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This report demonstrates the value of ecosystems and biodiversity to the economy, to society and to individuals. It underlines the urgency of action, as well as the benefits and opportunities that will arise as a result of taking such action. The report shows that the cost of sustaining biodiversity and ecosystem services is lower than the cost of allowing biodiversity and ecosystem services to dwindle. It demonstrates how we can take into account the value of ecosystems and biodiversity in policy decisions and identify and support solutions, new instruments, and wider use of existing tool in order to pioneer a way forward. In so doing, the report addresses the needs of policy-makers and those in the policy-making process.
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Gabriel QuijandrÃÂa Acosta and John N. Shores
With support from USAID, WWF evaluated the Americas Funds debt-for-nature swap in Peru – established under the Enterprise for the Americas Initiative.
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The Nature Conservancy
The Guaraqueçaba Environmental Protection climate action projects seek to restore and protect approximately 55,000 acres of tropical forest within the Guaraqueçaba Environmental Protection Area in southern Brazil. Over 40 years, these projects are expected to reduce, avoid or mitigate up to 6.6 million tons of carbon dioxide. These projects are collaborative efforts between The Nature Conservancy, American Electric Power, General Motors, Texaco and Sociedade de Pesquisa em Vida Selvagem e Educação Ambiental (SPVS), the Conservancy's partner organization in Brazil.
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De las siete especias de tortugas marinas en nuestros mares, seis son clasificados en peligro de extinción por la Lista Roja de Especias Amanezadas del UICN. Hasta ahora no habÃÂan sido mucho información dispuesto sobre como las actividades humanos, como la caza para huevos o carne y el desarrollo de turismo en las playas donde colocan sus nidos, impactan las tortugas. La Fundación Zoológico de El Salvador, una organización sin fines de lucra, han creado un mecanismo inovadoro para monitorear y rescatar las tortugas y sus nidos.
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Meine van Noordwijk, Suyanto, Sandra Velarde, Herry Purnomo, D.T. Hoan, Hoang, M.H.
Local implementation of efforts to reduce emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD+) can be analyzed to be part of a ‘value chain’. The primary ‘service’ is a direct reduction of emissions and a medium-to-long term reorientation of development pathways towards the maintenance of high-carbon-stock landscapes. The ultimate ‘service’ for which there may be a market is a ‘credible and creditable’ quantification and documentation of emission reduction compared to an agreed (negotiated) baseline (‘additionality’ beyond reference emission levels) after corrections for leakage effects and risks of non-permanence. The steps of the value chain beyond the landscape where emission reduction takes place involve subnational + national + international levels that currently still have to operationalize rules that allow the value chain to work. In this process an external drive for efficiency (low cost emission reduction) interacts with the need for fairness (supporting conservation commitment, avoiding perverse incentives). The development of operational subnational REDD+ implementation rules involves a learning curve for all involved, the local stakeholders as well as the potential investors, regulators and facilitators of the process. Learning by the stakeholders might in future be facilitated by formal research results, but a more direct ‘learning by doing’ is needed at this stage. We report the development and use of a research tool FERVA for analysis of fairness and efficiency along REDD+ value chains, and its initial use in Indonesia and Peru. For Jambi province in Indonesia we also report further steps to engage potential REDD+ stakeholders in the design of subnational implementation mechanisms, including discussions with ‘Orang Rimba’ as the local forest dwellers are indicated. A simulation model that quantifies distributional effects (‘equity’) complements the ‘perceived fairness’ perspective that was expressed in the various focus group discussions. Vietnam is considering the coupling of REDD+ funding and an existing scheme of payment for watershed functions. This approach may reduce transaction costs, but brings its own challenges to both fairness and efficiency dimensions, as discussed here.
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Dilys Roe, David Thomas, Jessica Smith, Matt Walpole and Joanna Elliott
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Wolfgang Sterk and Florian Mersmann
Links among ETS of every type of country will have to deal with seven basic issues: coverage of the scheme, definition and recognition of trading units, type and stringency of emission targets, allocation methodology, temporal flexibility, MRV, and compliance systems. Each of these seven issues raises several challenges that policy makers have to solve in order to establish working systems. Linking developed and developing country schemes raises another fundamental issue: Since developing countries do not dispose of Kyoto-valid trading units, new mechanisms or policy options need to be developed if trading units from developing countries are to be used by industrialised countries. In this paper, six developing countries with possible domestic ETS are analysed: Brazil, China, India, Kazakhstan, Mexico, and South Korea. Brazil has set up a stock exchange for voluntary carbon units which may precede a domestic trading scheme. China has made concrete steps towards the creation of regional ETS in various cities and provinces. Newer announcements even envisage the creation of a national system by 2015. However, these plans are still in early stages, and differ widely in their institutional designs. India has not shown much propensity for a domestic ETS due both to political and institutional reasons.
However, trading schemes for energy efficiency and renewable energy are already in place. Kazakhstan has very definite plans for an ETS and has in fact a draft law in parliament. Mexico has been one of the earliest proponents of a domestic ETS, but has not taken this plan much farther. South Korea had already come very far in the design of its ETS. However, due to opposition by domestic industry, targets have been weakened and the start date pushed back.
The paper concludes that even though South Korea seems to be firmly on track and Chinese announcements also give reason for optimism, developing countries’ schemes are at the moment not far enough evolved to come to definite conclusions if links with e.g. the EU ETS are possible. It can also be assumed that for the time being climate policy in most developing countries will mainly revolve around non-ETS policies and measures. Therefore, while the moves towards emission trading should be supported, international climate cooperation should not neglect improving the CDM and supporting transformational policies and measures through fund-based instruments.
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Cécile Goubet, CDC Climat Research
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This policy paper details the preeminent that is waiting to be played by the adoption of ecosystems management as an instrument of natural resources management in Africa, and how such a change would open the way to greater sustainability in resource use in the continent and catapult the continent to a greener path to economic development. Many Africa’s societies have a broad diversity of natural resources (soils, vegetation, water, wildlife, etc.) which constitute the continent’s natural capital assets that have been harnessed to different degrees to enhance social, human and financial capital to alleviate poverty. However, inappropriate management practices in the use of these natural resources which form the basis of their ecosystems services and processes, have led to a decline in ecosystems ‘capacity to produce goods and services thus jeopardising their social and economic value for human societies across the continent.
Even though Africa’s societies depend upon ecosystems to deliver net development gains, benefits accruing from those ecosystem services are unequally distributed and have led to losses for some communities, leaving many groups unable to break free from poverty (MA, 2005). Deliberate and informed investing in ecosystems can bring enormous benefits to the Africa’s continent, providing the dual goals of supporting local communities, as well as helping them cope with and adapt to a changing climate
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The ‘green economy’ has emerged as a priority in policy debate in recent years. But what does the concept mean in practice and how can decision-makers measure progress towards this strategic goal? This report provides some answers, presenting a detailed overview of the key objectives and targets in EU environmental policy and legislation for the period 2010…-2050. It focuses on selected environmental and resource policy areas, specifically: energy; greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and ozone-depleting substances; air quality and air pollution; transport sector emissions of greenhouse gases and air pollutants; waste; water; sustainable consumption and production (SCP); chemicals; biodiversity and land use.
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