Implementing REDD+: lessons from analysis of forest governance

The anticipated benefits and co-benefits of REDD+ generated considerable enthusiasm and momentum prior to the Copenhagen Climate Change Conference, and the lack of agreement of a global mechanism for REDD+ at that Conference generated corresponding disappointment. However, experience from earlier forest-related initiatives, and from recent research in environmental and forest governance, suggest ways forward for REDD+ even in the absence of a post-2012 climate agreement. Comparative studies reveal that forest-rich developing countries already have formal forest management requirements that are at least as demanding as those of industrialised countries, and that poor implementation of these requirements is the key constraint to achieving forest conservation and sustainable forest management goals. Experience suggests that mechanisms that focus on enabling the implementation of these already-agreed requirements, and that draw from the lessons of forest certification as well as from PES schemes, are most likely to deliver positive outcomes for both forests and local stakeholders. Together, these lessons suggests that progress can be made towards the REDD+ outcomes envisaged by the Copenhagen Accord by supporting implementation of existing national and sub-national forest policies in ways that are consistent with the principles of good forest governance.