Jurisdictional Approaches to REDD+ in Africa: Emerging Lessons

This info brief captures the UN-REDD Africa Regional Knowledge Exchange 2018 “REDD+ Implementation at Scale: Emerging Lessons on Jurisdictional Approaches and Linkages with National Policy Frameworks” that was held on 2–3 October 2018 at the United Nations Office in Nairobi, Kenya.

Nesting: Reconciling REDD+ at Multiple Scales - An Asia-Pacific Perspective

There are as many drivers of deforestation and forest degradation that lead to forest emissions as there are ways to mitigate them. In a given area, various actors – from local communities to private companies – may all be engaged in actions that reduce emissions, from sustainable agricultural intensification to reforestation and forest restoration plans. At the same time, the national government may implement land-tenure reform. All these actions contribute to reducing emissions resulting from deforestation and forest degradation.

REDD+ Safeguards Information Systems: Practical Design Considerations

2017 v2.0 update of the original 2015 technical brief. Summarises the key practical design considerations for 'Safeguard Information Systems' (SIS), in line with UNFCCC requirements, discussed in more detail in the corresponding safeguards Technical Resource Series document (No. 1).

Tenure & REDD+: Developing Enabling Tenure Conditions for REDD+

The tenure of land, forests and other natural resources has crucial implications for REDD+ goals, planning and implementation processes. Tenure is a decisive factor in the identification of stakeholders whose rights, territories and livelihoods are affected by REDD+ activities. It is important to understand the multiple and complex tenure systems at play in forest areas because these are central to establishing who to reward for contributing to REDD+ and how. Tenure is the basis upon which to create effective benefit-sharing systems. The domestic laws and policies framing forest tenure systems also play a major part in the achievement of REDD+ goals: their provisions may result in either reduced or increased deforestation. While tenure-related risks will affect the implementation of REDD+, REDD+ activities may also reduce or exacerbate land conflicts by changing the value of forests.

The purpose of this study is to analyze the economic value of Nigeria’s forest resources and demonstrate some policy instruments that would alleviate pressure on these natural forest systems. The results show a rapid and severe rate of deforestation, results from a range of cumulative effects fundamentally driven by the immediate availability of woody biomass in the form of timber, fuelwood and construction timber; and the opportunity to acquire land for significantly higher agricultural returns. Together, these drivers comprise a considerable economic incentive for deforestation.

The total value of forest ecosystem services based on valuations done between 2000 and 2015 is approximately 1,000,000 Naira/ha. Although value is derived through forest use, the unsustainable exploitation thereof and subsequent deforestation results in a net loss to the economy of Nigeria. 

These losses will continue for as long as there is a disconnect between the cost-benefit decisions made by land holders, users and other indirect role players, where the net benefit of deforestation is highly positive; and the cost-benefit ratio at a national scale, which, as demonstrated above, is highly negative.

Thus, to address the unique deforestation challenges faced by Nigeria, this study not only uses accounting and valuation of natural capital, but also makes significant progress towards designing and testing policy instruments that goes to the heart of the country’s deforestation problem

The analysis shows that the contribution of forests to the economy of Nigeria is underestimated in the national accounts.

Furthermore, the study demonstrates three economic policy instruments that seek to incentivise landholders to pursue sustainable forest management. These proposed policy options are not intended to be a comprehensive final set of options for Nigeria, but are rather used to demonstrate how these options could work, what they would cost, to what extent they would curb deforestation and what the relative costs and benefits to the economy of Nigeria would behe three preliminary policy options tested are: (i) Carbon trade; (ii) Certified plantation forestry and (iii) Agroforestry.

REDD+ ACADEMY LEARNING JOURNAL - MODULE 8: REDD+ Safeguards under the UNFCCC

Explore the potential of REDD+ to deliver multiple benefits beyond climate change mitigation, and learn about possible risks to people, livelihoods, ecosystems, and rights. This module presents the elements of safeguards identified by the UNFCCC, and describes two key components: country approaches to safeguards and Safeguard Information Systems.

Country Approach to Safeguards: Framework for Clarifying the Cancun Safeguards

This document presents a non-prescriptive and indicative list of key issues that countries may wish to consider when clarifying each of the seven broad principles embodied in the Cancun safeguards relevant to the specific country context. The substantive content of this framework comprises an elaboration of the Cancun safeguards from an international legal and normative best practice perspective, drawing primarily on the: (2015) UN-REDD Benefits & Risks Tool (BeRT v2.0), (2014) Meridian paper REDD+ Safeguards: Practical Considerations for Developing a Summary of Information, (2013) ClientEarth Guide to Understanding and Implementing the UNFCCC REDD+ Safeguards, and the (2012) UN-REDD Social and Environmental Principles and Criteria.

Benefits and Risks Tool (BeRT) v2.1: Workshop Kit. Facilitators’ Guide

The UN-REDD Programme Benefits and Risks Tool (BeRT) supports REDD+ countries to assess the social and environmental benefits and risks associated with candidate Policies and Measures (PAMs) and analyse how existing policies, laws and regulations (PLRs) could ensure that the REDD+ safeguards agreed under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) are addressed and respected. This facilitators’ guide supports the application of the BeRT in a workshop setting. Building on version 2.0 of the original Excel-based tool, the guide and accompanying worksheets provide targeted advice for the documentation of possible PAMs, the identification of those PAMs’ associated benefits and risks, and the analysis of PLRs that address the safeguards. The guide is aimed at facilitators of benefits and risks assessment or PLR analysis workshops, and is designed as a reference to help plan and execute such workshops. The guide also provides links to workshop materials. Work undertaken to meet requirements of specific funding mechanisms (e.g. the Forest Carbon Partnership Facility’s Strategic Environmental and Social Assessment (SESA) or experiences from REDD+ pilot projects or forest-related projects and initiatives pre-dating REDD+ may provide useful inputs to this exercise.

Country Approaches to REDD+ Safeguards: A Global Review of Initial Experiences and Emerging Lessons

Second issue in a new line of technical resource publications on safeguards, this review attempts to capture and synthesize the state-of-the-art knowledge on country approaches to REDD+ safeguards, with the primary aim of facilitating information exchange among REDD+ countries. The findings of this initial global review were informed by a consultative process engaging a number of countries who have made progress with their country approaches to safeguards.

REDD+ Safeguards Information Systems: Practical Design Considerations

First in a new line of technical resource publications, offering practical design considerations for 'safeguard information systems' (SIS) in line with UNFCCC requirements. The optional design elements discussed herein were informed by a consultative process engaging different REDD+ stakeholders - countries, donors and civil society.

Summary flier on country approaches to safeguards (English language version)

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From Tree Measurement to National Forest Monitoring Systems: The Use of Allometric Equations to Estimate Forest Resources

Allometric equations are important tools for quantifying forest resources. The UN-REDD Programme promotes the use of these equations for estimating national carbon stock and carbon stock changes as part of the development of their national forest monitoring systems (NFMS) as required under REDD+. The Programme supports countries around the globe to develop equations and define methodologies for their application by providing expert guidance and country-level capacity building.

Technical Considerations for Forest Reference Emission Level and/or Forest Reference Level Construction for REDD+ under the UNFCCC

The aim of this document is to help countries seeking to develop a REDD+ Forest Reference Emission Level and/or Forest Reference Level (FREL/FRL) under the UNFCCC. The document provides a structural overview of UNFCCC requirements for FREL/FRL construction, summarizing UNFCCC guidance and translating it into elements needed for FREL/FRL construction. A description of possible advantages and risks associated with different options for each of these elements is added to provide some practical considerations to FREL/FRL construction.

The main objective of the study was to assess the economic value of Zambia’s forest ecosystem services. The  study estimates that, when ecosystem services provided by forests are accounted for, forests make a direct contribution to the national economy equivalent to about 4.7% of gross domestic product (GDP), which rises to 6.3% with the application of multiplier effects.

Mapping Multiple Benefits of REDD+ in Paraguay: Using Spatial Information to Support Land-Use Planning

The government of Paraguay joined the UN-REDD Programme (United Nations Collaborative initiative on Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation (REDD) in developing countries) in 2008, with the aim of implementing REDD+ in alignment with the country’s conservation and development objectives, and developing capacities for integrated environmental management, with particular attention to forest-dependent communities and indigenous peoples.

REDD+ and Adaptation: Identifying Complementary Responses to Climate Change

Mitigation is crucial for limiting the extent of climate change and thus the severity of its impacts on society and ecosystems. However, even with our best mitigation efforts, there will still be changes in the climate system due to inertia.

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