Eric Dinerstein
Chief Scientist
Conservation
Science Program,
WWF-US
Creating a REDD+Tigers Initiative

A Technological Breakthrough is at Hand:
Carbon Accounting through REDDLite
Construct a 3-D forest map with laser-based (LiDAR) measurements
Peru,
Madagascar,
Colombia,
Ecuador,
DRC (other),
Sabah?
4,000 ha/hr
$0.05/ha

Norwegian Ministry of the Environment grants:
1. $1 billion for Brazilian Amazon
2. $1 billion for REDD+ in Indonesia
3. $1.4 billion to FAO for forest inventory work related to REDD
4. Can we ask for a fraction to create a Tier III forest carbon base map of the tiger range? and
5. Can we secure $XXX million for a REDD+Tigers
Initiative?

1. Can tigers become the face of REDD/REDD+?
2. Can financing from REDD/REDD+Tigers form the basis for protecting and restoring TCLs?
3. Can incentives be added to a REDD+Tiger initiative to help realize Tx2?

“We are totally committed to saving the tiger and India’s bio-diversity. I would stop using the label ‘Project Tiger’ and call it ‘Project Eco-System’.
We need to communicate effectively that saving the tiger is not some middleclass obsession. It is an ecological imperative—by saving the tiger, you are saving the forests. The tiger is merely the symbol. By saving it, we ensure our water security.”
-- Jairam Ramesh, India’s Minister for Environment & Forests, June, 2009

Can Tiger Conservation Landscapes be Protected and
Restored through REDD and REDD+?

Tier I Estimates of Forest Carbon Stored in TCLs
Forests containing tigers hold 3.5 times more carbon than do forests without tigers.
How do we move from Tier I estimates with 50-100% uncertainty to Tier III estimates with <5% uncertainty?

3-D Views of the Amazon
Forest from CAO

Forest Aboveground Carbon Storage in 4,300,500 ha at 0.1 ha Resolution http://claslite.ciw.edu

What area should
REDD+Tigers payments cover?
Core+Adjacent = 137,000 km 2
≈ Bangladesh (144,000 km 2 )?
Tiger Core PAs, adjacent reserves, and all 76 TCLs
All 76 TCLs = 1.1 million km 2
≈ Thailand x 2 (1.028 million km 2 ) or Th x 2?

Wait!
How do we avoid situations where
REDD(+) mechanisms protect glorious forest stands that store huge amounts of carbon but are devoid of tigers and prey?

Can incentives be added to a REDD+Tiger Initiative to help realize Tx2?
Could countries be rewarded with higher annual payments as tigers regain occupancy?
Could countries be rewarded with higher annual payments as the population approaches its recovery target?

Monitoring Carbon Flux and Tiger
Recovery in “Tigeristan” tiger
“baselines” emissions baseline
What if price of carbon jumps from $5/ton to $35/ton after shift from Tier I to Tier III baselines?
What if tiger dividend adds $5 to price/ton where tiger targets have been achieved?

A proposed way forward for the REDD+Tigers Initiative:
At Bali:
1.
Advocate for the environment ministry of government of
Norway and other donors to facilitate creation of a
REDD+Tigers program
Between Bali and St. Petersburg:
2. Design REDD+Tigers Initiative, present to environment ministry of Norway in August
At Global Tiger Summit:
3.
With head-ofgov’t of Norway attending, announce REDD+Tigers
Initiative
4.
Toast with vodka and champagne
At Cancun, Mexico December, 2010
5. Launch REDD+Tigers Initiative to yield dividends for those countries that reduce emissions and increase occupancy and numbers of tigers

TIGERS
CLIMATE
STABLIZATION
FOREST
CARBON