We represent forest-based communities and civil society organizations that are working on livelihood and conservation projects in Philippine forests. As such, we are deeply concerned about the REDD proposal which is currently under negotiation in the UNFCCC, with a final agreement expected during COP 15 in Copenhagen in December.
The most recent forestry statistics in 2003 show that total forest cover in the Philippines has increased since the previous forest assessment in 1987, mainly because of the reduced area of logging concessions and the establishment of tree plantations. However, the country’s natural forests continue to shrink due to land conversion to agricultural activities, expansion of human settlements, and extractive industries such as logging and mining. Ineffective enforcement of forestry laws and policies has worsened the problem.
Forestry experts have pointed out that the fragmentation of forest habitat and agricultural expansion are directly responsible for the threats facing the country’s unique flora and fauna. This is a serious concern for the Philippines, which has the highest species per unit area among all the countries in the world. Biodiversity studies have shown that 64% of land mammals, 44% of land birds, and 77% of amphibians are endemic to the Philippine archipelago. The floral diversity is equally diverse; the country ranks fifth in the world with up to 15,000 species of plants, more than half of them found only in the Philippines.
The proliferation of tree plantations has contributed to the worsening condition of biodiversity in Philippine forests. For many decades, the government has promoted the use of exotic species in rehabilitating denuded areas because of their potential to control soil erosion, prevent nutrient depletion, and provide forage for livestock. Indeed, many exotic species can thrive on barren lands and have a high survival rate, but they have also brought pest infestation and displaced many indigenous tree species. Government plans to allow exotic species to serve as shade trees for endemic species have not materialized, and instead, the introduced trees are competing with native trees in forest lands. Single-species tree plantations have also reduced the diversity of food and shelter for local wildlife, diminished the flow of water from catchments, and taken up nutrients from the soil.
In the Philippines millions of hectares of forest lands lie within community-based forest management areas and ancestral domain territorities. Yet just like the country’s protected areas, these areas lack financing mechanisms for the sustainable development of forest peoples, for the protection of ecosystem services and for biodiversity conservation.
With the REDD proposal, there is growing interest in the crucial role of forests to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions, in addition to its many functions as a vital ecosystem that sustains life on earth. We agree that payment for ecosystem services from forests is long overdue, but we do not believe in simply equating forest protection with revenues from the carbon market. Instead, we join the voices of many forest peoples all over the world in calling for a pro-community and pro-conservation REDD. In particular, we call on the Philippine government to consider our unified stand on REDD, as follows:
General principles
- Support a REDD mechanism that includes forest conservation, biodiversity protection, and sustainable forest management (i.e. REDD ++)
- REDD should help promote the attainment of sustainable development and overall poverty reduction
- Promote good forest governance that is transparent, inclusive and accountable to ensure effective REDD implementation
- Resolve the issue of permanence through land use planning that secures long-term forest protection
- Provide regulatory frameworks, taxation and tariff policies that do not place a heavy burden on local communities to encourage the participation of low-income groups
- Address the drivers of deforestation such as population growth, global demand for minerals, bio-fuels, agriculture, industrial wood, etc.
- Review and enforce environmental laws in the forestry sector
- Implement massive and culturally appropriate information dissemination, consultation and capacity building activities among civil society, academe, government, private sector and local communities to ensure effective participation in REDD
Scope
- Provide positive incentives not only for countries with high deforestation and degradation rates, but also for countries with low deforestation and degradation rates such as the Philippines in order to protect natural forests
- Reward indigenous, traditional, and community-based forest management practices that contribute to REDD objectives
- Prioritize the following areas for REDD piloting: protected areas, watersheds and areas with existing community tenure (e.g. CADT, CADC, CALC, CBFM)
Scale
- Initiate REDD activities using the project-based approach and scale up to a sub-national and eventually, a national program given the limited information and capacities on forest carbon inventory and mapping at present.
- Start with project and sub-national baselines for reference emission levels, leading up to national baseline determination.
Biodiversity & Ecosystem Services
- Advocate sustainable forest management that promotes biological diversity and other ecosystem services, apart from carbon sequestration
- Provide incentives for the expansion of forest carbon stock through reforestation, afforestation, assisted natural regeneration and other means
- Provide higher incentives for the retention of carbon in natural forests in recognition of their higher conservation value
- Encourage the retention of carbon in wood used for domestic and industrial purposes
Rights of Indigenous Peoples & Local Communities
- Ensure the full and meaningful participation of indigenous communities and forest-dependent communities in the REDD mechanism by addressing financial and economic obstacles in project preparation and protecting their sources of livelihood
- Uphold and respect Free and Prior Informed Consent (FPIC) processes for projects within or affecting indigenous peoples in their ancestral domains
- Prioritize forest-based communities, particularly indigenous communities, as stakeholders playing a strong and active role in REDD implementation
- Implement the REDD mechanism within the framework of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) and the human rights-based approach to development
- Uphold gender equity and the rights of women in all REDD processes
- Respect and recognize indigenous knowledge systems and practices among forest-dependent communities that support sustainable forest management
- Clarify and institutionalize community rights to, and ownership of, forest carbon among stakeholders with existing and valid rights to forest resources (e.g. CBFM and CADT holders)
- Develop equitable benefit sharing mechanisms adhering to social justice criteria for any REDD project in areas where community stewards clearly deserve compensation for their role in sustainable forest management
Financing
- Provide stable funds for effective capacity-building and preparedness activities prior to and during REDD implementation
- Unless CDM is overhauled , REDD financing should be implemented through a different mechanism”
- Diversify funding for REDD projects using a combination of market-based and fund-based sources
- Provide opportunities for forest communities to participate in the development, direction-setting and management of fund-based mechanisms for REDD
- Institute these safeguards for market mechanisms in generating REDD funds:
- Ensure that the value of marketed forest carbon is insulated from risks
- Evaluate all outright purchase arrangements between buyers and sellers of carbon to gain the greatest benefit for stakeholders, especially communities
- Set a cap for the amount of REDD credits allowed in compliance markets
SIGNATORIES
List of organizations
