The Forests Now Declaration was a 2007 declaration that advocates using

carbon credits Carbon offsetting is a carbon trading mechanism that enables entities to compensate for offset greenhouse gas emissions by investing in projects that reduce, avoid, or remove emissions elsewhere. When an entity invests in a carbon offsetting p ...

to protect

tropical forest Tropical forests are forested ecoregions with tropical climates – that is, land areas approximately bounded by the Tropic of Cancer, tropics of Cancer and Tropic of Capricorn, Capricorn, but possibly affected by other factors such as prevailing ...

s. The Declaration was created by the

Global Canopy Programme Global may refer to: General *Globe, a spherical model of celestial bodies *Earth, the third planet from the Sun Entertainment * ''Global'' (Paul van Dyk album), 2003 * ''Global'' (Bunji Garlin album), 2007 * ''Global'' (Humanoid album), 198 ...

, and has been signed by over 200 NGOs, business leaders, scientists and conservationists. The Declaration was created as carbon credits from

land use, land-use change and forestry Land use, land-use change, and forestry (LULUCF), also referred to as Forestry and other land use (FOLU) or Agriculture, Forestry and Other Land Use (AFOLU),M. Pathak, R. Slade, P.R. Shukla, J. Skea, R. Pichs-Madruga, D. Ürge-Vorsatz,2022Techni ...

were omitted from the

Clean Development Mechanism The Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) is a United Nations-run carbon offset scheme allowing countries to fund greenhouse gas emissions-reducing projects in other countries and claim the saved emissions as part of their own efforts to meet internat ...

for the First Commitment Period of 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 ...

despite contributing 18–25% of all emissions.

Rationale

Deforestation Deforestation or forest clearance is the removal and destruction of a forest or stand of trees from land that is then converted to non-forest use. Deforestation can involve conversion of forest land to farms, ranches, or urban use. Ab ...

in the next five years will release more

carbon dioxide Carbon dioxide is a chemical compound with the chemical formula . It is made up of molecules that each have one carbon atom covalent bond, covalently double bonded to two oxygen atoms. It is found in a gas state at room temperature and at norma ...

than all aircraft since the

Wright Brothers The Wright brothers, Orville Wright (August 19, 1871 – January 30, 1948) and Wilbur Wright (April 16, 1867 – May 30, 1912), were American aviation List of aviation pioneers, pioneers generally credited with inventing, building, and flyin ...

until at least 2025; however, credits from reduced deforestation were omitted from the

for the first commitment period of the

, so there is little incentive for forested countries to reduce their deforestation rates. The Forests NOW declaration seeks to establish new market based mechanisms to protect the

ecosystem services Ecosystem services are the various benefits that humans derive from Ecosystem, ecosystems. The interconnected Biotic_material, living and Abiotic, non-living components of the natural environment offer benefits such as pollination of crops, clean ...

that forests provide in

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 ...

conservation,

carbon sequestration Carbon sequestration is the process of storing carbon in a carbon pool. It plays a crucial role in Climate change mitigation, limiting climate change by reducing the amount of Carbon dioxide in Earth's atmosphere, carbon dioxide in the atmosphe ...

and global and local

hydrological Hydrology () is the scientific study of the movement, distribution, and management of water on Earth and other planets, including the water cycle, water resources, and drainage basin sustainability. A practitioner of hydrology is called a hydro ...

and mineral cycles.

Prescriptions

The Declaration prescribes six changes to the existing carbon market frameworks: * Ensure that

for reduced emissions from deforestation and degradation (REDD) and the protection of standing forests are included in all national and international carbon markets, especially those created by the

UN Framework Convention on Climate Change The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) is the UN process for negotiating an agreement to limit dangerous climate change. It is an international treaty among countries to combat "dangerous Global warming, human interf ...

. * Simplify and expand carbon market rules, including the

, to encourage reforestation, afforestation and sustainable forest management. * Include tropical forest and land use carbon credits in the

European Union Emissions Trading Scheme The European Union Emissions Trading System (EU ETS) is a carbon emission trading scheme (or ''cap and trade'' scheme) that began in 2005 and is intended to lower greenhouse gas emissions in the EU. Cap and trade schemes limit emissions of spec ...

, while maintaining strong incentives to reduce industrial emissions. * Encourage mechanisms that recognise the value of carbon stocks and forest

, and support appropriate voluntary carbon market standards. * Provide assistance for developing nations to build capacity to fully participate in the carbon markets, and to evaluate the ecosystem services their forests provide. * Incentivize the sustainable use of degraded land and ecosystems, and remove incentives that encourage forest destruction.

Signatories

File:Hans blix.jpg, alt=Hans Blix signs the Forests NOW declaration in the Arctic, 12 September 2007, Hans Blix signs the Forests NOW declaration in the Arctic, 12 September 2007. File:Wangari maathai and DRC env minister.jpg, alt=Wangari Maathai and H. E. Pembe Didace Bokiaga, Environment Minister of the Democratic Republic of Congo sign the declaration,

Wangari Maathai Wangari is a name of Kikuyu origin that may refer to: * Wangari Maathai (1940–2011), Kenyan environmental and political activist * Catherine Wangari Wainaina (born 1985), Kenyan beauty pageant contestant * Margaret Wangari Muriuki (born 1986), K ...

and H. E. Pembe Didace Bokiaga, Environment Minister of the Democratic Republic of Congo, sign the declaration. File:Jane Goodall signs forestsNOW.jpg, alt=Jane Goodall signs the declaration in New York, 26 September 2007, Jane Goodall signs the declaration in New York, 26 September 2007. File:Sir Michael Somare.jpg, alt=Sir Michael Somare, Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea signs the declaration, Sir

Michael Somare Sir Michael Thomas Somare (9 April 1936 – 25 February 2021) was a Papua New Guinean politician. Widely called the " father of the nation" (), he was the first Prime Minister after independence. At the time of his death, Somare was also the lo ...

, Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea, signs the declaration. File:Erik van Zadelhoff.jpg, alt=Senior Adviser on EU and Global Ecosystems for the World Conservation Union (IUCN), signs the Declaration, Senior Adviser on EU and Global Ecosystems for the World Conservation Union (

IUCN The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natural resources. Founded in 1948, IUCN has become the global authority on the status ...

) signs the Declaration. File:Pedro Garcia.jpg, alt=Pedro Garcia signs the Forests Now Declaration on behalf of the Confederation of Indigenous Organisations of the Brazilian Amazon (COIAB) which represents some 180 tribes in the region, Pedro Garcia signs the Forests Now Declaration on behalf of the Confederation of Indigenous Organisations of the Brazilian Amazon (COIAB), which represents some 180 tribes in the region. File:Virgillo Viana.jpg, alt=Amazonas Secretary of State for Environment and Sustainable Development Virgilio Viana signs the Forests Now Declaration, Amazonas Secretary of State for Environment and Sustainable Development Virgilio Viana signs the Forests Now Declaration. Over 200 individuals and organisations have signed the declaration including:

Organisations

* Coalition for Rainforest Nations *

Conservation International Conservation International (CI) is an American nonprofit environmental organization headquartered in Crystal City, Virginia, in Arlington County, Virginia. CI's work focuses on science, policy and partnership with businesses, governments and co ...

* Flora and Fauna International * The Forest Trust *

Wildlife Conservation Society The Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) is a global 501(c)(3) organization, 501(c)(3) non-governmental organization, headquartered at the Bronx Zoo in New York City, with a mission to save "wildlife and wild places across the globe". Founded in ...

Union of Concerned Scientists The Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) is a nonprofit science advocacy organization based in the United States. The UCS membership includes many private citizens in addition to professional scientists. Anne Kapuscinski, Professor of Environment ...

Individuals

Hans Blix Hans Martin Blix (; born 28 June 1928) is a Swedish diplomat and politician for the Liberal People's Party. He was Swedish Minister for Foreign Affairs (1978–1979) and later became the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency. Blix wa ...

Jane Goodall Dame Jane Morris Goodall (; born Valerie Jane Morris-Goodall; 3 April 1934), formerly Baroness Jane van Lawick-Goodall, is an English zoologist, Primatology, primatologist and Anthropology, anthropologist. She is considered the world's foremo ...

References

{{Reflist

External links

The Forests NOW blogThe Original

Forests in the Fight Against Climate Change
a report by the Global Canopy Initiative Carbon finance World forestry Forest conservation