REDD-plus and Biodiversity - Convention on Biological Diversity

<strong>REDD</strong>-<strong>plus</strong> <strong>and</strong> <strong>Biodiversity</strong>
The challenge is that the knowledge <strong>and</strong> capacity to manage forests for multi-purpose functions is often
lacking, especially in developing countries (SCBD, 2008b).
4.3 Opportunities for improved forest governance
94. As outlined in Part I, improving forest governance is a pre-condition for <strong>REDD</strong>-<strong>plus</strong> to function effectively.
It will be essential for the creation of a sense of ownership among local forest users <strong>and</strong> thus for
ensuring the permanence of forest carbon stocks. In addition, improved forest governance is also an end
in itself. <strong>REDD</strong>-<strong>plus</strong> provides a unique opportunity to address diverse forest governance issues, ranging
from further curbing illegal logging <strong>and</strong> increasing the accountability of forest agencies, to the recognition
of the particular identities, experiences <strong>and</strong> visions of indigenous <strong>and</strong> local communities (Agrawal et al.,
2008; Lawson, 2010; Sikor et al., 2010; Seymour & Forw<strong>and</strong>, 2010).
95. <strong>REDD</strong>-<strong>plus</strong> carries the momentum to make forest agencies at all levels more transparent, accountable
<strong>and</strong> inclusive. To seize this opportunity, the design of <strong>REDD</strong>-<strong>plus</strong> will have to include the use of procedures
in decision-making <strong>and</strong> implementation that encourage public participation, democratic control
over forests, <strong>and</strong> the conduct of local affairs in ways that involve the participation of indigenous <strong>and</strong> local
communities (Ribot et al., 2008). While some of these procedures still need to be developed, others can
be readily applied. Among them are procedures seeking free, prior <strong>and</strong> informed consent (FPIC), decentralization
of forest management to elected local governments, <strong>and</strong> the participation of indigenous <strong>and</strong>
local communities in the management of local forests. In this context, the UN-<strong>REDD</strong> Programme has
begun elaborating how FPIC should be applied to its activities <strong>and</strong> in <strong>REDD</strong>-<strong>plus</strong> readiness preparation
more broadly.
96. In addition, <strong>REDD</strong>-<strong>plus</strong> offers the chance to equitably
distribute the benefits arising from the use of forest resources
<strong>and</strong> services, including carbon sequestration <strong>and</strong> storage.
The equitable distribution of those benefits may take
the form of granting indigenous <strong>and</strong> local communities fair
shares in logging receipts, profits from community-company
partnerships, <strong>and</strong> payments from ecosystem services.
Equitable distribution may also involve the clarification <strong>and</strong>/
or redistribution of forest tenure to define or redefine the
holders of rights to access <strong>and</strong> market forest products <strong>and</strong>
ecosystem services. In the case of carbon, achieving an equitable
distribution of benefits will require the clarification
of carbon property rights, including the question whether
those rights will be linked to forest tenure. It will also require
the development of access <strong>and</strong> benefit-sharing mechanisms
that reduce transaction costs (Katoomba Group et al.,
2010). 1
<strong>REDD</strong>-<strong>plus</strong> offers the change to equitably
share the benefits from the use of forest
resources.
PHOTO: Goodshoot/Thinkstock
97. Table 3 illustrates the diversity of conditions with regards to forest tenure that exists between tropical
countries.
1
Table 4 also underlines the need for <strong>REDD</strong>-<strong>plus</strong> to engage with the private sector as well as indigenous <strong>and</strong> local communities.
35