UNEP sponsors talks on including ecosystem services in “avoided deforestation” regime; aims to establish avoided deforestation as part of voluntary and regulated markets for CO2 dumps

Deforestation accounted for 20 to 25 per cent of greenhouse gas emissions and was a primary cause of biodiversity loss world wide, according to the Ad Hoc Open-Ended Working Group on Review of Implementation of the Convention at its Second Meeting, 9-13 July 2007, in Paris, France, which was devoted to developing International Payments for Ecosystem Services (IPES).