No Regrets: Maintaining Forests for Adaptation and Mitigation

The author posits that improved forest management is a "no regrets" strategy that simultaneously addresses immediate vulnerabilities—such as floods and droughts—and long-term climate risks through carbon sequestration. While ecosystem-based adaptation can be a cost-effective alternative to hard infrastructure, the author warns that protecting forests may create trade-offs for local communities. The document suggests using REDD+ mechanisms to finance protection in high-carbon forests while reserving other adaptation funds for low-carbon areas, such as sub-Saharan Africa. Finally, it emphasizes that overcoming poor governance and establishing democratic public participation are essential to implementing these strategies.

• Sustainable forest management serves as a synergistic solution for both adaptation and mitigation, providing immediate buffers against climate variability (e.g., storms, flooding, and landslides) while contributing to long-term climate resilience.
• Ecosystem-based adaptation, specifically maintaining forest cover, is presented as a flexible and cost-effective alternative or supplement to "bricks and mortar" infrastructure like dams and reservoirs.
• Forests are critical for global mitigation because deforestation and degradation contribute up to 20% of current global carbon emissions.
• The implementation of REDD+ (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation) may create socio-economic trade-offs, potentially benefiting the global community while imposing short-term risks or income loss on vulnerable local communities.
• REDD+ funding is expected to target high-carbon humid forests in Indonesia, the Congo Basin, and the Amazon Basin, necessitating separate adaptation funding for low-carbon forests, such as those in sub-Saharan Africa.
• Realizing the benefits of forest management requires addressing poor governance and investing in institutional infrastructure to facilitate inter-sectoral collaboration and democratic public participation.

APA

Seymour, F. (2010). No Regrets: Maintaining Forests for Adaptation and Mitigation. World Resources Institute. https://files.wri.org/d8/s3fs-public/2023-02/wrr-2010-11-question-7-response-2.pdf

Chicago

Seymour, Frances. No Regrets: Maintaining Forests for Adaptation and Mitigation. World Resources Institute, 2010. https://files.wri.org/d8/s3fs-public/2023-02/wrr-2010-11-question-7-response-2.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Seymour |first1=Frances |title=No Regrets: Maintaining Forests for Adaptation and Mitigation |publisher=World Resources Institute |date=2010 |url=https://files.wri.org/d8/s3fs-public/2023-02/wrr-2010-11-question-7-response-2.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{seymour2010regrets, author = {Seymour, Frances}, title = {{No Regrets: Maintaining Forests for Adaptation and Mitigation}}, institution = {World Resources Institute}, year = {2010}, url = {https://files.wri.org/d8/s3fs-public/2023-02/wrr-2010-11-question-7-response-2.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }