Paying for avoided deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon: from cost assessment to scheme design
Reducing emissions from deforestation and degradation (REDD) is considered a significant mitigation opportunity. Forest loss in the Brazilian Amazon has traditionally been highest in the world and, thus, represents a likely target for future REDD initiatives. The paper presents an ex-ante
assessment of the potential REDD costs in two of the three largest states in the Brazilian Amazon using official land use and cover change statistics. The two states, Mato Grosso and Amazonas, historically feature largely different land use dynamics. The findings focus on the opportunity costs
of REDD and suggest that at least 1 million ha of projected deforestation in Mato Grosso and Amazonas could be compensated for at current carbon prices until 2017. Total costs may differ between US$ 330 million and over US$ 1 billion depending on how payment mechanisms are designed.
Implications of payment scheme design for the political economy of REDD are discussed.
Keywords: REDD; carbon supply; land use; opportunity costs; payments for environmental services
Document Type: Research Article
Affiliations: 1: Amazon Initiative & International Centre for Tropical Agriculture, CIAT, c/o Embrapa, Tr. E. Pinheiro s/n, Belm-PA, Brazil. 2: Center for International Forestry Research, CIFOR, c/o Embrapa, Tr. E. Pinheiro s/n, Belm-PA, Brazil.
Publication date: 01 September 2008
- The International Forestry Review is a peer-reviewed scholarly journal that publishes original research and review papers on all aspects of forest policy and science, with an emphasis on issues of transnational significance. It is published four times per year, in March, June, September and December. Theme editions are a regular feature and attract a wide audience.
The IFR is part of The Global Forest Information Service - GFIS
International Forestry Review has an Impact Factor of 1.705 - Editorial Board
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