EU Blocks Green Deal on Forests

9 October 2009

On Thursday, a new text on REDD left out vital wording on protecting natural forests in the section on principles – safeguards. A host of nations from Ecuador and Brazil to India and the Philippines asked for its reinstatement on the grounds that protecting natural forests is what REDD is meant to be all about.

As Brazil said, if there is a single environmental safeguard that is required for REDD, it is to prevent the conversion of natural forests to plantations or other land use in order to avoid huge emissions and biodiversity loss. The facilitator considered that the point was well made and asked for permission to reinsert the text on conserving natural forests. He was opposed by the EU with the fuzzy explanation that this would create great instability in the negotiations.

ECO does not understand this objection to changing text in response to  statements made in plenary on the contents of text. In fact, ECO is in general deeply disturbed by the EU’s behaviour on forests over the past two weeks. As a result of their failing to reach internal agreement on forest management in LULUCF, the EU has allowed the worst possible accountancy options for forest management to be on the table for consideration. On REDD, the EU has blocked the inclusion of the
most basic principle required to make REDD environmentally effective.

So much for environmental integrity!

ECO wonders if the EU plans to insert something into the response measures text as their concern seems to be that the timber and oil palm industries might be badly  hit by a REDD regime that seeks to conserve forests instead of converting them
to plantations.