1 August 2011: The International Tropical Timber Organization (ITTO) has signed an agreement with the Japanese company Marubeni to conduct a feasibility study on reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation in developing countries, as well as conservation, sustainable management of forests and enhancement of carbon stock (REDD+) in the Brazilian Amazon.

The agreement was signed on 29 July 2011 in Yokohama, Japan. The feasibility study will analyze the potential of obtaining forest carbon credits in the state of Acre in the western Brazilian Amazon. The initiative is funded by the Japanese Ministry of Environment, and supported by the Acre Institute for Climate Change and Regulation of Environmental Services (IMC), the Brazilian Biodiversity Fund (FUNBIO), and others. [ITTO Press Release]