In contrast, the policy of Reduced Emissions from Deforestation in Developing Countries (REDD), which was introduced by Papua New Guinea and Costa Rica in 2005 [4] and which is currently under discussion by the UNFCCC [5,6] includes deforestation, degradation and sustainable management. The option being considered is that a reference scenario for national rate of deforestation is established for each country participating. Then, over the commitment period, the actual rate of deforestation is monitored and compared to the reference scenario. Improvements in deforestation rate are translated into tonnes carbon equivalent and some form of compensation will be paid. The scheme would be entirely voluntary and the payments would be made on a national basis, rather than for a specific project as in the case of the current clean development mechanism. Use of the carbon payments would be a matter of national sovereignty to be used however the government sees fit.
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