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The report analyzes the private sector's role in the REDD+ supply chain, identifying key players as investors, producers, brokers, advisors, auditors, and end-buyers. It highlights critical barriers such as policy uncertainty, land tenure disputes, and the need for robust social and environmental safeguards. The document proposes strategies to scale up private investment, including the integration of REDD+ into compliance carbon markets, the adoption of nested crediting frameworks, and the inclusion of extractive industries in conservation dialogues.

The document details an expert meeting held in April 2012 to address two critical determinants of REDD+ success: the development of Safeguard Information Systems (SIS) and the fostering of effective private sector engagement. It highlights the need for flexible, country-driven SIS that leverage existing national and international architectures to keep transaction costs low. Regarding the private sector, the report emphasizes that policy clarity, certainty on carbon rights, and a 'nested approach' to accounting are essential to attract investment. The report also identifies significant capacity gaps in MRV, safeguards, and benefit-sharing systems across national and local levels.

The document analyzes the role of safeguards in REDD+ to prevent negative social and environmental impacts while maximizing 'multiple benefits' such as poverty reduction and biodiversity conservation. It evaluates various international standards (e.g., UN-REDD, World Bank SESA, FSC) and argues that no single standard covers all Cancun Agreement criteria. The paper explores the technical and financial challenges of establishing national and international information-sharing systems for safeguards, noting that costs for readiness phase monitoring vary from 35,000 USD in Costa Rica to 600,000 USD in the DRC. It concludes that effective safeguards require broad stakeholder participation, transparency, and a balance between international guidelines and national sovereignty.

The report critiques the REDD (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation) framework, highlighting how its implementation often leads to the marginalization of indigenous communities and the privatization of forest resources. Through case studies in countries like Indonesia, Mexico, and Paraguay, it argues that REDD is being used by transnational energy companies to 'greenwash' their images while continuing fossil fuel extraction. The document warns that linking REDD to unstable carbon markets and allowing monoculture plantations may undermine actual emission reductions and exacerbate land conflicts.

The report critiques the 'Reducing Emissions from Deforestation in Developing Countries' (REDD) mechanism, highlighting how it can exacerbate inequality and privatize forest resources. Through case studies in countries like Indonesia, Mexico, and Paraguay, it demonstrates that REDD projects often exclude indigenous communities from decision-making and serve as a 'greenwash' for fossil fuel and logging companies. The document warns that without reducing demand for agricultural commodities and timber, REDD may lead to 'leakage,' where deforestation simply shifts to other areas, rendering the mechanism ineffective for global climate mitigation.

The report finds that IOI Corporation is failing to meet its sustainability commitments in Ketapang, West Kalimantan. Evidence shows the company developed plantations without approved Environmental Impact Assessments, made fraudulent statements about physical activity on the ground, and encroached on permanent forests and peat lands. Additionally, the report notes a significant increase in fire hotspots in newly cleared areas and potential for land rights conflicts with local villagers.

Friends of the Earth has released a report titled “Voices from Communities Affected by Climate Change,” documenting first-hand experiences of climate impacts from diverse groups including indigenous peoples and small-scale fisherfolk across multiple continents. The organization uses these testimonies to call for a roadmap toward a post-Kyoto agreement in 2012, emphasizing that wealthy nations must lead in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and financing adaptation for poorer communities. The document highlights the need for climate justice through a moratorium on fossil fuel extraction, the promotion of energy sovereignty, and the fulfillment of UNFCCC obligations for wealthy countries to fund adaptation in developing nations, which may require an additional $50–100 billion annually.

In August 2006, the Ugandan Cabinet proposed donating 7,100 hectares of the 30,000-hectare Mabira forest to the Mehta group of companies to expand sugar plantations. This proposal triggered a massive public outcry and a coordinated 'Save Mabira Crusade' involving civil society, religious institutions, and legal experts. The campaign utilized empirical research, media engagement, and strategic litigation to challenge the government's decision. The author argues that the campaign's success was rooted in a growing public awareness of environmental rights, supported by the 1995 Constitution and the National Environment Act. The effort not only protected the forest but also served as a vehicle to expose broader governance deficits and the lack of political will to adhere to existing conservation laws.

The paper examines the 2006 campaign to save the Mabira Forest in Uganda, where the government proposed giving 7,100 hectares of the reserve to the Mehta Group for sugarcane cultivation. It details how a coalition of civil society, religious institutions, and legal experts used environmental laws and public mobilization to stop the proposal. The author argues that the campaign succeeded by framing the environmental issue as a broader failure of governance and accountability, leveraging the 1995 Constitution's recognition of the right to a healthy environment and the 2005 Access to Information Act.

The document defines community-based forest governance (CFG) as a collective-communal approach to forest conservation that prioritizes traditional knowledge over simplified 'forest science'. It argues for an inclusive range of actors, including indigenous villages, rural communities, and urban groups. The briefing identifies several critical success factors for CFG, including clear boundary definitions, long-term vision, participatory regulation, and legal recognition by the state.

The document examines how the armed conflict in Nepal has led to the deterioration of protected area security, increased poaching of species like the Asian one-horned rhino, and the disruption of NGO activities, while also noting some unexpected forest regeneration in depopulated regions.

In 2005, the Bush administration attempted to reverse previous protections of the Giant Sequoia National Monument by finalizing plans to allow the annual removal of 7.5 million board feet of timber. This plan would have permitted the logging of healthy trees up to 30 inches in diameter, some potentially 300 years old. Following a legal challenge by conservation organizations, a federal judge ruled on August 22, 2006, that the commercial logging plan was illegal.

The document explores the role of decentralized renewable energy (DRE) in enhancing adaptive capacity to climate change in developing countries. It posits that DRE provides a 'win-win' by addressing adaptation needs while reducing greenhouse gas emissions, particularly when integrated with the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM). The text details how DRE supports the Millennium Development Goals by improving health, education, and gender equality, and reducing poverty and environmental degradation. It references case studies from Argentina, Bangladesh, Brazil, Senegal, and Zimbabwe to illustrate these benefits.

The document examines the management of the Samori forest in Baye, Mali, analyzing the roles of the state, the NGO SOS Sahel GB, and local communities. It concludes that while technical capacities have improved, the management is not 'democratic' because power remains centralized with the state and the NGO, with no downward accountability to local populations.

The Quito Declaration, signed in May 2000, asserts the critical role of Indigenous Peoples in conserving forests and biodiversity while highlighting their exclusion from the negotiation of the 1992 UNFCCC and the Kyoto Protocol. The document requests that the UNFCCC Secretariat guarantee adequate participation and direct accreditation for Indigenous organizations in COP 6 and related meetings. It specifically calls for an agenda item at COP 6 to examine the impacts of the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) on Indigenous lives and territories, emphasizing the need for 'prior and informed free consent' and respect for territorial rights.

The document details local adaptation efforts in Nigeria across three sectors: biogas production in Ogun state to reduce fuelwood reliance and protect forests; aquaculture improvements in Lagos state to secure livelihoods against climate impacts; and erosion control in Anambra state to prevent land degradation. While these actions align with Nigeria's NDCs and national policies, they are hindered by limited financial services, poor government support, and a lack of advanced technological know-how.

The document highlights the critical need for climate-resilient investment in the Caribbean water sector to mitigate high economic losses from hazards like hurricanes and droughts. Between 2010 and 2012, USD 8.3 billion in ODA was disbursed to the Caribbean, with USD 172 million allocated to the water sector; of this, only USD 12 million was tagged as climate change relevant. In contrast, global climate funds provided USD 14 million to the water sector during the same period, showing a stronger focus on strategy development and technical studies compared to the infrastructure focus of traditional ODA. The brief identifies five key global climate funds that disbursed a total of USD 44 million to the Caribbean, with 32% targeted at water. It recommends that water sector planners use online platforms like Climate Finance Options to identify funding and suggests matching specialist climate finance with traditional sources to leverage larger investments.

The report uses a case study of Costa Rica's JI pilot projects to identify challenges in quantifying and verifying carbon sequestration, such as baselines and leakage. It argues that the CDM must integrate strong environmental and social safeguards, including public participation and benefit-sharing with local communities, to ensure sustainable development. The author proposes a phased evolution for the CDM, moving from project-specific credits to national baselines, and suggests limiting the use of Certified Emission Reductions (CERs) to 1% of Annex I Parties' assigned amounts initially to prioritize domestic reductions.

The document describes a voluntary labelling scheme designed to align debt instruments with the 1.5°C goal of the Paris Climate Agreement. It provides a three-step process for forestry bond issuance—pre-issuance, issuance, and post-issuance—and details the scientific criteria used to determine the eligibility of forestry projects. For the Brazilian market, it highlights the role of pulp and paper companies and the acceptance of the Brazilian Forest Certification Programme (Cerflor) as evidence of compliance.

The document analyzes Brazil's unique energy landscape, where a predominantly renewable electricity mix coexists with a significant reliance on petroleum for transport and a growing oil production sector. It highlights the tension between the government's climate commitments and its plans to expand oil production, particularly in the Equatorial Margin. The briefing suggests that Brazil can leverage its G20 and COP30 leadership to promote the reduction of fossil fuel subsidies and use oil revenues to fund green innovation and forest conservation, while recommending the introduction of an upstream carbon tax to manage environmental externalities.