Compensation for countries not logging forests?

[Martin W]

From lengthy email from Glen Barry of Ecological Internet:

Quote:

Rainforest Portal

Rainforest Newsfeed June 23, 2007 OVERVIEW & COMMENTARY by Dr. Glen Barry, Ecological Internet The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has become the latest tropical rainforest rich, yet materially poor, nation to embrace payments for "avoided deforestation". The DRC joins Ecuador and Papua New Guinea (PNG) in making substantive offers to the international community to protect (note, not conserve or sustainabiy manage, but preserve intact) large areas of primary rainforests in exchange for payments which may include carbon market credits, development grants and/or debt relief. A workable solution to tropical rainforest destruction and diminishment is within reach, and protecting the world's last large ancient primary forests is also a relatively easy way to dramatically and quickly cut back on carbon emissions (~25% of which are from land conversion including deforestation and diminishment). … Simply, humanity must establish such global ecological reserves to survive. And for the first time the ones with the rainforests agree that for the right price, they will keep their forests standing. Let's take them up on the offer! g.b. 

ITEM #1 Title: Congo to cancel logging deals to protect forests Source: Copyright 2007, Reuters, Date: June 22, 2007 Byline: Joe Bavier Congo is ready to cancel more than half its timber contracts to protect the world’s second biggest tropical forest but it wants more aid from foreign governments to help do so, the environment minister said. … Around three million hectares (7.4 million acres) of illegal concessions have already been cancelled by Congo’s new government, which took office this year after historic post-war elections in 2006. … ‘When we see the benefits this forest brings … to the entire planet, it is about time the major world powers think about compensation for everything this forest does,’ Pembe said. Fair compensation, he believes, could inject around $6 billion dollars a year into Congo’s coffers — a massive windfall for a country with a total proposed 2007 budget of just over $2 billion. ‘That will be an enormous way for us to pull ourselves up,’ Pembe said. ‘You risk pushing us to destroy our forests because we need money. They say we are the second lung, but that second lung has to be taken care of.’

ITEM #2 Title: Ecuador Launches Campaign to Keep Oil Underground Source: Copyright 2007, Reuters, Date: June 7, 2007 Byline: Alonso Soto Ecuador offered on Tuesday to drop plans to develop the country's biggest oilfield if wealthy nations pay it to safeguard pristine land near the proposed drill site. …

ITEM #3 Title: Rainforest conservation could yield more cash than logging in PNG Source: Copyright 2006, Mongabay.com, Date: November 6, 2006 Papua New Guinea (PNG) could earn hundreds of millions of dollars for cutting its rainforest destruction if a carbon carbon-trading initiative it proposed last year makes headway this week at U.N. climate talks in Nairobi, Kenya. Each year PNG loses about 250,000 hectares of primary forest according to the U.N. This forest clearance releases some 20-50 megatons of carbon dioxide, a potent greenhouse gas, to the atmosphere. Under a carbon finance deal, mitigating these emissions could be potentially worth anywhere from $80 million to a billion dollars to industrialized countries. …

ITEM #4 Title: World Bank Targets Forest Preservation-Climate Link Source: Copyright 2007, Wall Street Journal Date: June 11, 2007 The global effort to stem climate change could soon include paying countries in the tropical belt to not cut down their rain forests, beginning with a World Bank pilot project. The World Bank is planning to start a $250 million investment fund to reward countries such as Indonesia, Brazil and Congo for "avoided deforestation." … Deforestation accounts for some 20% of global carbon emissions, mainly from fires set in forests to clear land. It is the major cause of greenhouse gases in some developing nations such as Indonesia. The World Bank says forested areas equivalent to the size of Portugal are being cleared each year. … Many details of the project remain to be ironed out. The World Bank hopes Group of Eight nations will supply most of the $250 million, Mr. Bosquet said.

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