Carbon payments as a safeguard for threatened tropical mammals

One reason for the rapid loss of species-rich tropical forests is the high opportunity costs of forest protection. In Kalimantan (Indonesian Borneo), the expansion of high-revenue oil palm (Elaeis guineensis) plantations currently threatens 3.3 million ha of forest. We estimate that payments for Red...

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Main Authors: Venter, O., Meijaard, E., Possingham, H.P., Dennis, R.A., Sheil, Douglas, Wich, S., Hovani, L., Wilson, K.A.
Format: Journal Article
Language:Inglés
Published: 2009
Subjects:
Online Access:https://hdl.handle.net/10568/20478
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author Venter, O.
Meijaard, E.
Possingham, H.P.
Dennis, R.A.
Sheil, Douglas
Wich, S.
Hovani, L.
Wilson, K.A.
author_browse Dennis, R.A.
Hovani, L.
Meijaard, E.
Possingham, H.P.
Sheil, Douglas
Venter, O.
Wich, S.
Wilson, K.A.
author_facet Venter, O.
Meijaard, E.
Possingham, H.P.
Dennis, R.A.
Sheil, Douglas
Wich, S.
Hovani, L.
Wilson, K.A.
author_sort Venter, O.
collection Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace)
description One reason for the rapid loss of species-rich tropical forests is the high opportunity costs of forest protection. In Kalimantan (Indonesian Borneo), the expansion of high-revenue oil palm (Elaeis guineensis) plantations currently threatens 3.3 million ha of forest. We estimate that payments for Reduced Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation (REDD) could offset the costs of stopping this deforestation at carbon prices of US$ 10-33 per tonne of CO2, or $ 2-16 per tonne if forest conservation targets only cost-efficient areas. Forty globally threatened mammals are found within these planned plantations, including the Bornean orangutan (Pongo pygmaeus) and Borneo pygmy elephant (Elephas maximus borneensis). Cost-efficient areas for emissions reductions also contain higher-than-average numbers of threatened mammals, indicating that there may be synergies between mitigating climate change and conserving biodiversity. While many policy and implementation issues need clarification, our economic assessment suggests that REDD could offer a financially realistic lifeline for Kalimantan's threatened mammals if it is included in future climate agreements.
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spelling CGSpace204782025-01-24T14:20:53Z Carbon payments as a safeguard for threatened tropical mammals Venter, O. Meijaard, E. Possingham, H.P. Dennis, R.A. Sheil, Douglas Wich, S. Hovani, L. Wilson, K.A. carbon deforestation biodiversity conservation oil palms One reason for the rapid loss of species-rich tropical forests is the high opportunity costs of forest protection. In Kalimantan (Indonesian Borneo), the expansion of high-revenue oil palm (Elaeis guineensis) plantations currently threatens 3.3 million ha of forest. We estimate that payments for Reduced Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation (REDD) could offset the costs of stopping this deforestation at carbon prices of US$ 10-33 per tonne of CO2, or $ 2-16 per tonne if forest conservation targets only cost-efficient areas. Forty globally threatened mammals are found within these planned plantations, including the Bornean orangutan (Pongo pygmaeus) and Borneo pygmy elephant (Elephas maximus borneensis). Cost-efficient areas for emissions reductions also contain higher-than-average numbers of threatened mammals, indicating that there may be synergies between mitigating climate change and conserving biodiversity. While many policy and implementation issues need clarification, our economic assessment suggests that REDD could offer a financially realistic lifeline for Kalimantan's threatened mammals if it is included in future climate agreements. 2009 2012-06-04T09:13:24Z 2012-06-04T09:13:24Z Journal Article https://hdl.handle.net/10568/20478 en Venter, O., Meijaard, E., Possingham, H., Dennis, R.A., Sheil, D., Wich, S., Hovani, L., Wilson, K. A. 2009. Carbon payments as a safeguard for threatened tropical mammals . Conservation Letters 2 (3) :123-129. ISSN: 1755-263X.
spellingShingle carbon
deforestation
biodiversity
conservation
oil palms
Venter, O.
Meijaard, E.
Possingham, H.P.
Dennis, R.A.
Sheil, Douglas
Wich, S.
Hovani, L.
Wilson, K.A.
Carbon payments as a safeguard for threatened tropical mammals
title Carbon payments as a safeguard for threatened tropical mammals
title_full Carbon payments as a safeguard for threatened tropical mammals
title_fullStr Carbon payments as a safeguard for threatened tropical mammals
title_full_unstemmed Carbon payments as a safeguard for threatened tropical mammals
title_short Carbon payments as a safeguard for threatened tropical mammals
title_sort carbon payments as a safeguard for threatened tropical mammals
topic carbon
deforestation
biodiversity
conservation
oil palms
url https://hdl.handle.net/10568/20478
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