4. Monitoring REDD+ Impacts: Cross Scale Coordination And Interdisciplinary Integration

Abstract

Results-based compensation for reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation and enhancing carbon stocks (REDD+) is one promising way to help mitigate global climate change. Since the climate impact from reduced emissions (and increased removals) is the centerpiece of REDD+, countries are asked to set up systems to monitor changes in forest carbon stocks for reporting at the international level (Herold and Skutsch, 2011; Romijn et al., 2013). Yet, REDD+ monitoring goes beyond carbon for at least three reasons. First, REDD+ activities can promote a host of social and environmental co-benefits or entail risks that should be considered in their design and implementation. Second, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Cancun Agreement articulates seven safeguards (Decision 1/CP.16) for REDD+ programs to: 1) complement national forest programs and international conventions and agreements; 2) maintain transparent governance; 3) respect knowledge and rights of indigenous people and local communities; 4) obtain effective participation in REDD+ design and implementation; 5) promote forest conservation and other environmental and social co-benefits; 6) address risks of reversals; and 7) reduce leakage (UNFCCC, 2011a). Countries must set up Safeguard Information Systems to be eligible for results-based payments (UNFCCC, 2014). Also, jurisdictions and projects engaged with multiand bilateral donors and third-party certifiers may need to consider additional standards and/or guidance for demonstrating high social and environmental performance, such as those of the World Bank Forest Carbon Partnership Fund (FCPF, 2013), the UN-REDD Programme (UN-REDD, 2012), the Climate Community and Biodiversity Alliance (CCBA, 2013) and REDD+ Social and Environmental Standards Initiative (REDD+ SES, 2013). Third, forest monitoring is becoming an important national policy tool for countries to assess and understand drivers of forest change, underpin REDD+ and related climate-friendly land use strategies, track implementation, and form the basis for the distribution of benefits generated through climate finance (De Sy et al., 2012; Kissinger et al., 2012). The multidimensionality of REDD+ poses great challenges to identifying efficient trade-offs between in-depth, fully comprehensive monitoring and increasing complexity and costs, which is a serious problem given the limited funds available for REDD+ monitoring. Monitoring both the carbon and non-carbon impacts of REDD+ requires development of systems that are scientifically sound, yet simple enough to be implemented effectively (Gardner et al., 2012). Resolving this challenge is critical to operationalizing REDD+.