Indigenous and Community Voices on Forests and Climate Change · REDD+ and Community Forestry in...

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REDD+ and Community Forestry in Nepal Bharat Pokharel Swiss Intercooperation Nepal [email protected]

Transcript of Indigenous and Community Voices on Forests and Climate Change · REDD+ and Community Forestry in...

Page 1: Indigenous and Community Voices on Forests and Climate Change · REDD+ and Community Forestry in Nepal. Bharat Pokharel. ... Communities bear the cost. Same place in 2005 Forests

REDD+ and

Community Forestry in Nepal

Bharat PokharelSwiss Intercooperation Nepal

[email protected]

Page 2: Indigenous and Community Voices on Forests and Climate Change · REDD+ and Community Forestry in Nepal. Bharat Pokharel. ... Communities bear the cost. Same place in 2005 Forests

Main substance in the presentation

Analysis of –the climate of justice for tackling climate change in REDD+ to benefit local people from community forestry

Page 3: Indigenous and Community Voices on Forests and Climate Change · REDD+ and Community Forestry in Nepal. Bharat Pokharel. ... Communities bear the cost. Same place in 2005 Forests

Main message Main factors to benefit from REDD+ are: Tenure security Institutional, ecological and economic performanceFulfilment of methodological and technical requirements

Main conclusionDespite good Institutional, ecological and economic performance, the prospect of benefit to communities from REDD+ is LOW!!!!!!

Page 4: Indigenous and Community Voices on Forests and Climate Change · REDD+ and Community Forestry in Nepal. Bharat Pokharel. ... Communities bear the cost. Same place in 2005 Forests

Understanding the concept of

REDD+ and Community Forestry

Page 5: Indigenous and Community Voices on Forests and Climate Change · REDD+ and Community Forestry in Nepal. Bharat Pokharel. ... Communities bear the cost. Same place in 2005 Forests

REDD+ REDD+R= ReducingE= Emission D= Deforestation D= Degradation+ = Conserve forests

R= Rights over forest resourcesE= EquityD= Devolution of power to communitiesD= Democracy at the grass root+ = Development of forestry sector

Community forestry has all these elements

Page 6: Indigenous and Community Voices on Forests and Climate Change · REDD+ and Community Forestry in Nepal. Bharat Pokharel. ... Communities bear the cost. Same place in 2005 Forests

What is aimed through REDD+

1. Increase forest land2. Increase forest density and biomass3. Reduce the rate of deforestation and degradation4. Conserve and manage forests

Page 7: Indigenous and Community Voices on Forests and Climate Change · REDD+ and Community Forestry in Nepal. Bharat Pokharel. ... Communities bear the cost. Same place in 2005 Forests

1.Increase

forest land

Communities have transferred barren land into dense forest

Farmers have grown wood and food together

Communities bear the cost

Page 8: Indigenous and Community Voices on Forests and Climate Change · REDD+ and Community Forestry in Nepal. Bharat Pokharel. ... Communities bear the cost. Same place in 2005 Forests

Same place in 2005

Forests in DadapakharNepal in 1978

Page 9: Indigenous and Community Voices on Forests and Climate Change · REDD+ and Community Forestry in Nepal. Bharat Pokharel. ... Communities bear the cost. Same place in 2005 Forests

2.Increase

forest density

and biomass

Community forest density has increased

Page 10: Indigenous and Community Voices on Forests and Climate Change · REDD+ and Community Forestry in Nepal. Bharat Pokharel. ... Communities bear the cost. Same place in 2005 Forests

Forest in Mude Nepal after 27 years1978

2005

Page 11: Indigenous and Community Voices on Forests and Climate Change · REDD+ and Community Forestry in Nepal. Bharat Pokharel. ... Communities bear the cost. Same place in 2005 Forests

3.Reduce the

rate of deforestation

and degradation

Communities have been able to reduce the rate of deforestation and degradation

Page 12: Indigenous and Community Voices on Forests and Climate Change · REDD+ and Community Forestry in Nepal. Bharat Pokharel. ... Communities bear the cost. Same place in 2005 Forests

Charikot , Nepal in 1986 and 2005

Page 13: Indigenous and Community Voices on Forests and Climate Change · REDD+ and Community Forestry in Nepal. Bharat Pokharel. ... Communities bear the cost. Same place in 2005 Forests

4. Conservation

of forests

Local communities and farmers

have conserved forests, biodiversity and watersheds in a much effective way than government

Page 14: Indigenous and Community Voices on Forests and Climate Change · REDD+ and Community Forestry in Nepal. Bharat Pokharel. ... Communities bear the cost. Same place in 2005 Forests

Gully in Bonch, Nepal after 27 years1978

2005

Page 15: Indigenous and Community Voices on Forests and Climate Change · REDD+ and Community Forestry in Nepal. Bharat Pokharel. ... Communities bear the cost. Same place in 2005 Forests

Sunkhani in 19 years1986

2005

Page 16: Indigenous and Community Voices on Forests and Climate Change · REDD+ and Community Forestry in Nepal. Bharat Pokharel. ... Communities bear the cost. Same place in 2005 Forests

Bhedpu, Dolakha, Nepal March 1978

Same place in 1996

Page 17: Indigenous and Community Voices on Forests and Climate Change · REDD+ and Community Forestry in Nepal. Bharat Pokharel. ... Communities bear the cost. Same place in 2005 Forests
Page 18: Indigenous and Community Voices on Forests and Climate Change · REDD+ and Community Forestry in Nepal. Bharat Pokharel. ... Communities bear the cost. Same place in 2005 Forests
Page 19: Indigenous and Community Voices on Forests and Climate Change · REDD+ and Community Forestry in Nepal. Bharat Pokharel. ... Communities bear the cost. Same place in 2005 Forests

How is the prospect of benefit?

ForestryRegime

Security oftenureRight

Institutionalperformance

Ecologicalperformance

Economiccontribution

Prospect ofbenefit fromREDD+

Government High Low Low Low High ?

Private High Medium Medium High Medium ?

Communities Low High High High Low ?

Source: Karky and Banskota, 2009; Mahat, 2010, Example from Nepal

Page 20: Indigenous and Community Voices on Forests and Climate Change · REDD+ and Community Forestry in Nepal. Bharat Pokharel. ... Communities bear the cost. Same place in 2005 Forests

Climate of injustice persists

REDD+REDD+

REDD+REDD+

REDD+REDD+

REDD+REDD+

REDD+REDD+

REDD+

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International community:(Washington,London, Bejing etc.)

Gov

ernm

ent

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C l i m a t e o f i n j u s t i c e i s c r e a t e d b y

M a n y c o m p l e x i t i e sM u l t i p l e v a l u e o f f o r e s t s u n d e r m i n e d M e t h o d o l o g i c a l c o m p l e x i t i e sT e c h n i c a l c o m p l e x i t i e sI n s t i t u t i o n a l a n d l e g a l c o m p l e x i t i e sG e o g r a p h i c a l c o m p l e x i t i e s

Page 23: Indigenous and Community Voices on Forests and Climate Change · REDD+ and Community Forestry in Nepal. Bharat Pokharel. ... Communities bear the cost. Same place in 2005 Forests

1. Above-ground biomass

5. Below-ground biomass

2. Dead wood

3. Litter

4. Soil organic carbon

7. Hydrological function

8. Biodiversity function

9. Aesthetic function

10. Cultural, spiritual and

emotional functions

6. Wood products

Value of multiple roles and functions of forests is undermined by carbon debate and REDD+

Page 24: Indigenous and Community Voices on Forests and Climate Change · REDD+ and Community Forestry in Nepal. Bharat Pokharel. ... Communities bear the cost. Same place in 2005 Forests

Even the simplified list of complexities is found to be too complicated (below)

Institutional and legal

• Too many national level institutions to be coordinated • Many fragmented institutions at the local level are to be

brought together• Land rights does not necessarily guarantee carbon rights• Inconsistencies in national policies and legislation• Reaching to the most vulnerable households

Geographical • National strategies (e.g. NAPA) not adequate• Sub national strategies (e.g. Local level Adaptation Plan of

Action (LAPA) and Community level Adaptation Planning (CAP) is needed separately for mountains, hills and plai

•Technical • Area of forest patches are too small

• Measuring degradation is difficult

Methodological • Additionally, Leakage, Permanence, Baseline, High transaction cost, Information and knowledge

Page 25: Indigenous and Community Voices on Forests and Climate Change · REDD+ and Community Forestry in Nepal. Bharat Pokharel. ... Communities bear the cost. Same place in 2005 Forests

Methodological requirements are even too complicated

Additionally LeakagePermanenceBaseline High transaction costInformation and knowledge

Page 26: Indigenous and Community Voices on Forests and Climate Change · REDD+ and Community Forestry in Nepal. Bharat Pokharel. ... Communities bear the cost. Same place in 2005 Forests

SUMMARY Power of local communities to influence the Conference of Party

(COP) is still low Whose property is forests? Of the state, private or community? Land rights vs carbon rights Community forests and REDD- High performance but low

prospect of benefit REDD and poverty agenda – ‘no rights to livelihoods’, no REDD Whose agenda count? International, national and local Who dominate the decisions? Politicians of Annex 1 countries,

climate scientists, technocrats of the national government in developing countries or local and indigenous communities?

Page 27: Indigenous and Community Voices on Forests and Climate Change · REDD+ and Community Forestry in Nepal. Bharat Pokharel. ... Communities bear the cost. Same place in 2005 Forests

Local communities and indigenous people are less likely to benefit from REDD+ SO, they should unite and educate their respective governments and the international policy makers to create a climate of justice to communities to benefit from REDD+

Main message once again ……..