Prospects for mitigating carbon, conserving biodiversity, and promoting socioeconomic development objectives through the Clean Development Mechanism

摘要

Should forest-based climate mitigation measures be approved for crediting through the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM), they could offer an opportunity to accomplish three important objectives: cost-effective reductions in carbon emissions and sequestration of atmospheric carbon; conservation and restoration of forests and their biological diversity; and, the assistance of host countries and communities in their socioeconomic development. However, prospective investors in CDM projects, host countries and other CDM 'stakeholders' might be expected to place widely different priorities on achieving these objectives. This paper describes several factors that will affect investor interest in CDM projects, the characteristics of forest-based CDM projects that will attract investments, and an approach to identifying projects that meet the key objectives of multiple stakeholders. This approach entails identifying sites, such as degraded watersheds, where CDM financing for forest conservation and restoration can generate readily monetizable local and regional socioeconomic benefits, while mitigating carbon emissions in forests with importance for conserving biodiversity.