Forest Day 3

Forest Day 3 opened with Elinor Ostrom, Rajendra Kumar Pachauri and Gro Harlem Brundtland all calling for the inclusion of a REDD + mechanism in the new climate agreement and stressed that funding is critical NOW.

Ostrom said that she strongly supports REDD, but stressed the importance of including communities in the process, particularly in monitoring. She pointed out that studies have shown a strong correlation between community willingness to monitor and forest density. She also called for clear assignment of property rights, community training and particularly stressed the importance of a general policy that can be adapted to local conditions.

The importance and range of forest services beyond just carbon needs to be highlighted according to Pachauri, particularly in the policy arena when it comes to issues like flood control and agricultural productivity. In terms of the climate, forests are critical for staying below 1.5 degrees (not 2 degrees) and also provide the least expensive mitigation option.

The overall message to negotiators was reiterated by Brundtland- that REDD plus needs to be part of the new agreement and must include; immediate upfront financing for REDD preparation, a phased approach, incentives and must be results based.