Forest funding - Good idea but...

Global warming caused by man-made greenhouse gas emissions has become serious ecological problem. Infamous Kyoto protocol failed in its intention to decrease greenhouse gas emissions and now new solution is required. This solution could be the forest funding that should put an end to uncontrolled deforestation and save our forests. Britain and Norway already invested £108m to a fund to protect forests in the Congo basin and that is the initiative this world needs. However something else must be done too, namely to ensure that these huge fonds get in right hands.


Funds itself won't be sufficient, there is also many changes that need to be done before we can talk about successful project. Many institutional and policy reforms are needed to ensure success of this project, and special emphasis must be on forest property rights. These changes must ensure that money won't end up in central government officials, of which many are closely tied to illegal logging and mining activities. Giving money directly to local groups seems to be more effective, of course if they are prior given clear land rights. There were some examples in Mexico and Brazil that showed more success when local communities were running the forest protection projects.

Deforestation causes about a fifth of man-made greenhouse gas emissions

The cause is just - sending money to save the forests, but there is a lot of work ahead to ensure that billions will end up in the right hands. One thing is sure though - deforestation that causes about a fifth of man-made greenhouse gas emissions is a huge problem that needs to be dealt with, and that can't be done without the huge funds from rich countries. It is not just enough to give the money, it is equally important to ensure that this money fulfills its purpose, namely to significantly cut down deforestation rate in many developing countries. Hopefully, both funding as well as funding control will be on required level because without it our forests will not survive.