, Cameroon, Papua New, Guinea, Tanzania and Nepal.

The report emphasises that a properly managed programme to reduce deforestation and degradation must benefit not only the global climate, but also biodiversity and the livelihoods and rights of forest-dwellers.

However, it cautions that there is also the possibility that REDD could allow polluters in the North to continue ‘business as usual’ while removing land and resource rights from forest-dependent peoples in the global South.

The study argues that when forest-dependent communities gain control over forest resources, they can best protect them against destruction by others. “Climate negotiators need to recognize that the aim of a global REDD agreement is to protect the forest, not to raise money,” said Rahima Njaidi from the Tanzanian Network of Community Forest Associations (MJUMITA). “The concerns of the people must be heard at the negotiating table, as well as integrated into local forest programmes. We in the Accra Caucus believe it is society’s moral obligation to ensure these rights.”

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You can download the study here:
• English: http://www.careclimatechange.org/files/reports/Accra_Report_English.pdf
• French: http://www.careclimatechange.org/files/reports/Accra_Report_French.pdf
• Spanish: http://www.careclimatechange.org/files/reports/Accra_Report_Spanish.pdf

If you would like to interview Raja Jarrah, Rahima Njaidi, or any other CARE or Accra Caucus partner present at the Bonn Climate Change Talks, please contact:
Sandra Bulling
Senior Media Officer
CARE Germany Luxemburg
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , +49 151 126 27 123

The Accra Caucus on Forests and Climate Change is a network of southern and northern NGOs representing around 100 civil society and Indigenous Peoples’ organizations from 38 countries, formed at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) meeting in Accra, Ghana in 2008.

The Caucus works to place the rights of indigenous and forest communities at the centre of negotiations on Reduced Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation (REDD), and to ensure that efforts to reduce deforestation promote good governance and are not a substitute for emission reductions in industrialized countries.

CARE International is a leading aid organisation with more than 60 years’ experience fighting global poverty and delivering emergency assistance. In 72 countries, CARE works with the poorest communities to improve basic health and education, enhance rural livelihoods and food security, increase access to clean water and sanitation, and expand economic opportunity. Our long-term development assistance and emergency relief initiatives are currently benefiting about 55 million people around the world. In response to the growing crisis, CARE is helping the most world’s most vulnerable communities adapt to the impacts of climate change. It is a member of the Accra Caucus.