CLIMATE CHANGE AND TROPICAL FORESTRY: MONITORING AND POLICIES

Deforestation is a major contributor to human-induced GHGs. The course introduces participants to the role of forests in regulating the climate, the impacts of deforestation and forest degradation on global atmospheric carbon, the rapidly changing framework of policy and tools for managing forest carbon, and implications for conservation and forest-dependent people.
The course will look in detail at the negotiations within the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) on emission reductions from forests (REDD+) and the various Fast Start mechanisms already operating, such as for example the UN-REDD program. The different options for finance to include carbon markets and multilateral investment will be examined. There will also be a discussion of emerging environmental and social safeguards for REDD+ as well as links to agricultural roundtables and forest law-enforcement, governance and trade (FLEGT) initiatives. The course will use case studies to illustrate key topics and create a space for discussion on directions for the future.

The course is divided into the following 5 compulsory e-Modules:
e-Module 1: “Starting up! Are you climate friendly?”, which includes 4 e-lessons (1. Log in and answer to the welcome letter; 2. Have you ever seen deforestation of forest degradation?; 3. Calculate your carbon footprint! 4. IPCC forecasts);
e-Module 2: “Problems and solutions of climate change”, which includes 3 e-lessons (1. REDD+; 2. Domestic initiatives, voluntary carbon market and supply chain; 3. Financial investments);
e-Module 3: “From carbon to ecosystem services”, with 5 e-lessons (1. Key concepts; 2. Adding values: ecosystem services; 3. Case study: water; 4. Project cycle; 5. Exercise 1: compare forest carbon standards);
e-Module 4: "Carbon accounting", with 2 e-lessons (1. Exercise 1: estimate carbon credits; 3. Exercise 2: audit carbon estimations);
e-Module 5: “Final examination” (based on an individual assignment).