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3239594 
Journal Article 
Climate change mitigation via afforestation, reforestation and deforestation avoidance: and what about adaptation to environmental change? 
Reyer, C; Guericke, M; Ibisch, PL 
2009 
1 
New Forests
ISSN: 0169-4286 
38 
1 
15-34 
WOS:000266988500002 
Climate change is affecting the world's ecosystems and
threatening the economic system, livelihoods and availability of natural resources. Forest
ecosystems can be carbon sources or sinks and are therefore integrated in international climate
policy. Forest-related carbon mitigation projects are threatened by climate change through
altered environmental conditions and forest processes, as well as through synergistic effects of
climate change impacts with already existing socioeconomic and environmental stressors. Data on
risk management and adaptation strategies were collected by a survey of 28 current forest
projects targeting climate change mitigation. Ten of these represent the officially implemented
afforestation (A) and reforestation (R) activities under the UNFCCC and the Kyoto protocol.
Additionally, the official methodologies for AR activities under the CDM (Scope 14) were examined
for potential climate change adaptation requirements. As a result, the adaptation of forest
mitigation projects to climate change is found to be insufficient. A systematic approach for the
inclusion of climate change risk management and adaptation is developed and guidelines for the
design of ""climate-change-proof"" afforestation, reforestation and deforestation avoidance
projects are proposed. A broader mainstreaming of the issue is required and clear policy
regulations are necessary, especially for the post-Kyoto process. 
Climate change; Mitigation; Adaptation; Afforestation; Reforestation; Deforestation avoidance