Research on the Supporting Activities of the Private Sector in REDD+ Promotion

The General Directorate of Administration for Nature Conservation and Protection, the Ministry of Environment, Cambodia

The Forest Department, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Conservation, Myanmar

The National Forest and Wildlife Service (SERFOR), Peru

FY 2015–2019 Funded by the Forestry Agency, Japan

HIRATA, Yasumasa (Principal Research Director (Climate Change))

Triggered by the Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), which stated that carbon dioxide emissions from deforestation and forest degradation in developing countries account for about 20% of anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions; and by the Stern report of the UK Ministry of Finance, stating that suppressing deforestation is a low-cost climate change mitigation measure, the discussion on the REDD+ program quickly gained international attention. Furthermore, according to the most recent IPCC report (Fifth Assessment), a third of the historical causes of climate change can be linked directly to land use change, such as deforestation, which still accounts for 10 % of greenhouse gas emissions. This evidence highlights the need for the international community to work together to tackle deforestation and forest degradation in developing countries.
As a mechanism for promoting REDD + and reducing greenhouse gas emissions from deforestation and land degradation, the Japanese government is promoting the Joint Credit System (JCM), which implements activities to reduce and absorb greenhouse gas emissions in their host countries by providing Japanese technology, etc. It also uses these contributions to achieve Japan's emission reduction targets. In promoting the JCM, consistency within the agreements in the Framework Convention on Climate Change and development of efficient monitoring technologies is required.

The purpose of this study is to develop a method to accurately assess emission reductions from private activities under the JCM, as part of the national emission reduction objectives based on the agreements in the Framework Convention on Climate Change, and to develop low-cost and practical forest carbon change measurement techniques and methods that take into account local conditions in developing countries, to promote the participation of private companies in JCM.

(1) Development of a method to accurately assess emission reductions achieved by REDD+ activities at the regional or sub-national level as part of the emission reduction objectives of developing countries

(2) Development of measurement methods for emission reductions that meet the conditions of target countries

Forest survey with a drone

(1) To promote REDD+, low-cost and practical techniques and methods for measuring changes in forest carbon were developed. During their development, consideration was given to the interest and reduction potential of REDD+ in developing countries, the status of negotiations for the conclusion of the JCM, differences in forest ecosystems and social environments, and spillover effects on neighboring countries. Peru, Myanmar, and Cambodia were the target areas for the survey. We examined the effect of the amount of ground-truth data available for classification at the regional level on estimations of forest-area change and assessed a variety of survey methods aimed at improving the efficiency of ground surveys. Finally, we developed a method for measuring optimal emission reductions in forests under environmental conditions.

(2) We developed a set of methods to evaluate the private sector’s REDD+ performance in the JCM within the context of the relationship between the national and project levels. To allocate credits for the emission reductions achieved by REDD+ projects effectively, a national reference level was allocated to the projects according to their variables, which included forest area, forest carbon stock, forest area change, and change in forest carbon stock. We compared the reference levels calculated for each variable and identified a transparent and viable allocation method. In the case of Cambodia, to identify the four variables, we considered differences in project conditions such as differences in forest area, the proportion of forest-type composition, historical deforestation trends, and population density in the project vicinity. We compared the reference levels calculated for each variable and organized the characteristics of the allocation methods for Cambodia.

(3) The guidelines and other documents needed to implement REDD+ in the JCM have been enhanced. The REDD Plus Implementation Guidelines, developed by the REDD Research and Development Center, were revised by conducting interviews with experts to clarify the concepts and the position of the emission reductions to be credited.

(1) The methodology developed in this research has been used by the government of Peru to map land use and forest carbon stocks using satellite images under various environmental conditions.

(2) The reference-level allocation methodology developed in this research has been used by the government of Cambodia to design the REDD+ system in that country.

(3) The revised version of the guidelines has been used to guide bilateral discussions for the JCM promoted by the government of Japan.

IWANAGA Seiji, YOKOTA Yasuhiro, HYAKUMURA Kimihiko (2017) Social Safeguards in National and Sub-national REDD+ Initiatives: A comparison based on literature review. JARQ-Japan Agricultural Research Quarterly, 51(1): 31-43.

Hideki Saito (2017) Road network extraction for interpreting large scale forest exploitation. Bulletin of FFPRI, 16(2): 99-105.

Yasumasa Hirata, Naoyuki Furuya, Hideki Saito, Chealy Pak, Chivin Leng, Heng Sokh, Vuthy Ma, Tsuyoshi Kajisa, Tetsuji Ota, Nobuya Mizoue (2018) Object-Based Mapping of Aboveground Biomass in Tropical Forests Using LiDAR and Very-High-Spatial-Resolution Satellite Data. Remote Sensing, 10(3): 48.

EHARA Makoto, HYAKUMURA Kimihiko, SATO Ren'ya, KUROSAWA Kiyoshi, ARAYA Kunio, SOKH Heng, KOHSAKA Ryo (2018) Addressing maladaptive coping strategies of local communities to changes in ecosystem service provisions using the DPSIR framework. Ecological Economics, 149: 226-238.

Luis Alberto Vega Isuhuaylas, Yasumasa Hirata, Lenin Cruyff Ventura Santos (2018) Natural Forest Mapping in the Andes (Peru): A Comparison of the Performance of Machine-Learning Algorithms. Remote Sensing, 10(5): 782.

IMAI Nobuo, FURUKAWA Takuya, TSUJINO Riyou, KITAMURA Shumpei, YUMOTO Takakazu (2018) Factors affecting forest area change in Southeast Asia during 1980-2010. PLoS ONE, 13(5): e0197391

Tetsuya Michinaka (2018) Approximating Forest Resource Dynamics in Peninsular Malaysia Using Parametric and Nonparametric Models, and Its Implications for Establishing Forest Reference (Emission) Levels under REDD+. Land, 7(2): 70.

Kazuki Miyamoto, Tamotsu Sato, Edgar Alexs Arana Olivos, Gabriel Clostre Orellana, Christian Marcel Rohner Stornaiuolo (2018) Variation in tree community composition and carbon stock under natural and human disturbances in Andean forests, Peru. Forests, 9(7): 390.

EHARA Makoto, SAMEJIMA Hiromitsu, YAMANOSHITA Makino, ASADA Yoko, SHOGAKI Yutaro, YANO Masato, HYAKUMURA Kimihiko (2019) REDD+ engagement types preferred by Japanese private firms: The challenges and opportunities in relation to private sector participation. Forest Policy and Economics, 106, 101945.

MICHINAKA Tetsuya, Ei Ei Swe Hlaing, Thaung Naing Oo, Myat Su Mon, SATO Tamotsu (2020) Forecasting forest areas in Myanmar based on socioeconomic factors. Forests, 11(1): 100.