Give us a CLUA

Last night the Climate and Land Use Alliance (CLUA) hosted a reception attended by about 200 forestry professionals with an interest in financing REDD+ Readiness activities.  CLUA is a collaborative initiative between four philanthropic organizations; Climate Works, and the Moore, Ford and Packard Foundations.

According to Dan Zarin of the Packard Foundation, negotiations currently appear to be so far divorced from the real world that the Moon Palace probably is the ideal name for the venue.  While waiting for the discussions to come back down to Earth, CLUA seeks to make use of their own resources to help fast-start REDD+ readiness actually start fast.  Dan showed us this Washington Post cartoon to illustrate his point. A nice twist on the boiling frog analogy.

Many commentators continue to aver that REDD+ does not yet exist, or that it is impossible to know how it will take shape.  In fact, as David Kaimowitz of the Ford Foundation succinctly put it, REDD+ is whatever you make it.  The term merely defines the final destination.  It can be reached by many roads.  Local communities and indigenous peoples have travelled these roads for longer and more frequently than any other stakeholders, and should therefore be trusted to show the rest of us the way.

Frances Seymour, David’s successor as Director General of CIFOR, highlighted the opportunity that Forest Day 4 offers, to stress the success of Community Forestry activities in Mexico and Central America.  Over 70% of Mexican forests are locally owned, mostly under active management, not protection, and degradation is minimal.  CLUA aims to focus efforts on Brazil, Indonesia, Mexico and Central America to build on existing good practice and ensure that good forest management will be rewarded, not excluded, under any future REDD+ mechanism.  That’s a mission I can get behind.