Side Event
Forest Ecosystem Services Trading: A Market Solution to Conserve Biodiversity and Stabilize Climate
Organizer
Global Canopy Programme
Date and Time
1 January 0001 0:0 - 0:0
Tropical forests canopies sustain 40% of all life on earth and all subsequent ecosystem services are a function of interactions between this life, the soil and the atmosphere. 1.9-3.0 billion metric tonnes of carbon is released per year from deforestation. Conserving tropical forests offers the largest immediate opportunity for jointly mitigating carbon emissions and sustaining critical ecosystem services, upon which all of humanity depends. We propose a new large-scale tool enabling ecosystem services provided by tropical forests to be traded in financial markets. It has potential to deliver economic values for standing forests in excess of those currently derived from cutting them down, and revenues for local livelihoods on a scale that transcends traditional conservation. It will complement and encourage proposals for Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation.