Abstract
Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation (REDD+) is a global initiative aimed at curbing carbon emissions from forest cover change. Indonesia, one of the most biodiverse places on the planet with the third largest extent of tropical forest, has been extensively involved in REDD+. Despite commitments from the government of Indonesia and the international community, the deforestation rate has not stabilized or decreased in the years since REDD+’s introduction in 2007. As of 2012, it was arguably the highest in the world. Although there is an extensive body of literature on REDD+, the need for grounded observations from the field could clarify existing challenges and inform future pursuits. We present the results of a case study of three REDD+ project sites to identify important criteria at the root of success or failure: finance, community, boundary enforcement, monitoring, and outcomes of attempted carbon sequestration and biodiversity preservation. Challenges identified for each criteria include a lack of sufficient funding opportunities, inability to enforce boundaries due to corruption, and lack of a solid plan for involving communities. Carbon sequestration and biodiversity preservation results were mixed because of a lack of monitoring and problems with encroachment. We argue that changes must be made to Indonesian policy to help enable enforcement of project boundaries, monitoring technologies should be utilized, and stakeholders, particularly at the national level, need to address some of the challenges discussed to achieve effective REDD+ outcomes in the future.
Highlights
The United Nation’s (UN) Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation (REDD) program has been introduced in over 29 countries around the world, with financial and logistical support from many other international actors and institutions
How will REDD+ be implemented across scales ranging from international policies and frameworks, to national-level policies, and locally on the ground (Sills et al 2014, Sunderlin et al 2014a, b)
How will forest management change as a result of the introduction of REDD+? It is possible that REDD+ could cause recent movements toward decentralized forest management to shift back toward more centralized forest management, to the detriment of communities and forests (Phelps et al 2010)
Summary
The United Nation’s (UN) Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation (REDD) program has been introduced in over 29 countries around the world, with financial and logistical support from many other international actors and institutions. This research and other accounts (Sunderlin et al 2014a) even indicated that challenges and negative attitudes toward REDD+ are problematic for the program to the extent that some stakeholders have disassociated from the label of REDD+. Despite such challenges and doubts about REDD+, international efforts and financial support for REDD+ continue (Parlina 2015, Johannsdottir and McInerney 2016). Many different studies have looked at how REDD+ is being implemented on the ground (Burgess et al 2010, Peskett et al 2011a, Bolin and Tassa 2012, Naughton-Treves and Day 2012, Sills et al 2014, Sunderlin et al 2014a) in an attempt to pinpoint areas for improvement and pathways forward
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