Tropical forest countries are beginning to develop policies and initiate projects aimed at reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD+). These emissions are responsible for up to a fifth of all global carbon emissions - more than the entire global transport sector.

CIFOR and its partner organizations have monitored the developments of REDD+ since 2007 when the Global Comparative Study on REDD+ (GCS REDD+) was launched. Through comparative studies of the implementation of REDD+ pilots around the world, the GCS REDD+ project takes stock of international, national and subnational REDD+ experiences to identify challenges in designing and implementing effective, efficient, and equitable REDD+ policies and projects.

RESEARCH QUESTIONS

GCS REDD+ scientists and partner organizations conduct research in 13 countries (Bolivia, Brazil, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, DR Congo, Indonesia, Laos, Mozambique, Nepal, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Tanzania, Vietnam) that focus on five key research areas:

• 
  Maria Brockhaus leads research on initiatives, policy processes and strategies at the national level that relate to forests and climate change.
• 
  William Sunderlin leads research on subnational REDD+ activities at 22 project sites.
• 
  Louis Verchot leads research on Measurement, Reporting and Verification, which involves establishing national and sub-national forest monitoring systems, determining reference levels for measuring carbon emissions reductions, improving emission factors for better inventories and establishing functional institutions.
• 
  Bruno Locatelli leads research on national and international policies on climate change adaptation and mitigation, and the roles and interests of various national stakeholders who shape such policies.
• 
  
  Anne Larson and Markku Kanninen lead research on approaches for designing effective multilevel institutions and processes that overcome economic and policy barriers to REDD+ implementation.

RESEARCH GOALS

Everyone involved in working on REDD+ - from project proponents to government ministries, donors, United Nations agencies and members of the public - needs to know what works and what does not.

GCS REDD+ aims to ask the right questions in order to provide reliable and timely answers that are easily accessible to all. Through guidelines, tools and analysis derived from extensive research across 13 tropical forest countries, GCS REDD+ hopes to support countries in their effort to reduce emissions in an effective, efficient and equitable way.