Using redd to promote biodiversitysensitive forest fire management schemes

• Author: Alex Hoover
• Position: J.D. candidate, May 2010, at American University Washington College of Law
• Pages: 34-34

SPRING 2010 34

USING REDD TO PROMOTE BIODIVERSITY-

SENSITIVE FOREST FIRE MANAGEMENT SCHEMES

by Alex Hoover*

* Alex Hoover is a J.D. candidate, May 2010, at American University Washing-

ton College of Law.

Fire is an integral element of healthy forest ecosystems.1

Many plant and animal species naturally rely on f‌ire to

make room for new growth, encourage reproduction, and

provide vital nutrients.2 However, ov erly frequen t or intense

f‌ires can inhibit a forest ecosystem’s ability to rehabilitate,

impoverishing the ecosystem’s biodiversity.3 In many cases,

human activities disrupt natural f‌ire frequency or intensity.4

At an international level, there is an institutional awareness

of the nexus between forest f‌ire management and biodiversity.5

At a national level, however, f‌ire management schemes are frag-

mented, overly complex, or lacking specif‌icity, making it diff‌icult

to manage f‌ire responsibly.6 To bridge this gap, the international

community should use funding mechanisms like the United

Nations Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Deg-

radation Program (“REDD”) to encourage the implementation of

biodiversity-sensitive forest f‌ire management schemes. This arti-

cle provides a brief explanation of f‌ire’s role in maintaining forest

biodiversity and makes specif‌ic recommendations on how REDD

can encourage better forest f‌ire management.

Fire’s effect on forest biodiversity varies depending on

the type of forest, its intensity, and the frequency with which

f‌ires occur.7 Semi-regular, low -intensity f‌ires can have positive

impacts on biodiversity in all types of forests. In temperate for-

ests, many plant and animal species are dependent on regular

f‌ires of low intensity.8 Studies show that aggressive f‌ire suppres-

sion in North America caused a decline in grizzly bear popula-

tions, a result of fewer f‌ire-dependent, berry-producing shrubs

that support bear populations.9

In boreal forests, f‌ire is an important mechanism to clear bio-

mass from the forest f‌loor.10 A build-up of organic material due to

f‌ire suppression in boreal forests can prevent the melting of perma-

frost.11 As a result, the forest maintains a thick layer of permafrost

that impoverishes the soil and decreases productivity of plants.12

Tropical forests can also benef‌it from f‌ire.13 Some stud-

ies suggest that f‌ire in tropical forests can increase the size and

diversity of small animal populations.14 Similarly , certain tree

species in Southeast Asia exhibit f‌ire-resistant traits, such as

thick bark, an ability to heal f‌ire scars, and re-sprouting.15 The

presence of regular, low-intensity f‌ires during dry seasons can

promote these f‌ire-resistant traits and reduce the threat of larger

forest f‌ires in the long-term.16

On the other end of the scale, frequent or high-intensity f‌ires

are destructive across all forest types.17 A boreal forest’s ability

to regenerate after a forest f‌ire is limited by high intensity f‌ires.18

Severe f‌ires in Russia’s forests in 1998 destroyed the “ecological

function” of roughly 2 million hectares of forest.19

In tropical forests, areas subject to frequent f‌ires because

of human activity like logging are more vulnerable to f‌ires in

the fut ure.20 Recurring f‌ires can also reduce the size and den-

sity of surviving forest patches and can kill regenerating plant

species.21 The risk of forest f‌ires is exasperated by slow reha-

bilitation in tropical forests, where as long as seventy years are

necessary to recover from even moderately destructive f‌ires.22

To promote f‌ire management schemes that allow for natural

f‌ire cycles, the international community should encourage the

use of biodiversity-sensitive practices through REDD. Very gen-

erally, REDD is an effort to prevent the degradation of forests

as carbon sinks through national cooperation and f‌inancing.23

To achieve this goal, REDD provides f‌inancing to developing

nations in exchange for preservation of forests.24 In its “REDD

Plus” Program, the UN expands the scope of REDD to include

sustainable management, conservation, and forest enhance-

ment.25 As world leaders seek to expand REDD to play a more

active role in curbing global climate change,26 they should pri-

oritize maintaining biodiversity.

Current REDD projects in Brazil take into account biodi-

versity issues and brief‌ly address the need to properly manage

f‌ire.27 Within the context of the Amazon there are few benef‌its to

f‌ire, so a “no-burn” policy is appropriate. In f‌ire-dependent for-

est ecosystems, a more nuanced approach is necessary. If REDD

projects fail to adequately consider f‌ire’s role in main taining

biodiversity, they may incentivize the suppression of a forest’s

natural f‌ire cycle.28

To avoid the risk of perverse incentives, REDD Project

f‌inancing should promote biodiversity-sensitive f‌ire manage-

ment in member nations. Once proper management is in place,

payments for forest preservation could be timed in a manner

that recognizes the natural destruction and rehabilitation seen in

regular f‌ire cycles. Under such a system, a REDD Project would

avoid situations in which nations were penalized with reduced

funds because forests were allowed to naturally burn.

Too often, human activities such as f‌ire suppression and

land-use changes disrupt natural f‌ire cycles, causing a decline in

biodiversity. The international community should use f‌inancial

mechanisms such as REDD to promote biodiversity-sensitive

f‌ire management schemes.

Endnotes: Using REDD to Promote Biodiversity-Sensitive

Forest Fire Management Schemes continued on page 53