The Coalition for Rainforest Nations (CfRN) is an

intergovernmental organization Globalization is social change associated with increased connectivity among societies and their elements and the explosive evolution of transportation and telecommunication technologies to facilitate international cultural and economic exchange. ...

established by forested tropical countries to collaboratively reconcile forest stewardship with economic development. The Rainforest Coalition aims to bring together both developing and industrialized nations for the purpose of creating community-driven, environmentally sustainable growth. The primary method by which the CfRN aims to promote this growth is through a method known as Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+), which was launched after the formation of the CfRN on May 10, 2005.Halstead, John. “Climate Change Cause Area Report.” ''Founders Pledge'', The Founders Forum for Good, 5 May 2018, www.founderspledge.com/downloads/fp-climate-change. The primary strategy of the Coalition is to bring about the reform of international frameworks, both legal and economic, to correct

market failure In neoclassical economics, market failure is a situation in which the allocation of goods and services by a free market is not Pareto efficient, often leading to a net loss of economic value.Paul Krugman and Robin Wells Krugman, Robin Wells (2006 ...

s that result in unsustainable outcomes. This involves creating economic incentives for the preservation of areas of high

biodiversity Biodiversity is the variability of life, life on Earth. It can be measured on various levels. There is for example genetic variability, species diversity, ecosystem diversity and Phylogenetics, phylogenetic diversity. Diversity is not distribut ...

and

endemism Endemism is the state of a species being found only in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also foun ...

worldwide. The Coalition supports the Forests Now Declaration by calling for changes in the

Kyoto Protocol The was an international treaty which extended the 1992 United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) that commits state parties to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, based on the scientific consensus that global warming is oc ...

and other international carbon markets to include land use and forestry. One practice promoted by REDD+ is utilizing carbon credits to protect forested tropical countries, which is a market-based method of reducing a nation's emitted greenhouse gas emissions. Carbon credits are one of many incentives that assist the CfRN in achieving its overarching objective to reduce the total amount of greenhouse gas emissions across forested tropical countries, promoting sustainability.

History

At the request of then Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea Sir Michael Somare, the participating nations have agreed to base the Secretariat for the Coalition for Rainforest Nations at

Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...

in the City of New York. The CfRN was formed after a speech given on May 10, 2005, at Columbia University by Somare. After its establishment, the CfRN launched a new method of environmental sustainability known as Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+). This specific sustainability method involves the protection of forests by incentivizing developing countries to reduce deforestation.Halstead, John. “Climate Change Cause Area Report.” ''Founders Pledge'', The Founders Forum for Good, 5 May 2018, www.founderspledge.com/downloads/fp-climate-change. Developed by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), this method has allowed the CfRN to provide developing countries with incentives for reducing forest degradation and enhancing carbon stocks.Phelps, Jacob & Guerrero, M.C. & Dalabajan, Dante & Young, B. & Webb, Edward. (2010). What makes a ‘REDD’ country?. Global Environmental Change. 20. 322-332. 10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2010.01.002. The CfRN's initial implementation of REDD+ in 2005 has lasted many years, leading to significant advancements in environmental sustainability. REDD+ has since been implemented into Article 5 of the 2015 Paris Agreement and other worldwide climate agreements. This has allowied the CfRN to expand its status as an intergovernmental organization, as REDD+ efforts have been widely successful. Since its formation, the Coalition has been instrumental in the establishment of the

World Bank The World Bank is an international financial institution that provides loans and Grant (money), grants to the governments of Least developed countries, low- and Developing country, middle-income countries for the purposes of economic development ...

's Forest Carbon Partnership Facility and the United Nations' UN-REDD program. Further, based upon these efforts by the Coalition, various industrialized countries (including Norway, the UK, Germany, France, Japan, Australia, Finland, and others) have currently pledged around US$3.0 billion. This money is directed toward capacity building and incentives to reduce rates of deforestation in participating developing countries. By collaborating together to reduce rates of deforestation, the relationship between these countries emphasizes the importance of trust among CfRN member states. Collaoration between countries is fostered by the CfRN's promotion of conservation efforts regarding current environmental issues.

Objectives

The Coalition's website defines its objectives as developing policies and tools that assist in achieving sustainability for both forests and neighboring agricultural lands. The overarching objective of the CfRN is to provide a collaborative environment for rainforest nations to discuss potential solutions for forest-related issues.Bhandary, R.R. Coalition strategies in the climate negotiations: an analysis of mountain-related coalitions. ''Int Environ Agreement''s 17, 173–190 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10784-015-9313-6 To achieve this objective, the CfRN: * Seeks to manage tropical rainforests in a way that supports climate stability, conserves biodiversity, and helps development and poverty alleviation efforts * Assists in crafting new financial tools in cooperation with governments, communities, businesses, and other interested parties * Helps to find ways to allow sustainable livelihoods while also improving living standards in communities which depend on rainforests * Sets a path which enables similar results in other countries with tropical rainforests.

Initiatives

The CfRN operates multiple initiatives in pursuit of its objectives. The CfRN broadly defines these initiaves as the REDD+ Catalytic Fund and National Greeh House Gas Inventories, which advocate for the implementation of methods that support environmentally sustainable growth. This stems from the amount of forest-related emissions relative to total carbon emissions on an annual basis, which accounts for a total of twenty percent.Bhandary, R.R. Coalition strategies in the climate negotiations: an analysis of mountain-related coalitions. ''Int Environ Agreement''s 17, 173–190 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10784-015-9313-6

Fund

The REDD+ Catalytic Fund provides "bankable up-front funding" for nations attempting to finance ways to reduce their greenhouse gas outputs. The REDD+ program, started in 2005 by the UNFCC, offers financial rewards for nations which achieve proven results in gas reductions; however, it offers no assistance to reach that goal. The CfRN sees the REDD+ Catalytic Fund as complementary to funds which pay for results.

National Green House Gas Inventories

The National

Green House Gas Greenhouse gases (GHGs) are the gases in the atmosphere that raise the surface temperature of planets such as the Earth. Unlike other gases, greenhouse gases absorb the radiations that a planet emits, resulting in the greenhouse effect. T ...

(GHG) Inventories attempt to reflect a nation's total emission of gases which contribute to

global warming Present-day climate change includes both global warming—the ongoing increase in global average temperature—and its wider effects on Earth's climate system. Climate change in a broader sense also includes previous long-term changes ...

and

climate change Present-day climate change includes both global warming—the ongoing increase in Global surface temperature, global average temperature—and its wider effects on Earth's climate system. Climate variability and change, Climate change in ...

. It also shows how much is being absorbed by rainforests, which offset to some degree a nation's total output. These inventories are required from members of the UNFCCC and the

Paris Agreement The Paris Agreement (also called the Paris Accords or Paris Climate Accords) is an international treaty on climate change that was signed in 2016. The treaty covers climate change mitigation, adaptation, and finance. The Paris Agreement was ...

. As a part of the UNFCCC and Paris Agreement, National GHG Inventories show how much progress a nation has made in reducing its GHG output and how much further it has to go to achieve its goals. The CfRN has provided technical assistance to member nations in preparing their National GHG Inventories. Members which have successfully submitted their inventories include Belize, Panama, Papua New Guinea, and the DR of the Congo, as well as others.

Controversies

In May 2017, Kevin Conrad, Director of the Coalition for Rainforest Nations, unsuccessfully applied to register 'REDD+' as a private trademark in the US. In a response to a request for comment, Conrad stated that his intention was to stop the misuse of the brand by the Voluntary Carbon Market (VCM). The VCM is a market that involves the voluntary purchasing and selling of carbon credits between various companies and organizations. Through engaging in the VCM, companies and organizations are broadly involved in the active purchase of carbon credits and subsequent reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. In March 2021, Conrad signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with PNG Climate Change Minister Wera Mori. A MOU is an agreement between two or more parties, created to establish a clear understanding of how the specific agreement will be implemented. The MOU between Conrad and Mori provided both parties with the distinction that Conrad was given the sole rights to trade PNG's carbon. A letter from a coalition of PNG based civil societies criticises this MOU, stating that it has been implemented with no consultation with existing rights owners, that it does not comply with PNG's Free, Prior and Informed Consent rules, and questions how, in the absence of any Government decision or legislative framework, the minister can unilaterally give 10% of PNG's carbon to Conrad.

Member Nations

As of 2024, the Coalition for Rainforest Nations comprises the following 53 nations:

Africa

Botswana Botswana, officially the Republic of Botswana, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. Botswana is topographically flat, with approximately 70 percent of its territory part of the Kalahari Desert. It is bordered by South Africa to the sou ...

Cameroon Cameroon, officially the Republic of Cameroon, is a country in Central Africa. It shares boundaries with Nigeria to the west and north, Chad to the northeast, the Central African Republic to the east, and Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and the R ...

Central African Republic The Central African Republic (CAR) is a landlocked country in Central Africa. It is bordered by Chad to Central African Republic–Chad border, the north, Sudan to Central African Republic–Sudan border, the northeast, South Sudan to Central ...

Democratic Republic of the Congo The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), also known as the DR Congo, Congo-Kinshasa, or simply the Congo (the last ambiguously also referring to the neighbouring Republic of the Congo), is a country in Central Africa. By land area, it is t ...

Equatorial Guinea Equatorial Guinea, officially the Republic of Equatorial Guinea, is a country on the west coast of Central Africa. It has an area of . Formerly the colony of Spanish Guinea, its post-independence name refers to its location both near the Equ ...

Gabon Gabon ( ; ), officially the Gabonese Republic (), is a country on the Atlantic coast of Central Africa, on the equator, bordered by Equatorial Guinea to the northwest, Cameroon to the north, the Republic of the Congo to the east and south, and ...

Ghana Ghana, officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It is situated along the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, and shares borders with Côte d’Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, and Togo to t ...

Kenya Kenya, officially the Republic of Kenya, is a country located in East Africa. With an estimated population of more than 52.4 million as of mid-2024, Kenya is the 27th-most-populous country in the world and the 7th most populous in Africa. ...

Lesotho Lesotho, formally the Kingdom of Lesotho and formerly known as Basutoland, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. Entirely surrounded by South Africa, it is the largest of only three sovereign enclave and exclave, enclaves in the world, t ...

Liberia Liberia, officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country on the West African coast. It is bordered by Sierra Leone to Liberia–Sierra Leone border, its northwest, Guinea to Guinea–Liberia border, its north, Ivory Coast to Ivory Coast–Lib ...

Madagascar Madagascar, officially the Republic of Madagascar, is an island country that includes the island of Madagascar and numerous smaller peripheral islands. Lying off the southeastern coast of Africa, it is the world's List of islands by area, f ...

Malawi Malawi, officially the Republic of Malawi, is a landlocked country in Southeastern Africa. It is bordered by Zambia to the west, Tanzania to the north and northeast, and Mozambique to the east, south, and southwest. Malawi spans over and ...

Mali Mali, officially the Republic of Mali, is a landlocked country in West Africa. It is the List of African countries by area, eighth-largest country in Africa, with an area of over . The country is bordered to the north by Algeria, to the east b ...

Mozambique Mozambique, officially the Republic of Mozambique, is a country located in Southeast Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi and Zambia to the northwest, Zimbabwe to the west, and Eswatini and South Afr ...

Namibia Namibia, officially the Republic of Namibia, is a country on the west coast of Southern Africa. Its borders include the Atlantic Ocean to the west, Angola and Zambia to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south; in the no ...

Nigeria Nigeria, officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf of Guinea in the Atlantic Ocean to the south. It covers an area of . With Demographics of Nigeria, ...

Republic of the Congo The Republic of the Congo, also known as Congo-Brazzaville, the Congo Republic or simply the Congo (the last ambiguously also referring to the neighbouring Democratic Republic of the Congo), is a country located on the western coast of Central ...

Sierra Leone Sierra Leone, officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country on the southwest coast of West Africa. It is bordered to the southeast by Liberia and by Guinea to the north. Sierra Leone's land area is . It has a tropical climate and envi ...

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...

Sudan Sudan, officially the Republic of the Sudan, is a country in Northeast Africa. It borders the Central African Republic to the southwest, Chad to the west, Libya to the northwest, Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the east, Eritrea and Ethiopi ...

Uganda Uganda, officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. It is bordered to the east by Kenya, to the north by South Sudan, to the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, to the south-west by Rwanda, and to the ...

Zambia Zambia, officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country at the crossroads of Central Africa, Central, Southern Africa, Southern and East Africa. It is typically referred to being in South-Central Africa or Southern Africa. It is bor ...

The Americas and the Caribbean

Argentina Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...

Belize Belize is a country on the north-eastern coast of Central America. It is bordered by Mexico to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and Guatemala to the west and south. It also shares a maritime boundary with Honduras to the southeast. P ...

Costa Rica Costa Rica, officially the Republic of Costa Rica, is a country in Central America. It borders Nicaragua to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the northeast, Panama to the southeast, and the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, as well as Maritime bo ...

Dominica Dominica, officially the Commonwealth of Dominica, is an island country in the Caribbean. It is part of the Windward Islands chain in the Lesser Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean Sea. The capital, Roseau, is located on the western side of t ...

Dominican Republic The Dominican Republic is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles of the Caribbean Sea in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean. It shares a Maritime boundary, maritime border with Puerto Rico to the east and ...

Ecuador Ecuador, officially the Republic of Ecuador, is a country in northwestern South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and the Pacific Ocean on the west. It also includes the Galápagos Province which contain ...

Guatemala Guatemala, officially the Republic of Guatemala, is a country in Central America. It is bordered to the north and west by Mexico, to the northeast by Belize, to the east by Honduras, and to the southeast by El Salvador. It is hydrologically b ...

Guyana Guyana, officially the Co-operative Republic of Guyana, is a country on the northern coast of South America, part of the historic British West Indies. entry "Guyana" Georgetown, Guyana, Georgetown is the capital of Guyana and is also the co ...

Honduras Honduras, officially the Republic of Honduras, is a country in Central America. It is bordered to the west by Guatemala, to the southwest by El Salvador, to the southeast by Nicaragua, to the south by the Pacific Ocean at the Gulf of Fonseca, ...

Jamaica Jamaica is an island country in the Caribbean Sea and the West Indies. At , it is the third-largest island—after Cuba and Hispaniola—of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean. Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, west of Hispaniola (the is ...

Nicaragua Nicaragua, officially the Republic of Nicaragua, is the geographically largest Sovereign state, country in Central America, comprising . With a population of 7,142,529 as of 2024, it is the third-most populous country in Central America aft ...

Panama Panama, officially the Republic of Panama, is a country in Latin America at the southern end of Central America, bordering South America. It is bordered by Costa Rica to the west, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north, and ...

Paraguay Paraguay, officially the Republic of Paraguay, is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the Argentina–Paraguay border, south and southwest, Brazil to the Brazil–Paraguay border, east and northeast, and Boli ...

Saint Lucia Saint Lucia is an island country of the West Indies in the eastern Caribbean. Part of the Windward Islands of the Lesser Antilles, it is located north/northeast of the island of Saint Vincent (Saint Vincent and the Grenadines), Saint Vincent ...

Suriname Suriname, officially the Republic of Suriname, is a country in northern South America, also considered as part of the Caribbean and the West Indies. It is a developing country with a Human Development Index, high level of human development; i ...

Uruguay Uruguay, officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay, is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast, while bordering the Río de la Plata to the south and the A ...

Asia

Bangladesh Bangladesh, officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, eighth-most populous country in the world and among the List of countries and dependencies by ...

Cambodia Cambodia, officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. It is bordered by Thailand to the northwest, Laos to the north, and Vietnam to the east, and has a coastline ...

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania, between the Indian Ocean, Indian and Pacific Ocean, Pacific oceans. Comprising over List of islands of Indonesia, 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, ...

Laos Laos, officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic (LPDR), is the only landlocked country in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by Myanmar and China to the northwest, Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the southeast, and Thailand to the west and ...

Malaysia Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. Featuring the Tanjung Piai, southernmost point of continental Eurasia, it is a federation, federal constitutional monarchy consisting of States and federal territories of Malaysia, 13 states and thre ...

Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...

Singapore Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country and city-state in Southeast Asia. The country's territory comprises one main island, 63 satellite islands and islets, and one outlying islet. It is about one degree ...

Thailand Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam (the official name until 1939), is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. With a population of almost 66 million, it spa ...

Vietnam Vietnam, officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV), is a country at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of about and a population of over 100 million, making it the world's List of countries and depende ...

Oceania

Fiji Fiji, officially the Republic of Fiji, is an island country in Melanesia, part of Oceania in the South Pacific Ocean. It lies about north-northeast of New Zealand. Fiji consists of an archipelago of more than 330 islands—of which about ...

Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea, officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, is an island country in Oceania that comprises the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and offshore islands in Melanesia, a region of the southwestern Pacific Ocean n ...

Samoa Samoa, officially the Independent State of Samoa and known until 1997 as Western Samoa, is an island country in Polynesia, part of Oceania, in the South Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main islands (Savai'i and Upolu), two smaller, inhabited ...

Solomon Islands Solomon Islands, also known simply as the Solomons,John Prados, ''Islands of Destiny'', Dutton Caliber, 2012, p,20 and passim is an island country consisting of six major islands and over 1000 smaller islands in Melanesia, part of Oceania, t ...

Vanuatu Vanuatu ( or ; ), officially the Republic of Vanuatu (; ), is an island country in Melanesia located in the South Pacific Ocean. The archipelago, which is of volcanic origin, is east of northern Australia, northeast of New Caledonia, east o ...

References

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External links

Coalition for Rainforest Nations official website

Forest Carbon Partnership Facility

UN-REDD Programme

REDD Plus Mechanism
International forestry organizations Rainforests Tropical rainforests International environmental organizations International sustainability organizations Sustainable forest management United Nations coalitions and unofficial groups Environmental organizations established in 2005 2005 establishments in New York (state) Columbia University research institutes