Governing the Global Commons: Linking Carbon Sequestration and Biodiversity Conservation in Tropical Forests

Background

Climate change and biodiversity loss rank among the most urgent global environmental challenges, yet international frameworks often address them separately. Scientific evidence increasingly highlights the deep connections between these issues, particularly in tropical forests. Despite this overlap, carbon finance mechanisms—such as the Kyoto Protocol’s Clean Development Mechanism (CDM)—traditionally exclude efforts to reduce emissions from deforestation (REDD), instead prioritizing afforestation and reforestation. This article investigates how incentive-based mechanisms can better align carbon sequestration goals with biodiversity conservation, focusing especially on the role of tropical forests.

Goals and Methods

The article assesses how financial and policy mechanisms for carbon sequestration can support biodiversity conservation to generate mutually reinforcing benefits. It critiques conventional conservation approaches, emphasizing their limitations in developing countries where poverty and weak governance often hinder effective protection of natural areas. The analysis reviews the structure of carbon markets under the Kyoto Protocol and identifies key barriers to integrating REDD into these systems. It also explores alternative strategies, including voluntary carbon markets, certification schemes such as the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), eco-tourism, and innovative business models that monetize ecosystem services.

Conclusion

The article concludes that integrating biodiversity conservation with carbon sequestration creates a promising pathway for scaling financial resources and safeguarding tropical forests. Although carbon markets offer potential, they face significant technical and political challenges, particularly regarding REDD. To achieve equitable and effective outcomes, project developers must involve local communities in both design and implementation, while ensuring safeguards that protect their rights and access to forest resources. The article calls for further research into the interaction between carbon and biodiversity finance, the institutions that facilitate this integration, and the socioeconomic effects on forest-dependent populations.