Carbon Forestry and Poverty Alleviation: The Case of REDD in Nigeria
Global carbon forestry programs like REDD aim to alleviate poverty but face challenges in empowering forest-dependent communities. The paper discusses the role of key actors in maintaining the status quo, presenting research findings from a REDD program in Nigeria. Carbon forestry involves market-based strategies to sequester forest carbon, contributing to climate change mitigation. Supported by organizations like the World Bank and the United Nations, carbon forestry seeks to reduce carbon market prices and emissions costs.
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University of Illinois Urbana Champaign Society of Postdoctoral Scholars Research Symposium Beckman Institute, 25 January, 2013 Carbon forestry and poverty alleviation: The more things change, the more they stay the same Emmanuel O. Nuesiri Postdoctoral Research Associate Geography Department and the Social Dimensions of Environmental Policy (SDEP) Abstract Global carbon forestry programs such as the reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation in developing countries (REDD) promises to contribute to poverty alleviation. However, the design phase of such programs show that the principal actors implicated in keeping forest dependent people poor remain in the driver s seat in designing the new carbon forestry economy. Are we then to realistically expect a different set of results? This paper addresses this problematic by presenting provisional results from research carried out on a REDD program in Nigeria.
What is Carbon Forestry? Carbon forestry involves market-based forest management strategies that promote forest carbon sequestration as one of the global mechanisms to mitigating the impact of climate change. It includes initiatives such as Payment for Environmental Services (PES) schemes; the Kyoto Protocols Clean Development Mechanism (CDM); and the Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation in Developing Countries (REDD) strongly supported the World Bank and the United Nations. Why Carbon Forestry? Carbon forestry is expected to reduce the price of carbon in carbon markets and consequently the costs of carbon emissions reductions for polluting agents in the industrialized world
Source: FAO. 2010. Managing Forests for Climate Change. Rome: FAO
Figure 1: Estimated price of carbon in $US per tonne of carbon without forest carbon (iter 1) and with forest carbon (iter 11) Source: Tavoni M., B. Sohngen and V. Bosetti. 2007. Forestry and the Carbon Market: Response to Stabilize Climate. Climate Change Modelling and Policy Research Report to the Fondazione Eni Enrico Mattei
Who are the global actors promoting Carbon Forestry? Carbon forestry is promoted through the World Bank and the United Nations supported by governments and industries. Activities are coordinated by the Forest Carbon Partnership Facility (FCPF) hosted by the World Bank. Members include: Governments: The European Commission and Governments of Australia, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Switzerland, United Kingdom, and United States of America Private Sector & NGOs: BP Technology Ventures Inc., CDC Climat*, The Nature Conservancy Collaborators: The UN-REDD Programme *CDC - Caisse des D p ts Group is a major investment firm based in France
Carbon forestry through REDD REDD The reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation in developing countries (REDD) initiative is part of a portfolio of strategies for climate change mitigation being considered by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). The World Bank through the FCPF and the United Nations through the UN- REDD Programme are working with interested donors and governments in the developing world to build capacity to identify and manage large tracts of forest as carbon forest under the REDD initiative. Verified carbon sequestered under the REDD initiative will be sold in international carbon markets. The REDD initiative commits governments in developing countries to equitably compensate poor forest dependent people who may suffer loss of livelihoods from enclosure of forestlands.
Research Interest Questions 1. Who determines the benefit sharing mechanism in REDD? 2. How much compensation will poor forest dependent people receive? 3. What measures are there to ensure equity in the compensation regime? Case study The UN-REDD Programme in Nigeria, West Africa. Context Nigeria is wealthy oil exporting country with a population of 160 million people; 60% live on below US1 per day. Poverty is linked to inequitable distribution of wealth and massive corruption. It has a federal system of government with 36 states and federal capital territory, Abuja. The UN-REDD has a US$4 million programme in the country, which includes a pilot carbon forestry project in Cross River State (CRS) in south-east Nigeria. CRS has about 3 million people and 50% of Nigeria s forest cover; it does not have oil revenues, income is mainly from tourism.
3 2 REDD Project Areas 1: Akpabuyo Mangroves 2: Ekuri Cluster 3: Mbe Mountains Cluster 1 Figure 2: Maps showing REDD Pilot Project Areas in Cross River State
Research Design Theory This study is primarily influenced by the social theories of Nancy Fraser. In her article Reframing Justice in a Globalizing World (Fraser 2005), she argues that social equity is influenced by economics, cultural identity, and the structure of governance systems. To understand and influence the social world, one must therefore pay attention to the politics of redistribution , the politics of recognition , and the politics of representation . Hypothesis The UN-REDD commitment to equitable benefit sharing for forest users impacted by its carbon forest projects is operationalized by an engagement with the politics of redistribution, recognition, and representation. Data was collected through: Published and grey document reviews Field work carried out in Nigeria between August to October 2012 Personal interviews of research participants in key institutions at the local, national and international scale. Field visit to Ikoi Esai community in the Ekuri Cluster project area
Results The Nigeria REDD readiness program commenced in 2012 after a 2 year consultative process; the program will last till 2015, by which time the country will be ready to enter into the carbon trading market. The Nigeria program is in its readiness phase, when technical and managerial capacity is being built at the national and state level. 1. Who determines the benefit sharing mechanism in the UN-REDD Nigeria Programme? The Nigeria REDD+ Readiness Programme document states on page 52 under Outcome 3 Institutional and technical capacity for REDD+ in Cross River State strengthened that: Specific activities will include developing the benefit-sharing distribution and carbon trading systems that would underpin REDD+ in CRS, and developing a registry and rules for REDD+ initiatives.
Results (contd.) 2. The readiness document does not discuss how much compensation forest dependent people will receive. However, timber revenues in Cross River State was shared on a 50:50 basis between the state and the communities with rights to the forest where the timber was harvested. How much compensation will poor forest dependent people receive? Interviews reveal that the timber sector was rife with corruption so there is no accurate data on how much revenue it generated. Corruption in the sector led the state governor in 2008 to ban logging indefinitely. The ban is upheld by a taskforce led by an American conservationist who has lived in the state for the past 20 years. He and his team encounter regular violent skirmishes with illegal loggers in the state; working with the security services, the American carries a shotgun at all times.
Figure 3: Timber forcefully impounded from illegal loggers The illegal loggers consist of merchants from other parts of Nigeria; community collaborators; disloyal forest department staff; and state level political leaders.
Results (contd.) 3. The UN-REDD foundational framework document states that the UN-REDD will ensure equitable payment distribution and reduce corruption by promoting strong democratic processes in local institutions (UN-REDD 2008, pp. 12). What measures are there to ensure equity in the compensation regime? The UN-REDD Social and Environmental Principles and Criteria document, states that the UN-REDD will ensure the full and effective participation of forest dependent communities, with special attention to the most vulnerable and marginalized groups (UN REDD 2011, pp. 4). The UN-REDD states in its Report of the Eighth Policy Board Meeting document that its environmental and social safeguards are a voluntary guiding framework (UN-REDD 2012, pp. 4). Ensuring equity in benefit sharing in the Nigeria pilot thus lies with the Cross River State government.
Discussion You cannot stand by the road and ban the bush (Senior forester in Cross River State who opposes the log ban) The UN-REDD Nigeria Programme engages with the economics of carbon trading and with the necessity of recognizing the rights of the different groups with claims to the forest in Cross River State. However, it steps back from questioning the governance structures in the state. The fact that the state governor could not address corruption in the logging sector other than to ban the activity; and could not enforce the ban through regular security apparatus but depends on a militia type team headed by an expatriate conservationist, indicates severe governance dysfunction. Nigeria holds regular elections to appoint its leaders at national, state, and local level. These often rule by arbitrary order like this log ban bitterly opposed by local people who depend on the resource for sustenance. This type of governance structure cannot ensure social equity.
Conclusion This study examines the UN-REDD carbon forestry project and its potential to contribute to poverty alleviation in Cross River State, Nigeria. This is because the UN-REDD Programme articulates a commitment to equitable benefit sharing of REDD revenues. The study is informed by Fraser (2005) theory that that social equity is influenced by economics, cultural identity, and the structure of governance systems. She refers to this as the politics of redistribution , the politics of recognition , and the politics of representation . The study hypothesizes that the UN-REDD commitment to equitable benefit sharing for forest users impacted by its carbon forest projects is operationalized by an engagement with the politics of redistribution, recognition, and representation . The study finds that the UN-REDD engages with the politics of redistribution and recognition but not the politics of representation. The Cross State government responsible for ensuring equitable benefit sharing of REDD revenues, has a dysfunctional governance structure. The study concludes that the UN-REDD carbon forestry project in Cross River State, Nigeria is unlikely to contribute to local poverty alleviation.
