How to protect forests, improve lives and tackle climate change

The International Institute for Environment and Development has published a two short papers that describe how to protect forests, improve people’s lifes and livelihoods and help to address climate change.

The papers show ways to implement REDD (Reduced Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation), which is one of the tools likely to feature in the new global plan to tackle climate change that governments are negotiating this year.

The author, Virgilio Viana knows first-hand how to do this, having implemented successful projects to reduce deforestation in Brazil ’s Amazon.

By engaging local communities Viana's work led to a 70% reduction in deforestation between 2003 and 2007, a 9% annual increase in the local economy in the same period (three times the national rate), and a range of social and health benefits.

Viana is the former secretary for environment and sustainable development for Amazonas State in Brazil. He believes that REDD is the single best hope for addressing forest loss, poverty and climate change (deforestation accounts for about 17% of the greenhouse gas emissions).

Many people say that REDD will be too hard to implement and fund, but Viana says that pilot projects show that all methodological concerns can be dealt with easily. In terms of funding he calls for a two track system.

One track would be support from wealthy governments to governments of forest nations to improve forest governance and policies that reduce deforestation. The second track would use money from carbon markets to support projects on the ground in return for carbon credits.

Follow these links to download the papers in PDF format

• Seeing REDD in the Amazon: a win for people, trees and climate – 2 pages
• Financing REDD: how government funds can work with the carbon market – 4 pages

Watch a short video interview with Professor Viana