Understanding the private demand for international ecosystem services : public attitudes and preferences towards REDD : final report

This study focused specifically on one perceived opportunity for developing IPES, namely the concept of Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation (REDD). REDD refers to any conservation or sustainable land-use initiative that effectively mitigates a real deforestation/degradation threat in a given area. Considering that close to 25% of all anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions come from deforestation and forest degradation, REDD is currently being considered as a potentially promising climate change mitigation strategy. The main component of this research project is a socio-economic survey of public attitudes and preferences towards REDD (also referred to as avoided deforestation). The survey was carried out as part of a post-graduate course offered by the Geneva School of Business Administration (HEG Geneva), with oversight provided by all of the project partners. The results provided in this report reflect the preliminary findings of a statistical analysis of the information collected through the survey. The report is composed of two main sections. The first one is a literature review by David Huberman, which served as the theoretical foundation for the survey. The second main section is a presentation of the preliminary results obtained through the survey by Anne-Kathrin Faust and Andrea Baranzini. The two questionnaires which were used as part of the survey are attached as an annex.