Costs of avoided deforestation as a climate change mitigation option

Introduction The IPCC Fourth Assessment report estimates that land-use change and forestry contributed 17 per cent of greenhouse gas emissions in 2004, but acknowledges that considerable uncertainty remains (Nabuurs et al., 2007). Deforestation in the tropics is considered to be the major factor responsible for emissions in land-use change and forestry although there is disagreement about the extent to which it is offset by expanding forest areas. Tropical forests have particularly high carbon stocks, holding on average 50 per cent more carbon per hectare than forests in temperate and boreal areas (Houghton, 2005). They are also experiencing the highest rates of deforestation. The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) estimates deforestation to equal 13 million hectares per year, most of it in tropical countries (FAO, 2005).