James Mayers, the head of IIED's natural resources group, discusses key themes being discussed at the UN Climate Negotiations’ forest day in Durban, South Africa.
“There’s a lot of technical discussions... but ...real energy too. There’s a sense that maybe the forest part of the climate debate is reaching a breakthrough.”
Reducing emissions from deforestation and degradation (REDD) – a mechanism by which countries can reward other countries to look after forests rather than cut them down so that carbon dioxide remains stored in forests – is a key part of the discussions. And Mayers says he feels optimistic that checks and balances for running such a system may be agreed.
There is also increasing collaboration between southern countries where deforestation might be a problem – “south south collaboration to make progress on REDD issues has really come of age here.”
