CBD Secretariat welcomes Warsaw Framework for REDD+ and $280 million pledge to support REDD+ activities

Montreal, 2 December 2013 – The Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) has welcomed the Warsaw Framework for REDD+ for its potential to contribute both to climate change mitigation and biodiversity conservation.

The Warsaw Framework for REDD+ (reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation; andthe role of conservation, sustainable management of forests and enhancement of forest carbon stocks in developing countries) is a package of measures agreed at the United Nations Climate Change Conference held from 11-22 November 2013 in Warsaw, Poland. The Framework includes agreements on:

- Results-based payments to developing countries that lower carbon emissions by maintaining and protecting forest cover

- Guidelines and procedures for the technical assessment of submissions from Parties on proposed forest reference emission levels and/or forest reference

- Modalities for measuring, reporting and verifying

- Modalities for national forest monitoring systems

- Timing and frequency of presentation of information on how the safeguards referred to in UNFCCC COP decision 1/CP.16, appendix I, are being addressed and respected

- Drivers of deforestation and forest degradation

- Coordination of support for the implementation of activities in relation to mitigation actions in the forest sector by developing countries, including institutional arrangements.

In addition, Norway, the United Kingdom and the United States launched the BioCarbon Fund Initiative for Sustainable Forest Landscapes, a $280 million initiative to help save the world's remaining forests. The initiative which is part of the World Bank’s Bio Carbon Fund , aims to scale up land-management practices across landscapes, including improved livestock management, climate-smart agriculture and sustainable forest management, with a focus on protecting forests and greening and securing supply chains. An initial portfolio of four to six programmes in Africa, Asia and Latin America has been identified, bringing in a range of actors, including the private sector.

“This is a significant development that contributes to the mandate provided by the Conference of the Parties to the CBD at COP 11 in Hyderabad in Decision XI/19,” said Braulio Ferreira de Souza Dias, CBD Executive Secretary. “The Warsaw Framework for REDD+ provides a foundation to promote the reduction of greenhouse gases emission from deforestation and forest degradation. At the same time, it can contribute to safeguarding biodiversity, water quality and livelihood activities that depend on the forests.

Investing in the conservation and sustainable use of forest biodiversity is crucial to the long-term success of climate change mitigation and adaptation, which has the potential to achieve important benefits for human well-being and sustainable development,” he said. Aichi Biodiversity Target 15 of the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020, aims to enhance ecosystem resilience and the contribution of biodiversity to carbon stocks, through conservation and restoration, including restoration of at least 15% of degraded ecosystems. This Target thereby also aims to contribute to climate change mitigation and adaptation and to combating land degradation. Such action can also contribute towards the achievement of other Aichi Biodiversity Targets, including Targets 5, 7, 11, 14, and 18.

The integrated landscape perspective, embodied by the BioCarbon Fund Initiative, should prove useful in developing complementary approaches to leverage climate change mitigation and biodiversity conservation. Options for enhancing synergies and maximising co-benefits can arise through inter-sectoral coordination when planning and implementing activities, addressing a suite of REDD+ activities. These measures should help ensure the application of safeguards relevant for local communities and biodiversity.