Dynamics of carbon and biodiversity under REDD+ regime: A case from Nepal

There are several pilot projects in developing countries for reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation, conserving forests, managing forests in a sustainable way and enhancing carbon stock in forests (REDD+). However, outcomes from these projects, which are crucial for making strategies and developing an appropriate incentive mechanism for REDD+ particularly in relation to impacts on biodiversity, are little researched. The overarching goal of this research is to assess carbon stock and species richness in pilot REDD+ projects in community forests. Forest inventories data for three consecutive years are analysed for projects in Nepal. This study found increases in carbon stocks in forests for all altitudes and canopy types. Forests with dense canopy cover have higher increments compared to sparse canopy. Similarly, forests of lower altitudes have higher carbon stock compared to higher altitudes. The increment is higher in the forests located in middle altitudes which had comparatively low carbon stocks. Regarding species richness, more species are recorded in initial years of the project than later. This indicates a possible reduction in species richness with increasing the carbon stock. There is a need for an incentive mechanism for maintaining species richness together with carbon stock and securing conservation and carbon benefits in REDD+ in community forestry.