Tropical forests store about half of the global forest aboveground carbon (AGC)1, yet extensive areas are affected by disturbances, such as deforestation from agricultural expansion2,3 and degradation from fires4, selective logging5, and edge effects6,7. Over time, disturbed forests can recover, gradually restoring carbon stocks and ecological functions8. However, how recovery rates vary with disturbance size, type and location remains poorly quantified. Here we use a bookkeeping approach with spatially explicit vegetation recovery curves to quantify AGC dynamics in disturbed tropical forests during 1990–2020. We find that disturbed tropical dry forests remained carbon neutral, whereas disturbed tropical humid forests experienced a net AGC loss of 15.6 ± 3.7 PgC, primarily driven by small but persistent deforestation clearings. Despite affecting only about 5% of the disturbed area, these small-size (less than 2 ha) deforestation events accounted for about 56% of carbon losses, owing to persistent land-use conversion without forest regrowth. By contrast, large fire-induced carbon losses were offset by the long-term post-fire recovery. Over time, deforestation expanded into humid forests with higher carbon stock density, intensifying AGC losses per unit area. These findings highlight the disproportionate impact of small clearings on tropical carbon losses, suggesting the need to curb land-use changes and protect young and recovering forests.
Tag: degradation
IUCN Red List of Ecosystems, Mangroves of the Tropical Southwestern Atlantic
The “Mangroves of the Tropical Southwestern Atlantic” (TSA) is a regional ecosystem subgroup (level 4 unit of the IUCN Global Ecosystem Typology). It includes the marine ecoregions of Eastern Brazil, Northeastern Brazil, including the Fernando de Noronha Archipelago and Rocas Atoll. The TSA mangroves had a mapped extent of 1719.7 km2 in 2020, representing 1.2% of the global mangrove area. The flora is characterized by four true mangrove species: Rhizophora mangle, Avicennia schaueriana, A. germinans and Laguncularia racemosa. They provide essential biological functions such as supplying food resources to nearby settlements, including fish, crabs, mussels, and prawns, as well as timber and coastal defence. Furthermore, these environments promote ecological interactions with adjacent coral reefs. The climate ranges from humid to semi-arid along the Brazilian coast, which influences the diversity of geological environments and forest structures in the mangrove ecosystem. Despite their ecological and socio-economic importance, mangroves are at risk from conversion to aquaculture, salt panning, coastal infrastructure development, and oil pollution. Mangroves have also been significantly impacted by two recent major disasters: the 2015 collapse of the Mariana dam, which released a vast quantity of iron mining waste, and an extensive oil spill along the Brazilian northeast coast in 2019. As of today, the TSA mangrove ecosystem area has undergone a net loss of -3.7% since 1996. If this trend continues an overall change of -6.7% is projected over the next 50 years. Furthermore, under a high sea level rise scenario (IPCC RCP8.5) ≈10.5% of the TSA mangrove area would be submerged by 2060. Moreover, 2.2% of the province’s mangrove ecosystem is undergoing degradation, with the potential to increase to 6.6% within a 50-year period, based on a vegetation index decay analysis. Overall, the Tropical Southwestern Atlantic mangrove ecosystem is assessed as Least Concern (LC).
How do we achieve REDD co-benefits and avoid doing harm?
Common but differentiated responsibility for restoration and avoided degradation of commons: who pays for basic rights?
Commons, in the original meaning of land that is managed at community scale, have been privatized or taken over by the state as part of ‘development’ in many parts of the world in various stages of history. Part of the rationale for this was that communities weren’t strong enough institutionally to control the private interest of individuals, leading to overexploitation and resource degradation. Privatization was seen as a means to make overexploitation uneconomical and facilitate investment in land productivity and restoration. Elsewhere, the state took over claiming to be better stewards in securing national interests. “The real tragedy of the commons is that people believe collective action cannot effectively defend common interests”
The architecture of proposed REDD schemes after Bali: facing critical choices
Rules governing the REDD (Reductions of Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation) scheme have yet to be established. Different national interests compete within the debate on baselines in order to maximize expected gains. The scheme could have a deleterious impact on the carbon market through massive hot air creation (fake emission reductions), and ultimately on the current international climate change regime derived from the cap-and-trade architecture adopted by the Kyoto Protocol. The political economy of avoided deforestation is frequently overlooked as is the issue of additionality, although both of them are more critical with deforestation at national level than they could be with project-based CDM. An alternative REDD architecture which relies on a special fund would not only allow protection of the carbon market against massive fl ooding by non additional credits, but could also help fi nance potentially effi cient policies and measures.Sustaining long-term adequate funding is still an issue to be addressed on a multilateral basis.
¿Crecen los árboles sobre el dinero?: implicaciones de la investigación sobre deforestación en las medidas para promover la REDD
This paper has two objectives. First, it analyzes the past research on deforestation and summarizes the findings of that research, in terms of its relevance to the development of future REDD regimes. Second, it highlights areas where future research and methodological development are needed to support national and international processes on avoided deforestation and degradation.
Reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD) in Indonesia: options and challenges for fair and efficient payment distribution mechanisms
The objective of REDD payment distribution mechanisms is to support policies and measures that reduce deforestation and degradation through transfer of revenues from international REDD funds or carbon markets to (or within) national levels. This may provide benefits of three types: a) shared responsibility for reducing a major driver of global climate change, b) financial payments and co-investment that exceed the economic opportunities foregone from decisions to maintain carbon stocks, and c) co-benefits through the other environmental service functions that well-maintained forests can provide. Given its track record of high emissions from land use and land use change of an estimated 2.5 Gt CO2e year-1, Indonesia provides a huge opportunity as well as serious challenge to reduce emissions. We report here on a series of stakeholder consultations and focus group discussions to identify options and challenges. To ensure demonstrable results on emission reduction, REDD mechanisms must be effective in targeting the wide range of agents involved in deforestation and degradation, learning lessons from past and ongoing conservation efforts that have apparently failed. They must reward good performance and incentivize improved performance compared to reference scenarios, and adequately compensate agents that suffer losses from changed practices. International payments are likely to be performance based, both in terms of emission reduction at national scale and the environmental and social impacts of the system, meaning that accountability, transparency, risk management, adequate benefits transfer and administration mechanisms will be essential for attracting investment. Indonesia will be effectively competing for attention and REDD funds with other countries with currently high pemissions and/or large forest areas. A strong international ‘bargaining position’ requires that internal conflicts and strategic positioning be overcome
A women’s association in Kisangani, Democratic Republic of Congo
In Kisangani, Democratic Republic of Congo, where over 80% of households rely on charcoal, unsustainable production is a major driver of forest degradation. This study examines how the women’s association AFEVADES, in collaboration with CFT sawmill and CIFOR-ICRAF, transformed wood residues into sustainable charcoal, focusing on gender dynamics and environmental impacts. Initially an informal survival strategy, the initiative evolved after AFEVADES officially registered in 2020, gaining access to carbonization training and microcredit. As a result, the group doubled production efficiency, reduced processing time, and secured a stable wood supply.
The project has strengthened women’s economic autonomy, with women leading 95% of operations, managing earnings, and supporting households through food, education, and home construction. Over four years, 2,638 m³ of wood residues were converted into 11,000 bags of charcoal, reducing forest pressure. While still modest in scale, this model highlights the potential of gender-inclusive, community-driven solutions in supporting livelihoods and forest sustainability, emphasizing the need for policy support and investment to expand sustainable practices.
Etude comparative mondiale du CIFOR sur la REDD+: Fiches d’information sur les conclusions et objectifs de recherche
Policy progress with REDD+ and the promise of performance-based payments: A qualitative comparative analysis of 13 countries
Reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation, and enhancing forest carbon stocks in developing countries (REDD+) has emerged as a promising climate change mitigation mechanism in tropical forest countries. This paper examines the national political context in 13 REDD+ countries in order to identify the enabling conditions for achieving progress in the implementation of countries’ REDD+ policies and measures. The analysis builds on a previous qualitative comparative analysis (QCA) of various countries’ progress with REDD+, conducted in 12 REDD+ countries in 2012. A follow-up survey in 2014 was considered timely because the REDD+ policy arena, at international and country levels, is highly dynamic and undergoes constant evolution, which affects progress with REDD+ policy making and implementation. In this paper, we examine whether the ‘promise’ of performance-based funds has played a role in enabling the establishment of REDD+. The results show a set of enabling conditions and characteristics of the policy process under which REDD+ policies can be established. Two key findings of our analysis, the importance of already initiated policy change and the relevance of available performance-based funding in combination with strong national ownership of the REDD+ process, may help guide other countries seeking to formulate REDD+ policies that are likely to deliver efficient, effective and equitable outcomes.