Is REDD enough?

In the fight against climate change, many are pinning their hopes on an international deal that would compensate countries for preserving forests. The agreement, called Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation, or REDD, will be fine-tuned during climate talks in Durban this week.

But critics say the REDD scheme is too narrow, including the Ecuadorian ambassador to Germany, Jorge Jurado. He says REDD looks only at forests, without offering compensation for other natural resources.

That's why Ecuador is promoting the Yasuni Ishpingo-Tambococha-Tiputini initiative. Their program asks for contributions from the international community – incentives which would make it unnecessary for Ecuador to drill for oil in the world's most diverse rainforest.

Yasuni initiative: novel solution or eco-blackmail?

With the backing of the UN Development Group, under the Yasuni initiative, donors would give Ecuador $3.5 billion (2.6 billion euros). This figure is estimated to be half of what Yasuni's oilfields would earn if they were developed.

Ecuador intends to use this money, which it hopes to receive over the next 13 years, to invest in developing renewable energy infrastructure and to secure energy independence.

But if the international community doesn't pay up, Ecuador says it will be forced to extract the oil.

The forests in Yasuni are home to 170 mammals, 600 species of birds, 560 kinds of fish, and more than 300 reptile and amphibian species. The area is also home to indigenous people who still live in isolation, like the Huaorani.

Extraction would damage the forest and release almost 450 tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.

And much of the international community has thrown its support behind the REDD program, instead. Heiko Warnken, head of the environmental department at Germany's development agency, says REDD has broad potential.

In an interview with Deutsche Welle, he said REDD is just a "starting point" for a larger carbon framework.

But Jorge Jurado, the Ecuadorian ambassador to Germany, told Deutsche Welle that REDD can't compensate for all the resources in Yasuni, including the vast oil reserves there. He sees the Yasuni initiative as the country’s only real option.

"Where are we going to get the money [to develop Ecuador] otherwise?" Jurado said, asserting that the Yasuni initiative will secure sustainable development.

Warnken told Deutsche Welle that Germany wants to help Ecuador protect its rainforests, but thinks there are better ways to do it.

"One has to be careful to not view this as blackmail," Warnken said.

International framework

The Yasuni initiative has gained the support of some international players.

Peter Minang heads up the Alternatives to Slash and Burn partnership and spoke with Deutsche Welle from Nairobi, Kenya. He sympathizes with the concept behind the Yasuni initiative, saying that the proposal reflects weaknesses in the REDD framework.

If payments to preserve forests can't compensate for the full economic potential of a piece of land, that land will be used for a more profitable activity, Minang explained.

"Payments must sufficiently offset opportunity costs."

Meanwhile, Alternatives to Slash and Burn has been working with a dozen international partners on a project called "Reducing Emissions From All Land Uses," or REALU.

The idea behind REALU is to address all emissions from land use - not just deforestation. It aims to reduce emissions from peatlands and agricultural practices, and would also include "restocking" trees and soils.

Ticking clock

Ecuador is still hoping that Germany will get on board with the Yasuni initiative, as it sees the country as a European leader.

Meanwhile, time is running out as the deadline set for the end of this year to raise $100 million for the initiative approaches. Ecuador has reportedly collected about half this amount.

It remains to be seen if the climate framework can be expanded in time to offer Ecuador enough compensation to prevent it from drilling the rainforest.

Author: Sonya Angelica Diehn
Editor: Saroja Coelho