An aerial view of deforestation © Greenpeace / Daniel Beltrá
The Prince’s Rainforests Project (PRP) developed a proposal for emergency funding to help protect rainforests and to use incentives to encourage rainforest nations to continue to develop without the need for deforestation. The Emergency Package proposal aimed to produce sizeable funding quickly from innovative public-private partnerships in developed countries.
Our goal was to achieve a relatively fast and certainly significant reduction in tropical deforestation by helping rainforest nations to focus instead on alternative, more environmentally friendly (low-carbon) economic development activity.
On 1st of April 2009, The Prince of Wales hosted an historic meeting of world leaders, who came together to discuss possible ways to reduce tropical deforestation. They agreed to form an International Working Group to consider the issue. This Working Group studied the PRP Emergency Package proposal, along with other suggestions from governments and international organisations, before making recommendations for a co-ordinated, global plan of action.
On 19th of November a meeting was held at St. James’ Palace to discuss an inter-governmental report produced by this Informal Working Group (IWG) of 35 countries. The IWG report outlines a process that would reward rainforest countries for reducing deforestation rates. Payments would be made on a performance basis, and by ensuring that the forests were worth more alive than dead, the financing is aimed at encouraging rainforest countries to pursue more sustainable forms of economic development.
Download the latest report from the Informal Working Group on Interim Finance for REDD, 27th October 2009 [500KB - PDF]
In May 2010 a meeting was held in Oslo at which His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales gave a keynote speech. The meeting, attended by Heads of State and Government, ministers and other representatives from some 50 countries, concluded an agreement on reducing greenhouse gas emissions from deforestation. Around $4.5 billion has been pledged for the period 2010–2012 to support measures to reduce deforestation and forest degradation in developing countries. Find out more about the Oslo Climate and Forest Conference here.