Economic issues
Adopt a carbon tax to protect tropical forestsBackgroundInternational investments in natural climate solutions such as conservation, restoration and land management remain low in many tropical countries. The authors point to research which shows that only 3% of global finance for climate change mitigation went towards natural climate solutions in 2017-18. They recommend constituting a national level carbon tax on fossil fuel companies to generate revenue to fund natural climate solutions. Open access copy available |
The Little Book of Investing in Nature: A simple guide to financing life on earthBackgroundThe authors of this book point out that the international community has missed almost all collective biodiversity targets till date. Insufficient finance or the large gap between the funds that are required for biodiversity conservation and the funds that are allotted and the inappropriate implementation of existing finance mechanisms are part of the reason for the continued decline in global biodiversity. Open access copy available |
Conservation Finance: A FrameworkBackgroundThe authors define conservation finance as “mechanisms and strategies that generate, manage, and deploy financial resources and align incentives to achieve nature conservation outcomes.” Governments are the largest contributors to conservation finance resources, and common mechanisms include grants, subsidies, and fiscal transfers, among others. Open access copy available |
Anything but a story foretold: multiple politics of resistance to the agrarian extractivist project in GuatemalaBackgroundOpen access copy available |
Green Grabbing: a new appropriation of nature?BackgroundThe authors introduce a set of papers which collectively discuss discourses and processes surrounding the transfer of ownership, user rights, or control over land and resources to meet environmental goals such as the production of biofuels or carbon sequestration, dispossessing some of their land while contributing to increasing the accumulation of property for others. The papers were originally presented at the International Conference on Global Land Grabbing and contribute to existing debates around land grabbing by building on the concept of ‘green grabbing’, wherein the appropriation of land is justified on environmental grounds. Open access copy available |
Green economy, oil palm development, and the exclusion of Indigenous swidden cultivators in the PhilippinesBackgroundGreen economy programs involve agro-industrial development in land frontiers for activities that are considered low-carbon or as seen as supporting greenhouse gas reduction. In the Philippines, as in many parts of South-East Asia, oil palm plantations are promoted as a form of green growth, contributing to food security and biofuels while meeting reforestation goals on lands that are often classified as idle, or waste, but may not be in practice. The paper explores the implications of oil palm development on land tenure security of smallholder swidden cultivators from indigenous communities. Open access copy available |
Context in land matters: The effects of history on land formalizationsBackgroundLand formalization is the process by which governments grant legal rights to land, along with responsibilities and conditions of access through land titles and other official documents. This process typically establishes or re-establishes the authority of the state over the governance of land. This paper draws on examples from Africa and Asia to illustrate how land formalization has differing impacts on a diverse set of claimants, and largely increases inequity. Open access copy available |
Restoring Forests For Communities, Biodiversity, and Ecosystem ServicesBackgroundThis publication summarizes the proceedings of a 2011 conference held in Bogor, Indonesia titled "Restoring Forests For Communities, Biodiversity, and Ecosystem Services". The aim of the conference was to provide a space in which forest restoration approaches used in Indonesia and elsewhere in Southeast Asia were shared and discussed. The report includes summaries of the opening and closing remarks along with the conference's seven presentations. Open access copy available |
Mainstreaming Native Species-Based Forest RestorationBackgroundThis publication summarizes the proceedings of a 2010 conference held in the Phillipines titled "Mainstreaming Native Species-Based Forest Restoration", which aimed to provide technical expertise and experience with restoration and reforestation practices for tropical forests in order to address the country's forest cover decline. The report summarizes the events of the two days, including two opening remarks, six presentations, and five panels. Open access copy available |
Industrial Resource Extraction and Infrastructure Development in Tropical ForestsBackgroundThis publication summarizes the proceedings of a 2012 conference held in Panama City, Panama titled "Industrial Resource Extraction and Infrastructure Development in Tropical Forests" The conference sought to explore how the continued increase in economic interest in natural resource extraction can be beneficial connected to the protection of tropical forests. The conference gathered scientists, decision makers, academics, government officials, representatives from NGOs and the private sector, and community and indigenous leaders and involved opening and closing remarks along with four panels. Open access copy available |
