CIFOR to make 1,000 copies available free to foresters and academics

The 2010 International Meeting of the Association of Tropical Biology and Conservation (ATBC) opens today in Bali, Indonesia, amid growing concerns that the world is facing a biodiversity crisis on an unprecedented scale. Habitat destruction from agricultural expansion and climate change is likely to lead to the mass extinction of irreplaceable plant and animal species. This is reflected in theme of this year’s meeting: Tropical biodiversity: surviving the food, energy and climate crisis.

The Government of Norway’s pledge of up to US $1 billion in funds for reducing deforestation and forest degradation (REDD+) in Indonesia will act as a major catalyst towards achieving carbon emissions reduction targets, Frances Seymour, the Director General of the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) said on Thursday.

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (19 May 2010) Owners of larger tracts of land, thought to be responsible for 80 per cent of current deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon, would benefit most financially if direct payments are used to curb climate emissions from forests, according to a new study by researchers with CIFOR (the Center for International Forestry Research) and their partners, recently published in the journal Ecological Economics.

As discussions continue post Copenhagen on the future of the world’s forests, a new report from one of the world’s leading forestry research centres says that if proposed REDD (reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation) schemes are to succeed it is essential to address corruption, build financial management capacity and create transparent mechanisms for financial transfers.

A new book released today calls for more emphasis to be placed on human rights when nature conservation policies are developed and implemented. Rights-based Approaches: Exploring issues and opportunities for conservation is a collection of case studies, policy reviews and issue papers. It was published by the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) and the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

JAKARTA (5 June 2009)—A new report published today provides compelling evidence that paying to conserve billions of tons of carbon stored in tropical forests could also protect orangutans, pygmy elephants, and other wildlife at risk of extinction. The study, published in the peer-reviewed journal Conservation Letters, is one of the first to offer quantitative evidence linking the drive to reduce carbon emissions from forests with the push to preserve threatened mammal biodiversity.

Frances Seymour, director general of the Center for International Forestry Research, will be in London on March 9 to address a parliamentary meeting on climate change organised by the Overseas Development Institute. This is an outstanding opportunity to interview a leading global authority on REDD (reducing emissions from deforestation and degradation), an issue at the cutting edge of the global warming debate.

–With growing concern that governments will fail to reach consensus on the role of forests in the next global climate pact, an alliance of international forestry and environmental organizations today called on negotiators to include forests in mechanisms to mitigate and adapt to the effects of climate change.

– The Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) today released a comprehensive analysis clarifying major challenges and offering an assortment of options that could help negotiators reach a global agreement on reducing carbon emissions tied to forest destruction and degradation.