Local communities

“The outcome on REDD safeguards is a step backwards from what was agreed in Cancun last year, which itself was far short of what could have been agreed in Copenhagen. The provisions for safeguards in forest conservation are being shredded”, says Raja Jarrah, CARE’s Senior Advisor on REDD.

"This is bad news for millions of indigenous people and local communities whose livelihoods depend on forests.”

Peruvian indigenous organizations along with the Forest Peoples Program, an international non-profit that defends the rights of native forest-dwelling peoples, said in a recent report that carbon emission reduction programs tied to the Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation, or REDD, a United Nations-led program, are hurting indigenous rights.

The World Bank has said that it is no longer providing the National Toshaos Council (NTC) with the funds to educate Amerindians about the Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS).
This was confirmed yesterday by Yvonne Pearson, who heads the NTC.

While Asia’s rapid growth has lifted millions out of poverty, persistent pockets still remain in areas beyond the embrace of development.

The article examines the efforts for collective action of ten village communities in the state of Orissa to manage their local forest resources from an institutional perspective.