Market-based payments: Good for forests, bad for people?
(about Tropical Forest Conservation, Climate change and Markets)
Lecture by Francis E. Putz, Prince Bernhard Professor for International Nature Conservation, University Utrecht
Deforestation, unsustainable forest use, climate change, and biodiversity loss are major global problems. All result from the failure of markets to capture the values of intact ecosystems and species. It follows that solutions to these problems should be global in scope and market-based. Such a solution is likely included in the new climate change agreement that is to be signed in Copenhagen in December 2009. It is called “reduced emissions from deforestation and forest degradation” (REDD) and involves payments for keeping forests standing. Unfortunately, what is good for carbon is not always good for biodiversity and sustainability. Also, a global and market-based approach is unlikely to provide much social welfare, at least for the people most in need.
The Prince Bernhard Chair was founded in 1986 on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of His Royal Highness Prince Bernhard. The Chair was initiated to honour Prince Bernhard’s crucial roles in the international conservation community. Chair holders are internationally renowned researchers working at the interface of conservation science and practice. They serve for a term of five years during which they visit Utrecht University for one month per year. The Chair aims to (1) raise awareness of international nature conservation among students, (2) improve the scientific basis for conservation actions, and (3) strengthen the links between conservation science and practice.