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TWN
Info Service on Biodiversity and Traditional Knowledge (Oct25/05) Dear Friends and Colleagues Biodiversity offsets and credits: Hard questions, real impacts We are pleased to share a new publication, Biodiversity Offsets and Credits: Frequently Asked Questions, which aims to explain further the concepts, assumptions and key features of biodiversity offsets and credits. Biodiversity offsets and credits are currently being promoted as mechanisms to channel financial resources towards biodiversity protection. But a growing body of evidence shows that biodiversity offsets, which are modelled after problematic carbon markets, could lead to significant social and environmental harm. Moreover, biocrediting systems are unlikely to be effective in terms of either protecting ecosystems or raising reliable additional funding for biodiversity conservation. These mechanisms raise many concerns, summarized in the publication, and include greenwashing, human rights violations, conflicts over tenure rights, land grabbing, community displacements, and impacts on ecosystem integrity and food sovereignty. At the same time, market-driven failures are perpetuated, with little or no revenue accruing to communities on the ground. Instead of these false solutions to address the biodiversity crisis, what is needed is the prioritization of transformational change in tackling the underlying causes of biodiversity destruction. French, Portuguese, Spanish and Bahasa versions are available at www.biodmarketwatch.info With best wishes, Third World Network
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