Oversight in REDD+: overlooking already managed forests

Reduced Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation (REDD+) programmes have been introduced to encourage sustainable forest management while reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation. However, such programmes are often set up in such a way as to place a higher value on carbon threatened by deforestation than on forest areas that are already managed sustainably, resulting in a lack of incentive to maintain current management practices.

Nº 6


some attempts made
past case
Region-1
Region-2
Region-3
Region-4
ongoing case
no attempts made

Oversight in REDD+: overlooking already managed forests

Reduced Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation (REDD+) programmes have been introduced to encourage sustainable forest management while reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation. However, such programmes are often set up in such a way as to place a higher value on carbon threatened by deforestation than on forest areas that are already managed sustainably, resulting in a lack of incentive to maintain current management practices.

In these five different countries, REDD+ safeguards have been implemented to discourage deforestation and promote conservation and carbon sequestration. However, due to a lack of adaptability to local contexts, the implementation of REDD+ has conflicted with indigenous land tenure practices that were already managing the forest sustainably before REDD+. Examples include conflicts over unclear land rights, failure to support indigenous communities threatened by miners and loggers, and lack of Free, Prior, and Informed Consent.

Barletti, J. P., & Larson, A. M. (2017). Rights abuse allegations in the context of REDD+ readiness and implementation. Info Brief, (190), 1-8. 7 DOI: 10.17528/cifor/006630.