Fw:CLIMATE/RAINFOREST ALERT: Climate Protection Payments Must Avoid Deforestation of Ancient Rainforests AND Their Industrial Diminishment

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ACTION ALERT UPDATE PLEASE FORWARD WIDELY!

 

Climate Protection Payments Must Avoid Deforestation of

Ancient Rainforests AND Their Industrial Diminishment

 

By Climate Ark & Rainforest Portal, Projects of Ecological

Internet

http://www.rainforestportal.org/ & http://www.climateark.org/

September 21, 2007

 

TAKE ACTION

Selective logging diminishes primary and old-growth forests'

carbon stores, ecosystems, and biodiversity; and has no place

in proposed carbon market payments for rainforest and climate

protection

http://www.climateark.org/alerts/send.asp?id=climate_rainforest

 

The concept of " avoided deforestation " -- whereby countries

are paid to protect forests -- is the most promising

rainforest and climate change policy development in years. It

fights climate change at a low cost while preserving other

ecosystem services, safeguarding biodiversity and improving

living standards for some of the world's poorest people.

Unlike other proposed forest conservation solutions, such as

" certified " forest logging of ancient forests (primary and

old-growth forests), it has the potential to maintain standing

rainforests in an intact, fully functioning condition; while

meeting reasonable local development needs... For the first

time a grouping of tropical rainforest rich countries, called

the " Forestry Eight " and controlling over 80 percent of the

world's tropical rainforests, agree and are proposing a plan

to be paid to protect their rainforests and thus reduce global

warming... Troublingly, many crucial details regarding how

avoided deforestation payments would work remain undefined...

Let the " Forestry Eight " know that in order to ensure carbon

payments for rainforest and climate protection are rigorous

and maximally effective, they must be made to avoid both

rainforest deforestation AND diminishment, which excludes ANY

industrial development. Only equitable payments for strict

preservation will maximize climate, ecosystem, biodiversity

and local benefit. Anything less is greenwashing and will not

solve anything.

 

TAKE ACTION NOW:

http://www.climateark.org/alerts/send.asp?id=climate_rainforest

 

DISCUSS ALERT:

http://www.climateark.org/blog/2007/09/alert_climate_protection_payme.asp