Community Forest Management as a Carbon Mitigation Option

Abstract

Deforestation in the tropics is a major source of carbon emissions and an active contributor to global warming. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) estimated that 1.7 billion tons of carbon is released annually due to land use change, of which the major part is tropical deforestation (IPCC 2001). This represents 20%–25% of current global carbon emissions. Deforestation emissions from Brazil and Indonesia alone are equivalent to the entire reduction commitment of the Annex 1 countries during the first commitment period.