Bogota — Campaigners say indigenous groups are often sidelined from decisions affecting forests

Efforts to save the world’s forests hinge on securing private sector funds and ensuring indigenous communities in tropical forests are more involved in protecting their environment, Norway’s environment minister said.

Speaking ahead of a high-level conference on forest conservation hosted by Norway, Vidar Helgesen said stronger political leadership is needed to amplify the voices and role of indigenous people in forest conservation.

Norway is the biggest donor to the United Nations programme aimed at Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+) in developing nations.

When forests are degraded or destroyed, the carbon stored in the trees is released into the atmosphere, with deforestation accounting for 10 to 15 percent of carbon emissions worldwide.

“A key priority of REDD+ is self-governance and strengthening the involvement of indigenous communities in the forests,” Helgesen told the Thomson Reuters Foundation in a telephone interview.

But campaigners say all too often indigenous groups are sidelined from decisions affecting the forests on which they rely for their livelihoods, and are not properly consulted about dam, mining and agriculture projects on or near their lands.

“In some countries it is still at the level of lip service,” Helgesen said.

Ensuring indigenous communities have formal land tenure or ownership is an effective way of slowing down deforestation, environmental campaigners say.

RESULTS BASED

Norway, rich from offshore oil, is financing projects to help protect forests from Ethiopia to Peru, as well as two projects worth $1 billion each for Indonesia and Brazil and one worth $750 million for Guyana.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry is due to speak at the two-day conference starting on Tuesday, and Helgesen said Norway and the United States would announce a bilateral agreement on forest conservation.

Developing countries participating in REDD+ get payouts for meeting verified emission reduction targets for slowing deforestation over several years.

The payments are usually distributed to farmers and local community and indigenous groups working on forest protection.

“This is results based. If we don’t see results, we don’t pay,” Helgesen said.

A key challenge to be discussed at the Oslo conference – attended by nearly 500 experts and policymakers – is the need to attract more private finance to fund forest conservation.

Funding from the private sector has contributed just one-tenth of the money provided to keep forests standing, according to 2015 figures from U.S.-based non-profit group Forest Trends.

“You can’t depend on aid budgets as they are not as abundant as they were in the past,” Helgesen said. “Private sector funding and strengthening public-private partnerships will have to be brought forward further.”

BRAZIL

Helgesen singled out Brazil, home to the world’s largest rainforest, as a success story in efforts to cut deforestation.

Brazil’s deforestation rate dropped by 70 percent during the past decade “while significantly increasing agricultural production,” he said.

“One of the most important lessons learnt is that it is not just a matter of protecting but producing too,” Helgesen said.

However the rate of forest loss has recently increased. Brazil’s rate of deforestation edged up 16 percent in the year to July 2015, according to government data.

Slowing forest clearance involves encouraging sustainable agriculture, particularly among small farmers, who need to be able to produce food and crops for sale while protecting the forest, Helgesen said.

This includes small farmers using new irrigation and fertilizer systems to produce higher yields on the same land.

“At the local level practices have been unchanged for decades and centuries and new techniques and knowledge have not been applied,” Helgesen said.

COLOMBIA

He said progress on slowing deforestation in Colombia’s vast Amazon rainforest depended on combating illegal gold and silver mining, which cuts down trees and contaminates water.

“There are strong interests including illegal actors involved in illegal mining posing a threat to local leaders and activists,” he said.

Colombia is home to more than 45 million hectares of rainforest – roughly the size of Germany and England combined.

It has declared the goal of zero net deforestation by 2020 and halting the loss of all natural forest by 2030.

Under the REDD+ programme, Colombia received its first payment of $6 million this month from Norway, Britain and Germany for reducing emissions from deforestation in its Amazon rainforest in 2013 and 2014.

If Colombia meets its deforestation targets it is set to receive $300 million from the three donor nations by 2020.

As indigenous leaders of territories that cover major forests in Africa, Asia and Latin America, we welcome the presence here in Oslo of US Secretary of State John Kerry. But will Mr. Kerry follow Norway’s lead in committing a percentage of its climate finance to support titling and recognition of the rights of our peoples to their forests, lands, resources and territories?

There is more than symbolism at stake. Research reveals that strengthening our rights must be a central strategy for conserving tropical forests. Without us, the mission is doomed to failure.

Indigenous communities have a long-standing relationship with their forests that allows them to protect these precious resources—in sharp contrast to other forestry management systems. But our ability to prevent illegal development and protect our territories from high-impact uses is often limited by our lack of legal and financial support, including a lack of title to our lands.

Research released at the UN climate change conference in Paris showed that indigenous-managed forests in Africa, Asia and Latin America contain, conservatively, at least 20 percent of the carbon stored in the world’s tropical forests, thus preventing more than three times all the world’s carbon pollution last year from entering the atmosphere.

In recognition of these findings, we call on the United States to join Norway in strengthening our ability to manage and protect our forests, lands and resources.

The Woods Hole Laboratory findings released in Paris revealed that the carbon contained in tropical forests in indigenous territories of the Amazon Basin, Mesoamerica, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Indonesia is equivalent to 168.3 gigatonnes of carbon dioxide (GtCO2)—more than three times the climate-changing gases emitted globally (52.7 GtCO2) in 2014.

If we are to continue conserving tropical forests—essential for reaching the goals of the global climate agreement, as well as for maintaining ecosystem integrity and our cultural identity—our communities need:

• Titling of our territories, as well as recognition of our rights to the resources of those territories and to the environmental services they provide.

• An end to all criminalization, violence and murder of our leaders who speak out in defense of indigenous rights and territories.

• Recognition of the contributions of Indigenous Peoples to climate change mitigation and adaptation and inclusion of those contributions in governments’ Intended Nationally Determined Contributions.

• Implementation of Free, Prior, and Informed Consent (FPIC) for development activities in indigenous territories.

• Direct access to climate financing for Indigenous Peoples.

We who live on the front lines of the changing climate have contributed least to the global crisis, yet we stand to lose the most.

The fires that have consumed Indonesia, and continue to threaten that country—and the 16 percent jump in deforestation in Brazil—are examples of what happens when governments fail to include indigenous peoples in their efforts to protect the forests that are so critical to addressing the rapidly changing climate.

Here in Oslo, we are a mere handful of indigenous leaders from Asia, Africa and Latin America, compared to the 500 individuals who are present here this week. But we represent millions of forest peoples, and the help we come to offer is invaluable. It is a cure, in essence, and the most affordable pathway for climate leaders struggling to come up with solutions.

Nature has blessed humanity, but it must be respected, and we know how to do this. It is the nature of the peat ecosystems of Indonesia to be wet, for example. To dry them out for the planting of oil palm is to invite disaster. We indigenous people have always known this, but our voices have not been heeded.

With strong rights, Indigenous Peoples can play a powerful role in reducing the emissions that threaten the health of the planet. The rest of the world looks at our forests and sees carbon, but for us those forests mean food, water, and life itself.

SIGNED,

Abdon Nabadon and Mina Setra, the Indigenous Peoples’ Alliance of the Archipelago (AMAN).
Gustavo Sanchez and Candido Mezua, the Mesoamerican Alliance for Peoples and Forests (AMPB).
Edwin Vasquez and Jorge Furagaro, Coordinating Body for the Indigenous Peoples Organizations of the Amazon Basin (COICA)
Hindou Ibrahim, Repaleac, Chad/Congo Basin

U.S. Special Envoy for Climate Change Dr. Jonathan Pershing will travel to Europe, June 15–18, including visits to Oslo, Norway and Santiago de Compostela, Spain.

On Wednesday, June 15, Pershing will attend the “Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD) Exchange Conference,” the world’s premier meeting on the interface of forests and climate change.

On June 17–18, Dr. Pershing will participate in the U.S.-Spain Council meeting along with Senator Tim Kaine, which this year will include a focus on climate change. In addition, he will meet with counterparts from the Spanish Government and the private sector to discuss progress in advancing clean energy and implementation of the Paris Agreement on climate change.

Fjord1, one of the leading public transportation companies of Norway, has signed a new building contract with Turkey’s Tersan Shipyard for two fully electrical, battery-powered ferries, it said in a press release on June 13.

“These battery-powered ferry projects will be pioneering the Norwegian environmental friendly public transportation policy and Tersan Shipyard is very proud to be involved in these future ferries,” said Nurettin Paksu, chairman of the Board at Tersan Shipyard.

The two ferries are expected to start operating on Jan. 1, 2018, on the west coast of Norway, the release said, noting that this would be the first ferry connection in Norway in which the Road Administration requires the use of zero-emission technology.

The batteries will be charged at fully automatic charging stations at the quayside, although the battery capacity will be sufficient to continue operations for several hours without charging, said Fjord1.

The construction of the two ships is scheduled to begin at Tersan Shipyard in Turkey in October this year, noted the company.

The ferries’ cargo capacity is 120 cars, 12 trailers and 349 passengers, and the design has been undertaken by the Norwegian company Multi Maritime in cooperation with Fjord1.

Norway is poised to adopt a carbon neutral target for 2030, despite resistance from the minority coalition government.

In a parliamentary debate on Tuesday morning, opposition lawmakers had a majority in favour of the environment committee proposal.

It reinstates a commitment first agreed in 2008 but scrapped after Copenhagen talks failed to produce an international climate deal.

How can the country live up to this bold promise?

The first thing to emphasise is that nobody expects Norway to achieve this through domestic measures.

Bountiful hydropower resources mean the country’s electricity supply – usually the first target for climate policy – is already virtually fossil free.

Elsewhere, total emissions have barely changed since 1990. Increases from the oil and gas sector cancelled out efficiency improvements over the past 25 years.

More aggressive action will be needed to meet the target Norway submitted to the Paris climate deal: a 40% cut by 2030, in line with EU efforts.

The flagship policy is to electrify road transport. Widely reported as a “ban” on sales of fossil fuelled cars from 2025, climate minister Vidar Helgesen clarified on twitter it was more of an aspiration.

Other options include capturing and storing emissions from cement production, ramping up biofuels and using bio char in steelworks.

Even the most ambitious package suggested by the Norwegian Environment Agency in a recent paper would only reduce emissions 31% from 1990 levels by 2030.

That leaves at least 36 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent to offset – comparable to the Democratic Republic of Congo’s carbon footprint (excluding forestry).

“This is not something every country can do, because then there would not be enough emissions to buy,” notes Anne Therese Gullberg, an adviser to Norway’s Labour Party.

Where will the offsets come from? The short answer is: nobody knows.

Norway is not a member of the EU but takes part in its carbon market. It is also lobbying for the right to buy allowances in sectors not covered by the emissions trading scheme. That could involve paying Poland to insulate buildings or curb fertiliser use, for example.

Failing that – and the EU rules for next decade are not due to be finalised until late 2017 – Oslo must turn to international markets.

That picture is even murkier, says Stig Schjolset, analyst at Thomson Reuters Point Carbon: “The outlook for global carbon markets after 2020 is pretty uncertain.”

The Paris Agreement allows for international transfers, but it is unclear whether there is sufficient demand – or supply – to create a viable market.

Burned by phony carbon offset scandals, the EU has ruled out the use of foreign credits to meet its 2030 goal.

A few countries are still interested – Canada, Switzerland, New Zealand – but will they need a sufficient volume to justify a credible monitoring regime?

On the other side, developing countries now have their own emissions targets to meet. They may be less willing to sell credit for reductions made within their borders.

The Norwegian government has 14 years to figure this out. The carbon neutral commitment kicks in on 1 January 2030. It says nothing about what happens in 2029.

Blind spot

The Norwegian sector with the biggest climate impact – oil and gas – keeps a low profile in the national debate.

Sitting on the biggest hydrocarbon reserves in Europe, Norway’s wealth is built on fossil fuels. In 2014, petroleum accounted for 45% of the country’s export revenues and more than 20% of GDP.

Most of that is burned elsewhere, showing up in other countries’ carbon accounts.

Flaring, venting and methane leakage all count on Norwegian territory, though, plus gas-fired power generation on offshore rigs.

The Environment Agency does not include emissions from this source in its mitigation proposals, leaving it to the Petroleum Directorate.

The latter’s “prognosis” (not a target) is for CO2 to stabilise over the next five years. Meanwhile, it continues to grant exploration licences, including – controversially – in the Arctic.

NGOs are considering a legal challenge, on the basis costly polar drilling is incompatible with global climate targets. Truls Gulowsen, head of Greenpeace Norway, tells Climate Home they hope to make a decision in early autumn.

“We want to see reduced activities in the oil and gas sector,” he says. “Volume, not only symbols.”

Norway’s grand gesture is welcome, but sooner or later it must face the fossils in its fjords.

(climatechangenews)

Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,

It is with great pleasure that I welcome you to Oslo REDD Exchange.

And it is with great hope that I see the recent developments in the climate change and sustainable development agenda.

The Paris agreement ended up being more ambitious than anyone had dared imagine.

I am especially happy that it recognises the role of forests in stabilising our climate. As do the Sustainable Development Goals.

For the first time, we have reached international agreement that there can be no sustainable future for this planet unless we protect and restore tropical forests.

Tropical forests support an impressive range of biodiversity. More than half of the world’s plant and animal species live in rainforests. Biodiversity loss is one of the greatest challenges facing humanity today.

When I talk about the Sustainable Development Goals, I often make the point that simply establishing goals will not in itself end extreme poverty. Action must follow promises. The same goes for deforestation.

In April last year, I made a visit to the rainforests of Indonesia that I will never forget.

On the island of Sumatra, I met a people called Orang Rimba.

Literally, this means people of the forest.

The Orang Rimba have hunted, gathered and grown what they need in the forest for centuries.

Now, the forests they depend on are diminishing.

Increasingly, they find themselves living on palm oil plantations, which provide hardly any of the ecosystem services that used to sustain them.

This story is not unique to Indonesia.

On the contrary, the same story is unfolding in many tropical forest countries every day.

We are here today to change this story.

If it is to have a happy conclusion, we need to end deforestation. And this will only be possible if governments are involved.

Indonesia is emerging as a case in point.

President Jokowi has made three groundbreaking decisions:

• not to issue any new mining or palm oil permits,
• to protect all remaining peatlands and restore those already damaged, and
• to review existing permits for forest- and peatland areas.

There is no time to lose.

A few days ago, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and INTERPOL revealed that environmental crimes now make up the world’s fourth largest crime sector, growing at two to three times the pace of the global economy.

These are crimes against future generations as well as the present. They increase the fragility of an already fragile planet, and threaten to undermine states that are on the way to peace and stability.

Developing countries should not have to bear the burden of forest protection alone. Over the last eight years, Norway – together with partners such as Germany, the United Kingdom and the United States – has worked with forest countries, multilateral organisations, civil society and private companies to support them.

One of our long-standing partners, Guyana, has shown how a nationally owned system for monitoring and reporting on forest cover can be developed to a high international standard, almost from scratch.

Countries with major development challenges can be the most ambitious. Ethiopia plans to keep emissions at 2010 levels, while becoming a middle-income country by 2025. An ambitious green economy plan will show the way. Norway will continue to partner Ethiopia in realising this vision.

Brazil has demonstrated that it is possible to balance the demands for economic growth with mitigating climate change.

Over a period of ten years, Brazil reduced deforestation in the Amazon by more than 70 per cent. At the same time the economy grew, agricultural production in the same region increased, and poverty was reduced.

Three factors were key to this success:
• law enforcement,
• the extension of indigenous territories and conservation areas in the Amazon, and
• the recently renewed Amazon soy moratorium, which prevents companies from selling soybeans that were produced on deforested land.
State governors, forward-looking companies, indigenous peoples and activists from all parts of Brazil played a part.

I’m therefore proud that last year Norway fulfilled its promise to pay one billion USD into the Amazon Fund based on these results, and that we have agreed to extend our partnership with Brazil up to 2020.

We first entered into this partnership in 2008. Norway recognises that reducing deforestation requires long-term investments at scale.
That is why my Government decided to extend Norway’s International Climate and Forest Initiative until 2030.

Brazil is not alone.

Colombia is using its transition to peace as a stepping-stone to green growth. Two weeks ago, Norway, Germany and the UK transferred 6 million US dollars in response to Colombia’s achievements in reducing deforestation in 2013 and 2014. Colombia has also launched its Amazon Vision programme to improve livelihoods, indigenous peoples’ rights and spatial planning in the Amazon.

In this way, Colombia is showing great leadership in protecting its incredible biodiversity. Did you know that Colombia is home to more bird species than any other country in the world?

I am also confident that the Peruvian Government will continue on its path of including indigenous peoples’ land tenure rights and production–protection strategies in the Amazon in its strategy.

Liberia is seeking to keep emissions low while promoting inclusive and sustainable growth by giving rural communities a key role in forest management.

The Democratic Republic of Congo has committed itself to stabilising its forest cover by 2030.

Local governments are also taking promising jurisdictional approaches to reducing deforestation in all the main tropical forest countries.

Indigenous peoples are showing that, with secure tenure, they are the best guardians of the forest. There can simply be no REDD+ without the participation of indigenous peoples and local communities.

The private sector is coming on board. The soy moratorium and the commitments to deforestation-free palm oil are good examples.

Civil society is pushing world leaders to do more, as well as promoting transparency and accountability, and providing expertise.

The successes we achieved in New York and Paris would not have been possible without the leadership shown by all these groups.

Today, Norway is endorsing the Amsterdam declaration on removing deforestation from the supply chains of agricultural commodities to Europe, with a particular focus on palm oil.

In this way, we are supporting the efforts of the private sector to ensure fully sustainable palm oil supply chains by 2020.

Later today, the Storting – the Norwegian parliament – will ratify the Paris agreement.

And tomorrow, Norway and the United States will sign a Joint Statement on Deeper Collaboration on Forests and Climate Change. I am very pleased to announce that US Secretary of State John Kerry will join Minister of Climate and Environment Vidar Helgesen at this event.

Our forest and climate partnerships are broadening and deepening. This reflects the fact that forests play a key role in mitigating climate change.

Tropical forests can provide one third of the climate change mitigation needed to stay on a two-degree pathway or below over the next decades.

By protecting our forests, we are thus making a crucial contribution to climate change mitigation and global sustainability, and – ultimately – to the future of humanity.