Patrick Kipalu & Joelle Mukungu, Forest Peoples Programme - DRC
15 May, 2013
The considerable threats faced by the forests of the Democratic Republic of the Congo continue to draw global attention because of the crucial role these large forests play in regulating the global climate. Estimates indicate that the forests of the Congo Basin as a whole capture and store about 10 to 30 billion tons of carbon, an increasingly significant ecosystem service in light of concerns about climate change. In recent years, projects aimed at the reduction of emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD+) have been developed to provide financial incentives based on performance to the owners of large areas of forests in order to reduce the loss of forests and promote the improvement of carbon stocks through conservation and tree planting.
29 April, 2013
Among the many aspects of REDD+[i] under close scrutiny by indigenous peoples and civil society organisations, the issue of safeguards and their implementation is the one that continues to attract the most concern. This is particularly true now in the current debate on REDD+ and its degree of implementation and operationalisation. Since 2010, when the 16th Conference of the Parties of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change adopted its decision on REDD+ and related safeguards, a continuous process of elaborations, negotiations, and adjustments has taken place at various levels. The debate on safeguards has become both an opportunity for indigenous peoples and civil society to further enhance their calls for respect of internationally recognised rights and standards, and a leverage opportunity for donors to seek compliance for the use of funds transferred to REDD+ countries. As with other REDD+-related issues the safeguard debate has developed in a very complex manner, and has bifurcated into two streams. One stream is aimed at establishing norms and tools to prevent REDD+ from doing harm to the environment and forest peoples, the other is aimed at ensuring a proper assessment of potential benefits, known in technical jargon as a “do good” approach.
4 April, 2013
This community friendly animation video explains the basic concept of climate change and its disproportionate impacts to Indigenous Peoples (IP). It elaborates on the international agreement to mitigate the impacts of climate change, particularly Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation (REDD+) and the key concerns of indigenous peoples. The video also highlights the collective rights of indigenous peoples enshrined in United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP). Another highlight of the video is on the roles and contributions of indigenous women in the natural resource management.
AIPP
4 April, 2013
This community friendly animation video explains the basic concept of climate change and its disproportionate impacts to Indigenous Peoples (IP). It elaborates on the international agreement to mitigate the impacts of climate change, particularly Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation (REDD+) and the key concerns of indigenous peoples. The video also highlights the collective rights of indigenous peoples enshrined in United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP).
1 March, 2013
Le Groupe de Travail Climat REDD (GTCR), entité représentant la société civile congolaise dans le cadre du processus REDD+ en RDC, a bénéficié d’une formation juridique sur la protection des droits à la terre et ressources naturelles en République Démocratique du Congo (RDC) du 27 février au 1er mars 2013 à Kinshasa, RDC.
18 February, 2013
Ngoyla-Mintom is a forested mountainous region which derives its name from two districts in two regions of Cameroon: Ngoyla in the Eastern Region and Mintom in the Southern Region. This rainforest has gained fame through being targeted for various purposes by different actors, including the Cameroon government, private companies and the international community. In recent months, Ngoyla-Mintom has gained the reputation of being a previously unexploited forest bloc, which has very rapidly aroused the interest of Cameroon’s Ministry of Forestry who are interested in selling parts of the forest at auction to private logging companies.
18 February, 2013
In 2011, the private Canadian company Ecosystem Restorations Associates (ERA) signed a management contract with the government of the DRC for a former logging concession of almost 300,000 hectares that adjoins the western reaches of Lac Mai Ndombe in Bandundu Province[1]. The aim of this agreement was to prepare the concession for sales of carbon on the international market. Up to 50% of this concession overlaps the customary lands of local and indigenous communities. ERA is now in partnership with Wildlife Works, a large REDD+ project development and management company.
FPP
18 February, 2013
Dear Friends,
Whenever someone remarks that a solution is being frustrated by ‘lack of political will’, I automatically ask myself: whose is the political will and what are the interests pushing for the opposite?
FERN
11 January, 2013
REDD, or reduced emissions from deforestation and forest degradation, is one of the most controversial issues in the climate change debate. The basic concept is simple: governments, companies or forest owners in the South should be rewarded for keeping their forests instead of cutting them down. The devil, as always, is in the details.
‘The story of REDD: A real solution to deforestation?’, produced by FERN, considers the more complex issues that must be considered by any initiative to reduce deforestation.
12 November, 2012
As part of its REDD+ preparation, Cameroon submitted on 6 August 2012 the draft of its REDD Readiness Preparation Proposal (R-PP) to the Forest Carbon Partnership Facility (FCPF) managed by the World Bank.
Following the recommendation of the national validation workshop held in Ebolowa, Cameroon in June 2012, members of Cameroonian civil society met as part of the Forests and Communities Platform (Plateforme Forêts et Communautés) from 11 to 13 September 2012, to analyse the strengths and areas for improvement of the R-PP.
Guyanese lady despairs at deforestation, 2007
© FPP
Indigenous leaders voice concerns to government representatives in Paraguay during a workshop organised by CAPI (FPP supported)
© © Tom Griffiths