The funds will be administered under the Reducing Emissions from Deforestation in Developing Countries (REDD), a UN initiative that will offer carbon credits to tropical developing countries that slow deforestation, helping to develop infrastructure with minimal environmental damage.
Rain forest countries, such as Brazil and Papua New Guinea, are seeking funding for forest protection under a new, post-Kyoto climate treaty. European Union member states have recently debated "forest offsetting", which would allow countries and companies to fund forest conservation to compensate for excess emissions.
Land use change and deforestation produce 17% of all greenhouse-gas emissions. Preventing deforestation is one of the cheapest ways to cut carbon emissions and restore atmospheric balance.
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