scholarly journals An Assessment of Potential Benefits to Smallholders of REDD+ Components in the Philippines

2011 ◽  
pp. 31-48 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rodel x Rodel Lasco ◽  
Florencia Pulhin ◽  
Leonida Bugayong

Many sectors in the Philippines are looking at the potential of Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation-plus (REDD+) under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) to help finance forest protection and rehabilitation in the country. However, one major problem is that there is little information on the potential benefits the country can expect under REDD+. Specifically, it is not known how each component activities of REDD+ can benefit smallholder farmers. Thus, this paper assesses the potential benefits of activities under REDD+ to smallholder farmers in the country. The key question is what the potential of REDD+ in the Philippines is for improving the sequestration potential of the forest sector and to serve as a form of supplemental livelihood for rural forest dwellers? The main approach of the paper is to summarize what is known about: the historical pattern of deforestation and degradation, the driving forces behind them, community-based forest management (CBFM), tenure and rights, and to analyze the implications of Copenhagen and Cancun meetings for the Philippines. The main finding of the study is that depending on which REDD+ activity is implemented, smallholder farmers under CBFM areas would have varying roles and potential benefits. Smallholder farmers will benefit the most from avoiding forest degradation and enhancing of forest stocks activities because these activities pose the highest potential carbon credits. Due to the rising total forest cover of the country, very few carbon credits are expected from avoiding deforestation. This implies that government policies and programs could focus on preparing local communities and institutions for activities that decrease forest degradation and enhance carbon stocks. In addition, there are many uncertainties and information gaps remaining. For example, the rate of biomass degradation in Philippines forests and the drivers of forest degradation are still unknown. The ability of government agencies to implement REDD+ is still inadequate. A strong capacity building program is therefore essential.

2017 ◽  
Vol 40 (3) ◽  
pp. 209-215
Author(s):  
Mohommad Shahid ◽  
◽  
L.K. Rai ◽  

Paris Agreement recognized the role of forests as carbon sink for mitigation of climate change, under Article 5 as REDD+, i.e., reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation and role of conservation, sustainable management of forests and enhancement of forest carbon stocks. Forest cover change analysis was done between two time periods 2005 and 2015 to assess the forest degradation. Carbon sequestration potential of the forests of Sikkim for mitigating climate change is also estimated. Benefits of implementing of REDD+ in Sikkim involving local communities as stakeholder to conserve and sustainably manage the forest is assessed. Gaps and challenges faced by the stakeholder in implementing REDD+ at project level are also highlighted.


Forests ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (8) ◽  
pp. 1008
Author(s):  
Arnan B. Araza ◽  
Gem B. Castillo ◽  
Eric D. Buduan ◽  
Lars Hein ◽  
Martin Herold ◽  
...  

Like many other tropical countries, the Philippines has suffered from decades of deforestation and forest degradation during and even after the logging era. Several open access Earth Observation (EO) products are increasingly being used for deforestation analysis in support of national and international initiatives and policymaking on forest conservation and management. Using a combination of annual forest loss and near-real time forest disturbance products, we provide a comprehensive analysis of the deforestation events in three forest frontiers of the Philippines. A space-time pattern mining approach was used to map quarterly deforestation hotspots at 1 km pixel size (100 hectares), where hotspots are classified according to the spatial and temporal variability of the 2000–2020 deforestation in the study area. Our results revealed that 79–81% of the hotspots overlap with primary forests and 27–29% are inside the state-declared protected areas. The intra-annual analysis of deforestation in 2020 revealed an alarming trend, where most deforestation occurred between the 1st and 2nd quarter (92–94% in hotspot forests; 87–89% in non-hotspot forests), highly overlapping within the slash-and-burn farming season. We also found “new” hotspots (2020) formed mostly from landslide scars and partly from selective logging, the latter is believed to be underestimated. Our study paves the way for rapid and regular assessment of the country’s deforestation, useful for the respective environmental institutions who convene several times a year. Moreover, our findings assert the imperative of alternative livelihoods to upland farmers, efficient forest protection activities, and even the mitigation of landslide risks.


2019 ◽  
Vol 116 (49) ◽  
pp. 24492-24499 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anand Roopsind ◽  
Brent Sohngen ◽  
Jodi Brandt

Reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD+) is a climate change mitigation policy in which rich countries provide payments to developing countries for protecting their forests. In 2009, the countries of Norway and Guyana entered into one of the first bilateral REDD+ programs, with Norway offering to pay US$250 million to Guyana if annual deforestation rates remained below 0.056% from 2010 to 2015. To quantify the impact of this national REDD+ program, we construct a counterfactual times-series trajectory of annual tree cover loss using synthetic matching. This analytical approach allows us to quantify tree cover loss that would have occurred in the absence of the Norway-Guyana REDD+ program. We found that the Norway-Guyana REDD+ program reduced tree cover loss by 35% during the implementation period (2010 to 2015), equivalent to 12.8 million tons of avoided CO2 emissions. Our analysis indicates that national REDD+ payments attenuated the effect of increases in gold prices, an internationally traded commodity that is the primary deforestation driver in Guyana. Overall, we found strong evidence that the program met the additionality criteria of REDD+. However, we found that tree cover loss increased after the payments ended, and therefore, our results suggest that without continued payments, forest protection is not guaranteed. On the issue of leakage, which is complex and difficult to quantify, a multinational REDD+ program for a region could address leakage that results from differences in forest policies between neighboring countries.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaona Guo ◽  
Ruishan Chen ◽  
Qiang Li ◽  
Michael E. Meadows ◽  
Zhenzhen Pan

<p><strong>Abstract: </strong>Globally, the loss of forest is of great concern as forest plays many key roles in the earth system, for example, it contributes to biogeochemical cycles and rural livelihoods. Forest could provide ecosystem services such as soil retention and flood regulation and is especially critical in mountain environments. Deforestation in such regions further results in carbon emission and biodiversity loss and may reduce agricultural productivity and increase the poverty rate. In China, recognition of these problems has prompted a series of ecological construction programs, including “Returning Farmland to Forest” (RFF), which advocates stopping farming on sloping land that is prone to soil erosion and promotes afforestation and recovery of forest vegetation and was initially implemented in 1999. The program has been widely applied in Guizhou Province, a typical fragile karst mountain area of southwest China. There is, however, a lack of knowledge of the effectiveness of the RFF policy, and the relative roles played by possible factors that lead to forest change. Here we analyze the pattern and process of forest change in the karst mountain regions of Guizhou province between 1980 and 2018 and evaluate how RFF and other driving forces contribute to these changes. Based on a temporal sequence of satellite images, we develop a Markov model to examine the forest change, and found that most of the forests grow on the slopes of 15-25°, the forest cover has increased by 1,410 km<sup>2</sup> between 1980 and 2019, and 36% of cropland in Guizhou province has been converted to forest since 1980. Out of nine municipalities in the province, the most significant increases in forest cover occurs in Qiandongnan, which accounts for 20% (583 km<sup>2</sup>) of the increased area. we also found that the RFF program has had a marked positive impact on forest cover and has also improved hydrothermal conditions in the region. However, population, GDP, and traffic accessibility have a negative impact on forest cover. Climate factors appear to have the least impact on forest change during the period of 1980 to 2018. The findings offer useful information for resource managers to engage in forest protection, deforestation prevention, and ecological restoration in regions with similar conditions.    </p><p><strong>KEYWORDS:</strong> forest; restoration; RFF; GDP; karst areas</p>


2018 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 92
Author(s):  
Divine Odame Appiah ◽  
Stephanie Esinu Adjoa Gbeddy

Reducing emission from deforestation and forest degradation and associated benefits (REDD+), has received much attention as one of the most controversial climate change initiatives, especially by forest fringed community actors in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) and Southeast Asia, (SEA) who are skeptical of the scheme.The object of this paper is to examine the seeming potential benefits and accompanying risks and challenges of REDD+ on the livelihoods among smallholder farmers in SSA and SEA. The paper espouses the sustainability context of REDD+ projects as pro-poor forest management mechanisms; through the provision of alternative livelihood. This is achieved through critical review and critique of scientific articles, project reports and relevant documents on REDD+ interventions from a worldwide, regional to local scale. The paper identifies projects that seem to solidify claims that REDD+ projects are simply a new form of colonialism; which the West is using to take advantage of vulnerable groups in the South. The paper concludes with the need to actively engage sub-Saharan African and Southeast Asian women in climate change mitigation benefit schemes on account of the expedient role women play in agricultural activities (which may involve deforestation and forest land degradation).


2019 ◽  
Vol 20 (6) ◽  
Author(s):  
REN DIVIEN R. OBENA ◽  
INOCENCIO Jr E BUOT

Abstract. Obeña RDR, Buot JrIE. 2019. Enumeration of Hoya species in Mindanao Island, Philippines: Conservation concerns. Biodiversitas 20: 1699-1707.  Unknown resources are difficult to utilize. Hence, an extensive study of literature was carried out to determine the Hoya species found in Mindanao, Philippines. The main purpose of the study was to know the Hoya resources in Mindanao, an area which is not exempted to extensive forest degradation. Many of these Hoya species are endemic and vulnerable to extinction. A total of 33 Hoya species which are epiphytes on trees had been recorded in Mindanao. Three species in the area were classified as endangered based on the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) list of threatened species (DAO 2007-01), while one species is classified as vulnerable based on DAO 2017-11. For the past years, forest cover in the Philippines has been continuously declining. This scenario can negatively affect the population of Hoya since the forest serves as a habitat for these species. Protection of the forest land in Mindanao can serve as a conservation strategy of the Hoya species.


Author(s):  
Caroline Dubbert ◽  
Awudu Abdulai

Abstract Many studies show that participation in contract farming has positive impacts on farm productivity and incomes. Most of the literature, however, does not take into account that contracts vary in their specifications, making empirical evidence scarce on the diverse impacts of different types of contracts. In this study, we investigate the driving forces of participation in marketing and production contracts, relative to spot markets. We also study the extent to which different contract types add additional benefits to smallholder farmers, using recent survey data of 389 cashew farmers in Ghana. To account for selection bias arising from observed and unobserved factors, we apply a multinomial endogenous switching regression method and implement a counterfactual analysis. The empirical results demonstrate that farmers who participate in production contracts obtain significantly higher cashew yields, cashew net revenues, and are more food secure compared to spot market farmers. We also find substantial heterogeneity in the impact of marketing and production contracts across scale of operation. Small sized farms that participate in production contracts tend to benefit the most. Marketing contracts, however, do not appear to benefit cashew farmers.


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (8) ◽  
pp. 1441
Author(s):  
Jin Han Park ◽  
Jianbang Gan ◽  
Chan Park

The net primary productivity (NPP) of a forest is an important indicator of its potential for the provision of ecosystem services such as timber, carbon, and biodiversity. However, accurately and consistently quantifying global forest NPP remains a challenge in practice. We converted carbon stock changes using the Global Forest Resources Assessment (FRA) data and carbon losses associated with disturbances and timber removals into an NPP equivalent measurement (FRA NPP*) and compared it with the NPP derived from the MODIS satellite data (MOD17 NPP) for the world’s forests. We found statistically significant differences between the two NPP estimates, with the FRA NPP* being lower than the MOD17 NPP; the differences were correlated with forest cover, normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), and GDP per capita in countries, and may also stem from the NPP estimation methods and scopes. While the former explicitly accounts for carbon losses associated with timber removals and disturbances, the latter better reflects the principles of photosynthesis. The discrepancies between the two NPP estimates increase in countries with a low income or low forest cover, calling for enhancing their forest resource assessment capacity. By identifying the discrepancies and underlying factors, we also provide new insights into the relationships between the MOD17 NPP and global forest carbon stock estimates, motivating and guiding future research to improve the robustness of quantifying global forest NPP and carbon sequestration potential.


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (14) ◽  
pp. 7539
Author(s):  
Zaw Naing Tun ◽  
Paul Dargusch ◽  
DJ McMoran ◽  
Clive McAlpine ◽  
Genia Hill

Myanmar is one of the most forested countries of mainland Southeast Asia and is a globally important biodiversity hotspot. However, forest cover has declined from 58% in 1990 to 44% in 2015. The aim of this paper was to understand the patterns and drivers of deforestation and forest degradation in Myanmar since 2005, and to identify possible policy interventions for improving Myanmar’s forest management. Remote sensing derived land cover maps of 2005, 2010 and 2015 were accessed from the Forest Department, Myanmar. Post-classification change detection analysis and cross tabulation were completed using spatial analyst and map algebra tools in ArcGIS (10.6) software. The results showed the overall annual rate of forest cover loss was 2.58% between 2005 and 2010, but declined to 0.97% between 2010 and 2015. The change detection analysis showed that deforestation in Myanmar occurred mainly through the degradation of forest canopy associated with logging rather than forest clearing. We propose that strengthening the protected area system in Myanmar, and community participation in forest conservation and management. There needs to be a reduction in centralisation of forestry management by sharing responsibilities with local governments and the movement away from corruption in the timber trading industry through the formation of local-based small and medium enterprises. We also recommend the development of a forest monitoring program using advanced remote sensing and GIS technologies.


Author(s):  
Pham Viet Hai ◽  
Nguyen Dinh Hoang Long ◽  
Nguyen Thi Diem Thuy ◽  
Le Hoang Anh ◽  
Dao Nguyen Khoi

The objective of this study was to develop a set of sustainable development indicators on environmental aspects and apply them to assess the level of environmental sustainability in Phu Quy district, Binh Thuan province. The set of sustainable development indicators was built based on the screening of indicators from some previous studies, as well as developing new indicators to match the research area. The indicators were then be grouped into topics based on the United Nations' 17 sustainable development goals to 2030. In terms of environment, the set of sustainable development indicators includeed 6 topics (main components), 19 indicators (sub-components), of which 6 new indicators were researched and developed for the island and sea area. The result showed that the level of environmental sustainability of the Phu Quy district was good (0.846). In addition, the results showed that the local environmental aspects attained levels of sustainability. Accordingly, main components including clean water - sanitation (MT1), habitat (MT3), natural disaster prevention (MT4) and ocean conservation - sustainable use (MT5) reached the good level of sustainability and tend to keep stable. While sustainable energy (MT2) and forest protection and development (MT6) are quite sustainable. However, the MT6 component tended to decrease that indicated the forest degradation and the impacts on environmental sustainability in Phu Quy district in the future.


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