Journal of Forest Economics > Vol 29 > Issue 2

Could REDD+ mechanisms induce logging companies to reduce forest degradation in Central Africa?

Vivien Rossi, RU Forests and Societies, Cameroon AND UMMISCO, Cameroon AND COMIFAC, Cameroon, vivien.rossi@cirad.fr , Florian Claeys, ENGREF, France AND RU Forests and Societies, France AND Laboratory of Forest Economics, France, Didier Bastin, Alpicam, Cameroon, Sylvie Gourlet-Fleury, RU Forests and Societies, France, Philippe Guizol, RU Forests and Societies, Cameroon AND CIFOR, Cameroon, Richard Eba’a-Atyi, CIFOR, Cameroon, Denis J. Sonwa, CIFOR, Cameroon, Guillaume Lescuyer, CIFOR, Cameroon AND RU Forests & Societies, Indonesia, Nicolas Picard, RU Forests and Societies, Cameroon AND COMIFAC, Cameroon
 
Suggested Citation
Vivien Rossi, Florian Claeys, Didier Bastin, Sylvie Gourlet-Fleury, Philippe Guizol, Richard Eba’a-Atyi, Denis J. Sonwa, Guillaume Lescuyer and Nicolas Picard (2017), "Could REDD+ mechanisms induce logging companies to reduce forest degradation in Central Africa?", Journal of Forest Economics: Vol. 29: No. 2, pp 107-117. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jfe.2017.10.001

Publication Date: 0/12/2017
© 0 2017 Vivien Rossi, Florian Claeys, Didier Bastin, Sylvie Gourlet-Fleury, ... Nicolas Picard
 
Subjects
 
Keywords
REDD+Improved forest managementTropical forestsLoggingConcessionCongo Basin
 

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In this article:
Introduction 
Material and Methods 
Results 
Discussion 

Abstract

In the Congo Basin where nearly 20 million ha of concessions are exploited according to management plans, improved forest management (IFM) has become a strategy of prime importance when setting up the REDD+ mechanism. For logging companies, REDD+ projects provide the opportunity to compensate a voluntary reduction of the logging intensity by valuing the associated carbon gain. We explored, from the perspective of a logging company, a range of scenarios for reducing logging intensity so as to assess the possibilities for emissions reductions and to evaluate the financial feasibility of such projects. On the basis of Monte Carlo simulations for a typical export-oriented forest concession, we calculated intervals of break-even prices of permanent carbon credits. We show that logging intensity reduction is an attractive option when there is a complete cessation of logging, and for little exploited and low-profit forests. The most feasible IFM projects would be those that require a major reduction of logging intensity. Our work suggests that—instead of improving forest logging techniques—IFM projects based on a voluntary reduction of logging intensity would rather lead the exclusive choice of carbon or timber valuation. Carbon market prices are too low to be an incentive to change logging practices toward more climate-smart forest management, and a change of paradigm to change actors’ behaviors would be needed.

DOI:10.1016/j.jfe.2017.10.001