- “We have lived in and safeguarded our forests for generations, helping maintain biodiverse ecosystems designated as high forest, low deforestation (HFLD) areas, which are regions with historically low deforestation,” two Indigenous leaders write in a new op-ed.
- Carbon markets have mostly focused on areas with pre-existing deforestation, but communities like these with historically low deforestation need financing to support their conservation work, too, so shouldn’t HFLD regions get better access to the voluntary carbon market?
- “For too long, Indigenous and local communities who have preserved forests without compensation have been excluded from financial benefits linked to forest conservation. This is not just an environmental issue, but a matter of climate justice,” they argue.
- This article is a commentary. The views expressed are those of the authors, not necessarily Mongabay.
For us, protecting our forests is like protecting our families. They are our homes. They give us life. For decades, we’ve witnessed deforestation destroy large areas of tropical forests, where people saw them worth more dead than alive. Our forests have avoided that fate, as we’ve fought for protections to designate them as Indigenous territories. But now our forests are under threat.
We represent Indigenous communities from the Peruvian Amazon and Panama. We have lived in and safeguarded our forests for generations, helping maintain biodiverse ecosystems designated as high forest, low deforestation (HFLD) areas, which are regions with historically low deforestation. Our forests store immense amounts of carbon and are home to rich biodiversity. Yet carbon markets have not adequately acknowledged our efforts to keep forests standing in these regions. As a result, our communities risk missing out on critical financing that could be made available by the voluntary carbon market.
That is why the communal reserves in Peru, represented by the National Association of Executors of the Communal Reserves Administration Contract (ANECAP) and many other Indigenous communities in tropical forests countries like Panama, have been defending HFLD crediting approaches as a way to channel funds to help our communities combat the escalating forces driving deforestation.
Compensation for our efforts
Our communities’ practices to conserve forests have been in place for decades and are helping keep forests standing today and into the future.
In the Communal Reserves of the Peruvian Amazon, for example, we organize forest surveillance brigades. We develop sustainable economic activities to prevent land use change. We invest in strengthening governance for Indigenous organizations to have capacities to defend the territories. We’re fighting against the encroachment of infrastructure projects in our lands. Yet our communities have received little financial support to maintain these efforts.
Carbon markets could change that. With our activities we are preventing huge emissions from the deforestation of carbon rich forests.
If we were able to generate credits from these carbon stores and sell them to companies and countries, our communities could receive much needed financing to support our forest conservation efforts. But to realize this opportunity, HFLD regions must have better access to the voluntary carbon market.
Carbon markets tend to focus on areas that had high deforestation rates in the past, rewarding efforts that halt ongoing damage. While this is important, it overlooks the value of forests like ours, where preemptive protection has ensured low deforestation rates.
However, maintaining low deforestation rates is far from guaranteed.
HFLD regions are now at greater risk of deforestation. From 2002 to 2020, HFLD jurisdictions experienced 44% higher deforestation rates than their historical average, and this trend is only expected to increase. Growing worldwide demand for food, fuelwood, fiber and energy increases the pressure to cut down forests to produce these resources and expand into new forest frontiers, especially in our own territories. This pattern is echoed globally – in fact, six jurisdictions have lost their HFLD status over the past decade.
In the Guna territory of Panama, we’ve been subjected to pressure from settlers who are intent on exploiting the forests and other natural resources of the region. The Guna authorities are defending our territorial integrity and resources with actions like appointing forest rangers to monitor territorial boundaries. These actions have prevented further invasion and deforestation of Guna territory. But without reliable funding streams to support these monitoring efforts, maintaining our defense against encroachment is an uphill battle.
Now the Integrity Council for the Voluntary Carbon Market (ICVCM) has the opportunity to ensure that we, who are on the frontlines of forest conservation, have adequate access to market finance. By approving carbon crediting methodologies that acknowledge the preventive and defensive efforts in HFLD areas, our communities could get access to critical forest conservation financing.
See related: Indigenous communities can decide for themselves on carbon market risks
A matter of fairness
At the heart of the call for HFLD crediting is the issue of fairness. For too long, Indigenous and local communities who have preserved forests without compensation have been excluded from financial benefits linked to forest conservation. This is not just an environmental issue, but a matter of climate justice.
Including HFLD credit methodologies in high integrity voluntary carbon market guidance could help correct this imbalance by ensuring that communities that have contributed significantly to the fight against climate change are recognized and rewarded. This will empower Indigenous communities facing increasing threats of deforestation, while promoting climate equity, and ensuring the continued protection of these vital ecosystems. And this will send a clear message to the global community: preventive action matters.
Protecting forests while they are still standing is as valuable — if not more so — than restoration efforts after deforestation has occurred. Both strategies are essential in our collective effort to stabilize Earth’s climate.
Fermin Chimatani is a member of the Harakbut People of Amarakaeri territories in Madre de Dios Peru, and currently is President of ANECAP (National Association of Executors of the Communal Reserves Administration Contract). He is a member of the ICVCM Engagement Forum, a member of the Advisory Board of the KAWARI Fund for Integrity in Forest Carbon Markets, and a member of the IPLC Advisory Board to ART TREES. Onel Marsadule is a member of the Guna Peoples of Panama, Executive Director of the Foundation for the Promotion of Indigenous Knowledge (FPCI), and Co-Chair of the ICVCM Engagement Forum.
Banner image: Flooded forest, Peruvian Amazon. Image by Rhett A. Butler for Mongabay.
Related audio from Mongabay’s podcast: A conversation with Indigenous economist Rebecca Adamson, listen here:
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Indigenous communities can decide for themselves on carbon market risks (commentary)
Credits
