Negotiating Carbon Concessions in Developing Countries: Issues of Capacity, Confidentiality & Corruption

By Kyla Tienhaara and Wynet Smith

Introduction: In 2008, John Vidal wrote an article in the Guardian newspaper entitled ‘The great green land grab’, in which he discussed the boom in conservation-based land investments in developing countries and its potential pitfalls. Vidal focused mainly on land purchases by wealthy individuals and non-profit organizations ostensibly aimed at preserving areas of natural beauty and wildlife habitat, but today much of the activity in this area stems from the growing carbon-offset industry that seeks to plant or preserve forests (or plantations) as ‘sinks’ of carbon dioxide. The growing market for forest-derived ‘carbon credits’ – projected to grow from $42.0 million in 2010 to $65.1 million in 2015 (Environmental Leader 2011) has not escaped the attention of the UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food, who noted that carbon sequestration plantations and avoided deforestation projects are an important factor driving land acquisitions in many countries (De Schutter 2009: 6-7).