“Managing nature will play a key role in our ability to cope with the changing climate and reduce emissions,” says Julia Marton-Lefèvre, Director General of IUCN. “A massive investment in nature, in the way we protect it, manage it and govern it will take us from where we are today to a low carbon economy of the future.
“Managing and conserving ecosystems can increase resilience and reduce the vulnerability of people to the impacts of climate change,” says Head of IUCN’s Ecosystem Management Programme, Neville Ash. “Ecosystem-based adaptation to climate change should be included in a post-2012 adaptation framework.”
Deforestation accounts for 20 per cent of greenhouse gas emissions. “Preventing deforestation and restoring forest areas through REDD can combat climate change in a cost-effective way while generating crucial, additional benefits for indigenous peoples, local communities and biodiversity,” says IUCN’s Director of Environment and Development Stewart Maginnis. “REDD must be an integral part of a future climate deal.”
