WHAT:: Wetlands International with other experts from a coalition of leading environmental groups around the world held a press conference to explain the Land Use, Land-Use Change and Forestry (LULUCF) and Reducing Emissions From Deforestation and Degradation (REDD) agreements and the role of forests in the climate negotiations process. Presenters assess where we are now, the direction we’re heading as we move toward Copenhagen, and what these agreements will mean for people on the ground. Impacts in Europe and Indonesia will be featured.

WHEN & WHERE: The full webcast is available to watch online here: http://tinyurl.com/nlrlt9 (around 30 minutes long)
 
WHO: Speakers will include Ecosystems Climate Alliance experts:
Sean Cadman, The Wilderness Society, Australia
Nikki Reisch, Rainforest Foundation UK,
Lafcadio Cortesi, Rainforest Action Network,
Dr. Hans Joosten, University of Greifswald, Germany.
 
WHY: Deforestation and wetland destruction together account for roughly 30 percent of all global greenhouse gas emissions which, along with deep fossil fuel emission reductions, must be a central part of any effective climate treaty. LULUCF, the Kyoto Protocol segment dealing with emissions and carbon storage from agriculture and forestry in developed countries, and REDD, the proposed tropical forest component of the new Copenhagen treaty process, could be the international breakthroughs we’ve been waiting for – but the details of the agreement truly matter. Done poorly, these agreements will continue to provide loopholes for developed countries to avoid real emissions reductions – creating devastating consequences for the global climate and for forests. Done well, LULUCF and REDD represent an unprecedented opportunity for a global policy that reduces deforestation, forest degradation, protects forest peoples’ rights, conserves biodiversity, and delivers real climate benefits.