According to the FAO (2005), deforestation, mainly conversion of forests to agricultural land, continues at an alarming rate of approximately 13 million hectares per year (for the period 1990–2005).  Deforestation results in immediate release of the carbon originally stored in the trees as CO₂ emissions (with small amounts of CO and CH₄), particularly if the trees are burned and the slower release of emissions from the decay of organic matter.  The IPCC WGIII (2007) estimated emissions from deforestation in the 1990s to be at 5.8 GtCO₂/yr.  The IPCC also notes that reducing and/or preventing deforestation is the mitigation option with the largest and most immediate carbon stock impact in the short term per hectare and per year globally as the release of carbon as emissions into the atmosphere is prevented. 

The agenda item on “Reducing emissions from deforestation in developing countries and approaches to stimulate action” was first introduced into the COP agenda at its eleventh session in Montreal (December 2005).  The governments of Papua New Guinea and Costa Rica, supported by 8 other Parties, through their submission FCCC/CP/2005/MISC.1, requested for this issue to be taken up on the agenda.  This proposal received wide support from Parties and there was general agreement on the importance of the issue in the context of climate change mitigation, particularly in light of the large contribution of emissions from deforestation in developing countries to global greenhouse gas emissions.  The COP established a contact group on this item which drafted conclusions on initiating a process to address the issue of reducing emissions from deforestation.

This page presents information and the status of negotiations of this agenda item from the most recent development at the SBSTA to outcomes from previous sessions.  It also provides an outlook on the agenda item at the next session.

The SBSTA requested its Chair to continue exploring ways of facilitating the coordination of the activities relating to decision 2/CP.13 and to report back at its thirty-second session.

The secretariat, through the Chair of the SBSTA, will report on steps taken for enhancing activities and coordination of capacity-building activities in the context of existing initiatives. 

Reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation in developing countries at SBSTA 31 (FCCC/SBSTA/2009/L.19 and Add.1)

The SBSTA, at its thirty-first session, considered and agreed on a draft decision on “Methodological guidance for activities relating to reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation and the role of conservation, sustainable management of forests and enhancement of forest carbon stocks in developing countries.”  The COP adopted this decision (-/CP.15) at its fifteenth session.

Guidance relating to implementation of activities in decision 2/CP.13

The COP, in its decision, requests developing country Parties to take the following guidance into account when implementing activities relating to decision 2/CP.13:

• To identify drivers of deforestation and forest degradation and the means to address them;
• To identify activities within the country that result in reduced emissions and increased removals and stabilization of forest carbon stocks;
• To use the most recent IPCC guidance and guidelines, as appropriate, as a basis for estimating forest-related greenhouse gas emissions and removals, forest carbon stocks and forest area changes;
• To establish robust and transparent national forest monitoring systems and, if appropriate, sub-national systems as part of national monitoring systems, using a combination of remote sensing and ground-based forest carbon inventory approaches.  Monitoring systems should provide estimates that are transparent and consistent, as far as possible accurate, and that reduce uncertainties, and results are available and suitable for review as agreed by the COP.

The COP invited Parties to share lessons learned and experiences gained in the application of the guidance above and the annex to decision 2/CP.13 through the web platform on the UNFCCC website.

It also provided general guidance for the establishment of forest reference emission levels and forest reference levels.  These levels should be established transparently taking into account historic data and adjusted for national circumstances.

Guidance relating to capacity-building and further work

 (i)   Guidance on capacity-building include:

• All Parties in a position to do so are encouraged to support and strengthen the capacities of developing countries to collect and access, analyse and interpret data, in order to develop estimates,
• Parties in a position to do so and relevant international organizations are invited to enhance capacity-building in relation to using the IPCC guidance and guidelines,
• The secretariat has been requested, subject to the availability of supplementary funding, to enhance coordination of the capacity-building activities in the context of existing initiatives.

 (ii)   Further work include:

• Work may need to be undertaken by the IPCC, in accordance with any relevant decisions by the COP
• The COP also encourages, as appropriate, the development of guidance for effective engagement of indigenous peoples and local communities in monitoring and reporting.

When the item on “Reducing emissions from deforestation in developing countries” was initially taken up at the eleventh session of the COP (December 2005) (FCCC/CP/2005/5, paragraphs 76–84), Parties agreed to initiate consideration of this matter beginning at the twenty-fourth SBSTA session (May 2006).  Consideration of the agenda item would take into account the views of Parties on issues related to reducing emissions from deforestation in developing countries, focused on relevant scientific, technical and methodological issues, and the exchange of relevant information and experiences, including policy approaches and positive incentives.  Parties also provided recommendations on any further process to consider the issues.

The COP also requested the SBSTA to report on these issues raised by Parties in their submissions and that they would be discussed at the next sessions, including any recommendations, at its twenty-seventh session.