Richard Rice

Comparing climate and cost impacts of reference levels for reducing emissions from deforestation.

The climate benefit and economic cost of an international mechanism for reducing emissions from deforestation and degradation (REDD) will depend on the design of reference levels for crediting emission reductions. We compare the impacts of six proposed reference level designs on emission reduction levels and on cost per emission reduction using a stylized partial equilibrium model (the open source impacts of REDD incentives spreadsheet; OSIRIS). The model explicitly incorporates national incentives to participate in an international REDD mechanism as well as international leakage of deforestation emissions. Our results show that a REDD mechanism can provide cost-efficient climate change mitigation benefits under a broad range of reference level designs. We find that the most effective reference level designs balance incentives to reduce historically high deforestation emissions with incentives to maintain historically low deforestation emissions. Estimates of emission reductions under REDD depend critically on the degree to which demand for tropical frontier agriculture generates leakage. This underscores the potential importance to REDD of complementary strategies to supply agricultural needs outside of the forest frontier.

Impacts of Unsustainable Mahogany Logging in Bolivia and Peru

Although bigleaf mahogany [Swietenia macrophylla King (Meliaceae)] is the premier timber species of Latin America, its exploitation is unsustainable because of a pattern of local depletion and shifting supply. We surveyed experts on the status of mahogany in Bolivia and Peru, the worlds past and present largest exporters. Bolivia no longer has commercially viable mahogany (trees > 60 cm diameter at breast height) across 79% of its range. In Peru, mahoganys range has shrunk by 50%, and, within a decade, a further 28% will be logged out. Approximately 15% of the mahogany range in these two countries is protected, but low densities and illegal logging mean that this overestimates the extent of mahogany under protection. The international community can support mahogany conservation by funding park management and by encouraging independent verification of the legality of mahogany in trade. Our findings demonstrate that a systematic expert survey can generate reliable and cost-effective information on the status of widespread species of concern and help to inform appropriate management policy. Recommended citation: Kometter, R. F., M. Martinez, A. G. Blundell, R. E. Gullison, M. K. Steininger, and R. E. Rice. 2004. Impacts of unsustainable mahogany logging in Bolivia and Peru. Ecology and Society 9(1): 12. [online] URL: http://www.ecologyandsociety.org/vol9/iss1/art12

Simulated financial returns and selected environmental impacts from four alternative silvicultural prescriptions applied in the neotropics: a case study of the Chimanes Forest, Bolivia

Abstract The objective of this study was to compare the financial returns and selected environmental impacts from four alternative silvicultural prescriptions when applied to a sample area in the Chimanes Forest of Bolivia. Timber growth and yield and residual tree damage were estimated by simulating application of the prescriptions over a 50 year planning horizon using a diameter class model. Financial returns from the four prescriptions were estimated using discounted cashflow analysis. The annual net cashflows were computed as the product of the yields of each of three classes of timber and the corresponding weighted average net tree value for the class computed from production cost and product price data taken from the literature. In the Chimanes Forest, silvicultural prescriptions based on highly selective cutting of single species are substantially more profitable than prescriptions involving cutting across a broad range of species given current relative prices among commercial species and prevailing interest rates. All prescriptions were shown to be highly profitable yielding a rate of return in excess of the average real rate of return from commercial activities in Bolivia over the past 8 years. Impact on woody vegetation including both damage and commercial removals was shown to be highest for the prescription involving the most intensive management. Road construction and total area disturbed were highest for the two prescriptions based on highly selective cutting. Independent of the prescription chosen, forest practices must be monitored and controlled by some organization independent of the concessionaires to prevent degradation of production forests.

'Marketing' species conservation Financial incentives can be found to conserve a species threatened by trade.

Financial incentives can be found to conserve a species threatened by trade.