Indigenous Peoples Call for REDD Moratorium | Common Dreams

Indigenous Peoples Call for REDD Moratorium | Common Dreams

Published on Monday, December 12, 2011 by Tierramérica / Inter Press Service

by Stephen Leahy

DURBAN, South Africa - A new coalition of indigenous peoples and local communities called for a moratorium on Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD) programs, a key part of the negotiations for a new international climate treaty that took place over the last two weeks in South Africa.

According to the United Nations, REDD is an effort to create a financial value for the carbon stored in forests, offering incentives for developing countries to reduce emissions from forested lands and invest in low-carbon paths to sustainable development. REDD+ goes beyond deforestation and forest degradation, and includes the role of conservation, sustainable management of forests and enhancement of forest carbon stocks. But, say indigenous and climate activists,"This is not a solution to climate change. The same extractive industries are involved and it allows them to continue raping Mother Earth." (Credit: World Rainforest Movement | www.wrm.org.uy)

The new Global Alliance of Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities against REDD and for Life issued a statement stating that based on "in-depth investigations, a growing number of recent reports provide evidence that indigenous peoples are being subjected to violations of their rights as a result of the implementation of REDD+-type programs and policies."

"Indigenous peoples and local forest communities will not place our lives and lands in the hands of corporate polluters," said Tom Goldtooth, executive director of the Indigenous Environmental Network, based in the United States.

Berenice Sánchez of the MesoAmerican Indigenous Women’s BioDiversity Network in Mexico added: "We demand an immediate halt to all REDD and REDD+ programs in the world. It is a new form of colonialism."

Deforestation currently contributes 15 to 20 percent of global emissions of the "greenhouse gases" that cause climate change, such as carbon dioxide (CO2).

According to the United Nations, REDD is an effort to create a financial value for the carbon stored in forests, offering incentives for developing countries to reduce emissions from forested lands and invest in low-carbon paths to sustainable development. REDD+ goes beyond deforestation and forest degradation, and includes the role of conservation, sustainable management of forests and enhancement of forest carbon stocks.

"This is not a solution to climate change," Sánchez told Tierramérica. "The same extractive industries are involved and it allows them to continue raping Mother Earth."

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Indigenous Peoples Call for REDD Moratorium | Common Dreams