Theme 1: How is REDD+ unfolding on the ground? An exploration of the social, political and biophysical issues

Steven Panfil is technical advisor for REDD+ initiatives at Conservation International (CI). At CI, he leads a group that provides technical support on REDD+ project design, capacity building work on REDD+ and advice to governments on MRV and the social aspects of REDD+. Prior to joining CI's REDD+ team, Panfil worked at the Climate, Community and Biodiversity Alliance, where he led the management of the CCB Standards and co-authored the Social and Biodiversity Impact Assessment Manual for REDD+ Projects. Panfil previously served as executive director of the Amazon Conservation Association where he managed research and natural resource conservation projects in Peru and Bolivia. He has a PhD (University of Georgia) and a bachelor's degree (Princeton University) in ecology.

Discussion Abstract

Activities on the ground are essential for identifying the challenges for REDD+ and creating solutions based on real experiences.

These experiences are shaping the evolving international REDD+ framework and readiness preparations by providing feedback on the social, political and biophysical issues which must be resolved for REDD+ to be effective. Site-level activities have stimulated many advances, including methodologies for quantifying emissions reductions as well as widely used standards to ensure acceptable levels of social and environmental performance. But as approaches are developed to address some of the challenges, other challenges arise. One example is the need to integrate site-level activities with developing national-level schemes. Another example is the need for REDD+ activities to be carefully coordinated with policies and measures in agriculture, mining and other sectors. Practitioners around the world have developed different tools and approaches to these and other challenges which were shared with participants.

The Issues Marketplace was an opportunity for participants to identify the main challenges that they face in the implementation of REDD+ activities in different social, political and biophysical contexts. We discussed existing strategies and approaches that help address these challenges. This exercise helped to link practitioners with others that face similar challenges and with those that are engaged in the development of solutions. It also served to identify emerging issues that are not adequately addressed by existing guidance and research.

Manoj Nadkarni is the programme manager for the Forest Integrity Programme in the Asia-Pacific Department of Transparency International Secretariat in Berlin. He has a background in environmental governance and research, and has worked in areas such as traditional resource management and livelihoods, environmental aspects of corporate social responsibility, biodiversity and water and sanitation. His main interests are the connection between development and environmental concerns. He has worked in India and other countries with environmental NGOs, academic institutions and governments. Nadkarni has two degrees in zoology and a PhD in environmental philosophy.

Discussion Abstract

As REDD+ unfolds on the ground, one issue that has been revealed is the considerable scope for corruption. Transparency International strongly believes that we must ensure the transparency of financing for REDD+ and a very strong focus on accountability and integrity at all levels.

Drawing on over three years of experience in illegal logging and a year of implementing our Preventative Anti-Corruption project for REDD+, we discussed experiences with the TI REDD+ risk mapping and monitoring tool due to be launched this month. Developed with the input of WRI, UNDP, Chatham House, Global Witness, GIZ, CIFOR and Fern amongst other leaders in the field, this tool leads civil society actors step by step through an assessment of the corruption risks associated with REDD+ in their national contexts. It assists them to analyse the instruments that are in place to address such risks and to make recommendations and carry out a targeted campaign to advocate for necessary improvements or changes.

We shared with other countries and regions lessons learnt from our four chapters (Malaysia, Vietnam, Papua New Guinea and Indonesia) who will be piloting the tool beginning next month. Preliminary investigations by the local teams point in particular to lessons emerging on the social and political aspects of REDD+. Our focus on transparency, integrity and accountability and on the targeting and sharing of best practices allowed us to share recommendations on the safeguarding of indigenous people's rights, stimulating participation at all stages of REDD+, ensuring political accountability and building the integrity of private sector actors.

Mariana Pavan graduated in forest engineering at the University of Sao Paulo and has been working at Idesam since 2007 on the climate change programme. Pavan's experience includes the development of climate change mitigation and payment for ecosystem services projects, mainly on REDD+, with a focus on policy design and international negotiations. As the lead for the capacity building area of the climate change programme, Pavan has also organised and coordinated courses, training and conferences. In the political arena, she has participated in the UNFCCC COPs since 2007, supporting and organising side events related to the themes that Idesam works on.

Discussion Abstract

REDD+ holds great potential to improve forest governance, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, improve the livelihoods of forest dependent people, and conserve biodiversity. It is also clear that efforts to realise the potential of REDD+ to protect tropical forests at scale are proceeding at multiple domestic and international levels. There is considerable innovation on the ground in terms of project implementation but also politically at the intersection of jurisdictional and national policies and legislation. Moving forward on REDD+ requires finding ways to harness this dynamism and build upon existing activities as part of the ongoing effort to facilitate the development of robust national REDD+ programmes that are transparent, efficient, effective and equitable. 

Focal points included country coordinators for Brazil and Indonesia from the Governors' Climate and Forests Task Force (GCF) (http://www.gcftaskforce.org/) and the GCF project manager. Coordinators discussed how REDD+ is unfolding on the ground in their respective countries and specifically described how the social, political and biophysical issues are being addressed in their forest, among their people and in their governments.

Glenn Bush is an environmental economist specialising in welfare economics, resource valuation and environmental cost benefit analysis. His work has been applied to forest conservation and management strategies focussed on forest-adjacent households and assessing the micro-economic determinants of forest conservation. His current research focuses on developing and testing combined econometric and spatial models on the drivers and determinants of land cover change. He has worked in Central and Eastern Africa since 1996 as well as Central and Southeast Asia, as a researcher, project manager, and consultant, on natural resource management and conservation projects in the public and private sector. This work has included staff membership of the UK Government Department for International Development and a research associate position with the Wildlife Conservation Society and the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund International, among others. Presently he is a full-time staff member of the Woods Hole Research Center (www.whrc.org). He obtained his MSc in agricultural economics from the University of London, Wye College and his PhD in economics from the University of Stirling, UK. His current interests in REDD+ lie in economic assessments of the drivers and determinants of land use and land cover change at multiple spatial scales and methods to quantitatively measure and monitor social impacts of forest management schemes at both national and project levels. He resides in Rwanda and is actively involved in research and capacity building on forest policy and management in Central and Eastern Africa.

Discussion Abstract

As the REDD+ policy develops, we are asking more and more of it to deliver on natural forest carbon conservation in the tropics in a socially acceptable and environmentally sound way. What can REDD+ really do and how is it being realised at the project and national levels? Conflicts must necessarily arise from any large-scale policy-driven scheme to fundamentally change the use of the landscape, but how are the concerns of different stakeholders being represented and addressed? To what extent have safeguards been adopted or made effective in the piloting of projects and development of national REDD+ programmes?

In a world of scarce resources there are distinct trade-offs in choices of land use. REDD+ implementation is politically challenging at the national and local levels; governments, industrial agricultural groups, family and peasant farmers have to make tough decisions over scarce resources. How does forest conservation and all that REDD+ promises stack up next to increasing local, national and international demands for food, fibres and fuel? How are different national interests in forested lands being addressed, especially where different ministries and economic agents have overlapping jurisdiction over the exploitation and management of resources?

The technical requirements for MRV are highly complex. There is clearly a human resource capacity constraint, in developing the volume of competent project and national level forest monitoring personnel, to roll out a robust national carbon accounting system. Adding to the complexity of MRV are standards related to biodiversity conservation with all of the commensurate technical challenges of monitoring flora and fauna. How are national programmes and projects coping or planning to meet these needs? 

How REDD+ is implemented at a national and sub-national level will differ widely between nation states owing to the multitude of different social, environmental and economic conditions. Whilst no one combination of actions will provide a panacea for all contexts, we have a lot to learn from one another's successes and failures in forest management efforts around the world. Sharing these experiences will provide a fundamental opportunity to make REDD+ functional in the future.