External News

Researchers have questioned 2009 findings by the Forest Survey of India (FSI) that found that India's forests were, unlike many tropical Asian nations', on the rebound. According to the FSI, Indian forests had grown by almost five percent from the 1990s. Yet, were these finding too good to be true?

According to Jean-Philippe Puyravaud and Priya Davidar of Pondicherry University, and William Laurance from James Cook University, the findings were very likely too optimistic.

In order for REDD+ to be successful in halting deforestation in developing countries, carbon finance incentives will need to be delivered through smaller scale channels as well as big national bureacracies, The Nature Conservancy argues. To this end, the Nature Conservancy has issued a report, ‘A Nested Approach to REDD+’, proposing ways that REDD+ forest carbon projects and programmes at the smaller end of the scale could operate within big national schemes.

In The Observer today, there is a confused and incomplete story about how the REDD scheme is being undermined by corruption.

Campaigners say countries intend to abuse system by pocketing billions in subsidies while continuing to fell trees

The Indonesian Forest Concessionaires Association said on Friday that the possible inclusion of production forest areas in the planned two-year logging moratorium could threaten local industries by drastically reducing timber supply.