Climate protection through forest conservation

National and international legal instruments, focusing on the REDD+ mechanism – using Peru as example

Project description

One of the great challenges humanity is facing – climate change – is caused by anthropogenic activities. Land use changes, especially the deforestation of primary forests, for example for agricultural development or forestry, are largely responsible for the increase of CO₂ in the atmosphere. Approximately 20% of the worldwide carbon dioxide emissions originate from the deforestation of primary forests.

An instrument that is being developed to counteract this process and which is already being implemented in pilot projects is the REDD+ mechanism. It was first proposed at the 11^th Conference of Parties to the UNFCCC held in Montreal in 2005 as REDD and extended in 2009 in Copenhagen (REDD+). REDD+ means: “Reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation plus conservation, sustainable management of forests and enhancement of forest carbon stocks in developing countries”. Under the mechanism, industrialized countries and other donors from the developed world intend to compensate developing or emerging economies for the protection of forests. The aim is to avoid increasing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation. This shall be achieved with the help of funds and/or market-oriented instruments.

The REDD+ mechanism means a high investment for donors. It is therefore in the interest of the donors that legitimacy in the implementation of the mechanism is guaranteed by the participating countries. Since analyzing the legal situation in each of the (potential) participating countries would exceed the scope of this investigation, Peru has been chosen as an empirical example.

Peru is a potential receiving country in the implementation of the REDD+ mechanism. It has the fourth-largest tropical forest area worldwide. Moreover, the country is number nine on the list of countries with the most forested land. Peru hosts 13% of the Amazon rainforest. The forest areas are threatened by various activities such as deforestation and the exploitation of non-timber forest products. In recent years, deforestation through mining has become important. Especially (illegal) gold mining and oil exploration as well as exploitation have been causing great damage. According to a study by the Inter-American Development Bank, Peru may lose between 56% and 96% of its forests by 2021 if the various projects planned in the mining, hydrocarbon and energy sectors are carried out.

Objectives of the study are:

1. Analysis of legal options for the implementation of the REDD+ mechanism.
2. Development of a profile with a set of requirements for the implementation of the REDD+ mechanism in the host countries.