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UN deforestation scheme under scrutiny after Indonesia debacle
Protecting trees is key to meeting ambitious climate goals, with tropical rainforest loss accounting for about eight percent of annual carbon dioxide emissions, according to monitoring platform Global Forest Watch.
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This photo taken on June 20, 2020 shows the Leuser rainforest in Subulussalam, Aceh. (AFP/Chaideer Mahyuddin)
T
he collapse of a $1-billion deal to curb Indonesian deforestation has highlighted the pitfalls of a UN-backed global initiative, which critics say has been ineffective and trampled on indigenous communities' rights.
Protecting trees is key to meeting ambitious climate goals, with tropical rainforest loss accounting for about eight percent of annual carbon dioxide emissions, according to monitoring platform Global Forest Watch.
"This is make or break for the global climate," said Frances Seymour, a forestry expert from US environmental think-tank the World Resources Institute.
A key tool in the fight has been the United Nations-backed REDD+ mechanism, a framework where public and private funds are paid to developing countries to curb emissions by reducing deforestation.
Hundreds of projects have sprung up worldwide under the initiative over the past decade and major donors include Norway, Germany and Britain.
Projects range from national-level schemes supported by foreign governments to smaller, private ones, which generate "carbon credits" to be sold to firms seeking to offset emissions.
But the initiative has been dogged by controversy, with environmentalists saying projects in some places, including Cambodia, Peru and the Democratic Republic of Congo have failed to involve local communities and deliver on promised benefits, in some cases leading to conflict.
