s:1108:"TI Tropical Forests and Climate Change Mitigation: The Global Potential and Cases from the Philippines AU Lasco, R.D. AB The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change IPCC Fourth Assessment report has highlighted the role oftropical forests in mitigating climate change. Deforestation, especially in tropical countries, contributes about 20percent to total global greenhouse gas emissions. Development projects geared to reduce the rate of deforestationand forest degradation, and to establish forest plantations will help reduce greenhouse gases in the atmosphere,and significantly contribute to mitigating climate change. Three cases of forestry carbon projects underway in thePhilippines are presented to illustrate the constraints facing project developers in undertaking these climate changemitigation efforts. Among the key lessons identified are: the difficulty in establishing land eligibility, the need forpartners or buyers from industrialized countries to shoulder the transaction costs, and the crucial role of the localcommunities, including indigenous peoples, in the development effort. ";