The fate of the tropical forest: Carbon or cattle?

Small-scale afforestation/reforestation projects under the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) of the Kyoto Protocol will sequester atmospheric carbon and facilitate carbon trading but they face significant implementation challenges among the rural poor households and communities that are meant to adopt and benefit from them. Avoiding deforestation – a controversial carbon reduction option now under climate policy discussion – shows promise though for both forest conservation and poverty alleviation among indigenous forest peoples.