»  Global Witness - New Report

New report: Safeguarding REDD+ Finance

»  German NGO Forum on Environment and Development – Policy Paper on REDDplus

The German NGO Forum on Environment and Development has recently developed a policy paper on REDDplus.

»  World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD)

The Sustainable Forest Products Industry, Carbon and Climate Change. Key messages for policy-makers. Third Edition.

Link to website

»  Terrestrial Carbon Group:  Terrestrial Carbon Policy Development - Innovative Approaches to Land in the Climate Change Solution

It is the purpose of this report to consider four key areas and outline the challenges, opportunities and possible policy solutions: given current progress nationally and internationally.  These areas are: 

• How can the ‘plus’ in REDD+ (enhancement of forest carbon stocks, including sustainable forest management) be best achieved?
• How can agriculture be addressed as a driver of deforestation?
• How can soil carbon stocks be enhanced in forestry and agriculture?
• How can agriculture and forestry be linked

Full report.

»  World Land Trust/ IUCN NL: Introductory guide on REDD+ in Africa based on workshops

Link to website with downloadable report (available in English and French).

»  Press Relase: The European Union announces €3.1 million to secure livelihoods in the Colombian Amazon through forest conservation

Bogotá, Colombia, 30 March 2011. Full text of the press release.

»  World Bank Independent Evaluation Group (IEG) - Interview on the Effectiveness of Protected Areas and Deforestation

Ken Chomitz, Senior Advisor in the World Bank's Independent Evaluation Group, highlights his new research findings about protected areas and how they affect deforestation in this interview. 

Bio of Mr. Chomitz:
In his role with the IEG, Ken Chomitz has focused his work on environmental economics.  He is the author of  "At Loggerheads? Agricultural Expansion, Poverty Reduction and Environment in the Tropical Forests", and one of the authors of the World Bank's World Development Report 2001 on sustainable development.  He has worked extensively on the causes and consequences of land use change and on climate change.  He was previously with the Bank's Development Research Group.  Prior to joining the World Bank in 1993, he was a National Research Council Fellow at the US National Academy of Sciences;  Assistant Professor of Economics at Boston University;  and senior Advisor, Development Studies Project, Jakarta.  He holds an undergraduate degree in mathematics from M.I.T. and a PhD in Economics from the University of California, Irvine.

»  Panos London – Reporting REDD - A Journalist's Guide to the Role of Forests in Combating Global Climate Change

Produced by Panos London as part of the Climate Change Media Partnership, this media pack aims to give journalists an overview of a vital issue in global climate change negotiations.  REDD - reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation in developing countries - is a proposed mechanism to slow the loss of forests, but how it will work in practice is proving controversial, raising complex and emotive issues of national sovereignty, human rights, big money and corruption.

The pack outlines the key debates and looks at the possible complexities involved such as the sheer scale of the mechanism, and the difficulties there might be in measuring the amount of carbon being saved.

The media pack includes free-to-use resources:
- A background media briefing explaining how the REDD mechanism might work and raising some of the key controversies to be resolved,  Reporting REDD - A Journalist's Guide to the role of Forests in Combating Climate Change;
- An accompanying short film,  "What's a forest worth? Forest-dependent people and the possible effects of REDD", which looks at the possible effects of REDD on forest communities and contains interviews with different stakeholders including environmental journalists on reporting the subject, available at:  < http://www.climatemediapartnership.org/resources/whats-a-forest-worth/ >

For further questions or to order a hard copy of the media pack, please e-mail < tia.jeewa@panos.org.uk >

»  Collaborative Launch – Interactive Online Course on REDD

The Nature Conservancy;  Conservation International;  the Climate, Community and Biodiversity Alliance;  GTZ;  Rainforest Alliance;  and The World Wildlife Fund have created a new interactive course on REDD.  The course is free and publicly available at:  < www.conservationtraining.org >. The online course presents information on a wide range of REDD-related topics including:  the role of forests in climate change, technical elements of REDD, the political context of REDD, social and environmental considerations, national-level REDD programs, and REDD project development.  The course consists of several interactive stand-alone lessons that can be completed at your own pace.  All the lessons include interesting features like games, activities, and quizzes.

For any questions relating to this online course, contact:  Rane Cortez, The Nature Conservancy, at < rcortez@tnc.org >

»  The Monitoring Matters Network – Local Participation in Natural Resource Monitoring: A Characterization of Approaches

No system exists to guide the development and expansion of natural resource monitoring schemes. To help develop such a protocol, the authors present a typology of monitoring categories, defined by their degree of local participation, ranging from no local involvement with monitoring undertaken by professional researchers to an entirely local effort with monitoring undertaken by local people. The strengths and weaknesses of each monitoring category are assessed. Locally based monitoring can lead to rapid decisions to solve the key threats affecting natural resources, can empower local communities to better manage their resources, and can refine sustainable-use strategies to improve local livelihoods.

For more information on the proposed typology of monitoring schemes, see:
Local Participation in Natural Resource Monitoring: a Characterization of Approaches
For more information on locally based natural resource monitoring, visit:
< http://www.monitoringmatters.org/publications.htm >
See also:
< Methods and Tools – Other Methods and Tools >

»  Collaborative Training Initiative – Introductory Course on Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD)

In English:  Introductory Course on Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD): A Participant Resource Manual
En español:  Curso Introductorio sobre la Reducción de las Emisiones de la Deforestación y Degradación (REDD):  Manual de Recursos del Participante
En français:  Cours d'introduction sur le dispositif de Réduction des émissions liées à la déforestation et à la dégradation des forêts (REDD):  Manuel de référence des participants

This manual was created through a collaborative effort of the Climate, Community, and Biodiversity Alliance (CCBA); Conservation International (CI); GTZ; The Nature Conservancy (TNC); Rainforest Alliance (RA); and the World Wildlife Fund (WWF). The manual contains basic information on various aspects of REDD, including: forests' role in climate change, drivers of deforestation, strategies to reduce deforestation, REDD technical elements, international policy context, social considerations, biodiversity and ecosystem considerations, national-level activities, project standards, and project development. It was created to support training workshops that our organizations are implementing in various countries, but can also serve as a source of background information for those new to REDD.

In English:  Introductory Course on Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD):  A Training Manual
En español:  Curso Introductorio sobre la Reducción de las Emisiones de la Deforestación y Degradación (REDD):  Manual de Capacitación
En français:  Cours d'introduction sur le dispositif REDD - Réduction des émissions liées à la déforestation et à la dégradation des forêts:  Manuel de formation

This manual was created through a collaborative effort of the Climate, Community, and Biodiversity Alliance (CCBA); Conservation International (CI); GTZ; The Nature Conservancy (TNC); Rainforest Alliance (RA); and the World Wildlife Fund (WWF). This manual contains suggestions for interactive ways to present basic information on REDD to a wide variety of audiences.

For more information on these documents, contact:  Rane Cortez, Forest Carbon Policy Advisor, The Nature Conservancy, 
< rcortez@tnc.org >

»  German NGO Forum on Environment and Development – Position Paper on the REDD Mechanism

The German NGO Forum on Environment and Development has recently developed a position paper on a possible REDD Mechanism to be established under the UNFCCC.

For more information, see: Limiting Climate Change – Conserving Biodiversity, or visit: < http://www.forumue.de >

»  Amazonas Sustainable Foundation (FAS) – The Latin-American Forum on REDD

The Latin American Forum on REDD is an outcome of the South-South collaboration workshop on practical experiences in implementing REDD demonstration activities, held in Manaus, Brazil, 10–13 February. The Amazonas Sustainable Foundation (FAS), a NGO based in the Brazilian Amazon, is responsible for the general coordination of the Forum. The Forum aims to construct an open network to reduce barriers among Latin-American countries in regard to REDD as well as to prepare for the international negotiations to be held until the end of the year and during the COP 15 and CMP 5 in Copenhagen.

For more information, see: Latin-American Forum on REDD – The Amazonas Sustainable Foundation (FAS), 
visit  < www.forumREDD.org > or contact Thais Megid Pinto:  < thais.megid@fas-amazonas.org >

This document is a field manual, developed by the Kyoto: Think Global, Act Local project (K:TGAL, for more information on this project see the below web link), for the training of local organisations who would in turn train local communities to make formal forest inventories. It is a draft in progress, being updated and improved on a regular basis. Any comments or suggestions would be very welcome. Please send these to:  < Verplanke@itc.nl >

The field manual can be downloaded on this website:  < www.communitycarbonforestry.org/ >

»  Woods Hole Research Center (WHRC) – Forum on Readiness for REDD

The Forum on Readiness for REDD is a multi-stakeholder forum focused on practical approaches for building REDD readiness through cross-stakeholder dialogue, South-South collaboration, and linking local expertise with regional readiness efforts. On behalf of the Woods Hole Research Center, this information was submitted by Ms. Tracy Johns.

For more information, visit: < http://whrc.org/reddready >

» REDD-net

A hub for knowledge sharing and resources on REDD+. Led by the Overseas Development Institute (ODI), REDD-NET’s partners include RECOFTC, CATIE and UCSD, and the programme is funded by the Norway Agency for International Development (NORAD) and the World Bank.

REDD-net is aimed at providing NGOs, civil society, governments, practitioners and the private sector with the latest information about REDD+, to enable experience-sharing and to help build pro-poor projects and policies.

REDD-net has published a set of 11 info sheets ( Taking stock of REDD+: what do we know in 2010? ) to take stock of the some of the key sources on a range of issues relevant to REDD+, including, for example “Catalysing REDD+ at the national level”, “Financing REDD+”, “Governing REDD+”, as well as “REDD+ and adaptation to climate change” and “The Impact of REDD+ on poverty reduction”. Each one of the info sheets gives a short summary of the evidence that exists and highlights key references for further information. The info sheets were compiled through a review of selected grey literature and academic sources, and were reviewed by experts on each of the areas.