guardian.co.uk: UN's forest protection scheme at risk from organised crime, experts warn

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http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2009/oct/05/un-forest-protection

UN's forest protection scheme at risk from organised crime, experts warn

International police, politicians and conservationists warn that the UN's programme to cut carbon emissions by paying poor countries to preserve their forests is 'open to wide abuse'

John Vidal, environment editor
guardian.co.uk, Monday 5 October 2009 17.00 BST

A revolutionary UN scheme to cut carbon emissions http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2009/sep/24/redd-reducing-emissions-from-deforestation">by paying poorer countries to preserve their forests is a recipe for corruption and will be hijacked by organised crime without safeguards, a Guardian investigation has found.

The UN, the World Bank, the UK and individuals including Prince Charles have strongly backed UN plans to expand the global carbon market to allow countries to trade the carbon stored in forests.

If, as expected, this is agreed at crucial UN climate change talks taking place in Bangkok this week and concluding in Copenhagen in December, up to $30bn a year could be transferred from rich countries to the owners of endangered forests.

But experts on all sides of the debate, from international police to politicians to conservationists, have warned this week that the scheme, called http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2009/sep/24/redd-reducing-emissions-from-deforestation">Reducing emissions from deforestation and degradation (Redd), may be impossible to monitor and may already be leading to fraud. The UN itself accepts there are "high risks".

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