Asian Forum of Carbon Update 2012

Opportunity for development of forest sector responding to climate change in the Republic of Korea

International context - climate change & forest

The UN Framework Convention on Climate Change(UNFCCC) & the Kyoto Protocol(KP) recognized the role of forests as an effective strategy for mitigating greenhouse gases. GHG reduction through forest management and AR CDM projects has been authorized. GHG emission markets deal with credits from forest-based projects. REDD+(Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation) in developing countries is regarded as a complementary mechanism to emissions reduction target Opportunities for development of forest sector responding to climate change

Climate Change

Institutional Dynamics of Forest Policy

Resources/Power

Policy Arrangement Approach Definition of Policy Arrangement : The temporary stabilisation of the content and organisation of a policy domain (Arts et al. 2006:96)

Actors

Rules of the game

Discourses

Policy Arrangement
Discourse
A shared way of apprehending the issue (Dryzek1997)
Norms, Values Definitions of problems & Approaches to solution

Actors
Public & Private actors

Rule of the Games Formal and informal procedures of decision making and implementation
Legislation, Plan, Governance, Informal routines of interaction within institutions

Resources/ Power
Money, Information, Personnel, Political legitimacy

METHODOLOGY: CASE STUDY

Analysis materials
Official documents
Guide lines, plans, covenant form

Text of Law or regulations Research articles

Discourse on Climate Change & Forest

Problem definition: Deforestation as one cause of climate change Solution: Forests as Carbon Sink
Forest expansion and conservation - REDD+(Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation) in developing countries as a complementary mechanism to emissions reduction target Wood products Bio-energy

Continuation and Extension of sustainable forest management

Forest Certification Linking between forest and non-forest sector

International Climate Regime: The UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)

Discourse in South Korea

Low Carbon, Green Growth
Combining of economic development discourse and environmental discourse Harmony between environment and economics
Low carbon: lowering dependence on fossil fuels, expanding the use and distribution of clean energy, and reducing greenhouses gases to an appropriate or lower level by expanding carbon sinks Green Growth: growth achieved by saving and using energy and resources efficiently to reduce climate change and damage to the environment, securing new growth engines through research and development of green technology, creating new job opportunities, and achieving harmony between the economy and environment

RULES OF THE GAME

Legislation (Act & Ordinance) Framework Act and its Presidential Decree on Low Carbon, Green Growth (2010)
Article 55 (3) The Government shall expand carbon sinks substantially through conservation and development of forests and facilitate the utilization of biomass in forests.

Local Government Ordinance on Climate Change (2009-)

10 local governments (1 Province, 4 Cities, 5 Districts)
[e.g.] Ordinance responding to climate change in Guro District, Seoul city. Article 15(Conservation of carbon sink through forests) District shall establish and implement expansion of carbon sink , such as trees and forests, in order to mitigate GHG.

Peopoesed Act on Maintaining and Promoting Carbon Sinks (2011)

Article 17 (2) The Korea Forest Service might construct system on international cooperation and support for gaining carbon credits from reducing emissions from deforestation in overseas countries which can be traded in the international markets.

RULES OF THE GAME

Plans
Action Plan of the Forestry Sector to the Comprehensive Plan on Combating Climate Change (Sep. 2008)
7. Green partnership 1. Green Up 2. Green Cycle

6. Green inventory

3. Green Trading

4. Action Plan of the Forestry Sector 5. Green Governance Green Care on REDD+ (Dec. 2011) Active response to international climate negotiations Construction of domestic infrastructure for REDD+ Implementation of REDD+ projects in developing countries

ACTORS
Ministry of Forestry as a core actor
: Allocation & Management of Forest Carbon Credit

Partnership between governmental agencies

Developing Forest Offset Standard for Carbon Neutral Program (Korea Forest Service & Korea Energy Management Corporation) Memorandum of understanding (MOU) between Korea Forest Service and 4 Metropolitan cities (Seoul, Busan, Daejeon, Incheon) for low carbon, green growth city including expanding carbon sink through forests

Partnership between governmental and non-governmental agencies

Memorandum of understanding (MOU) between Korea Forest Service and enterprises (Shinsegye, Shinhan Bank, Korea Airport Corporation) for reforestation Agreement between Regional Forest Service (North) and Forest for Life (Forest NGO) in Korea for building a model forests for low carbon and green growth between

Resources/ Power
Korea Forest Service (KFS)
Organizational expansion (internal):
international cooperation division Bureau of international affairs

Increased experts on climate and forests allocation of budget to REDD+ policies Limitation:
KFS under the Ministry for Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Forest related issue is isolated from the ministerial meeting

Cooperation between governmental agencies KOICA-KFS AR/CDM & REDD+ project in Rombok, Indonesia (2009-2013)

CONCLUSION
Resources/Power
Administrative power Finance & Expertise

Actors
Coalition between governmental agencies for forest carbon market Public-private partnership

Rules of the game

Legislation, Plans, Covenant

Discourses
Low Carbon Green Growth Harmony between ecology & economy

CONCLUSION
Global climate regime influenced change of national forest policies.
Role of global climate regime as forces of forest policy changes

Climate discourse substantially influenced actors and their power and the rules in the forest sector. Forest policies were developed toward governance and integration.
Introduction of new instruments like covenants among various actors

13

mpark@snu.ac.kr