Abstract
The complex relationship between local development and current large scale investments in natural resources in the Global South for the purpose of conservation and carbon sequestration is not fully understood yet. The Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation programme (REDD+) is an example of such investment. This study examines the livelihood implications and perceptions of REDD+ among indigenous and forest-dependent communities in the Central Highlands of Vietnam. A systems-based livelihood survey has been conducted with two communities affected by REDD+ (n = 102)—Kala Tonggu village (participating in UN-REDD, a multilateral programme) and Hieu commune (participating in a REDD+ project of Fauna and Flora International). The positive effects of REDD+ included: introduction of community-based forest management; shifting power relations in favour of local communities; communities receiving financial benefits for forest monitoring; and positive community perceptions on REDD+. The negative impacts concerned: more restricted access to the natural forest; raising false expectations on the financial benefits of REDD+; increasing risks of food insecurity; exclusion of customary institutions and forest classifications; and lack of livelihood alternatives in dealing with changing socio-ecological conditions. Based on the findings of this study, we argue that REDD+ implementation needs to incorporate the temporality and dynamics of community livelihoods, power relations, and customary and formal socio-ecological systems more comprehensively. This to ultimately achieve inclusive local development and effective conservation of global forest commons.
Highlights
UN-REDD mainly focused on Free Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) activities and community carbon monitoring, whereas FFI-REDD+ tried to reshape the forest governance of the commune by introducing CBFM and restoring the villages’ customary forest boundaries [48,53]
The main difference between both projects is that UN-REDD employed a do-no-harm approach, meaning that it would not negatively affect local households, whereas FFI-REDD+ resembled an Integrated Conservation and Development Project (ICDP)
This study has been an attempt to examine livelihood implications and household perceptions of REDD+ in the Central Highlands of Vietnam among forest-dependent communities. This is important as global investment in forest commons, such as REDD+ continue to surge [7]
Summary
Current knowledge on climate change shows that human civilisation has the capability to influence the environment at the scale of the Earth as a single, evolving planetary system. Sustainable Development Goal 13 (SDG 13), climate action, starts with the premise that “climate change is affecting every country on every continent. It is disrupting national economies and affecting lives, costing people, communities and countries dearly today and even more tomorrow” [2]. The global community is responsible to deal with the negative effects of climate change as it affects all domains of our lives, such as our economy, environment and well-being. The world community’s pledge to combat climate change led to the adoption of the Paris Agreement in 2016, and the commitment to participate in the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change’s (UNFCCC) Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation programme (REDD+) in 2007
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