Abstract
Countries at the United Nations Framework on the Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) have decided to engage local communities and indigenous groups into the activities for the monitoring, reporting and verification (MRV) of the program to reduce emissions from deforestation and forest degradation and increase carbon removals (REDD+). Previous research and projects have shown that communities can produce reliable data on forest area and carbon estimates through field measurements. The objective of this article is to describe the framework that is being created for REDD+ under the UNFCCC to identify the potential inclusion of local information produced through community-based monitoring (CBM) into monitoring systems for REDD+. National systems could use different sources of information from CBM: first, local information can be produced as part of public programs by increasing sample size of national or regional inventories; second, government can collect information to produce carbon estimates from on-going management practices implemented at local level driven by access to local direct benefits (e.g., forest management plans, watershed conservation); third, national data systems could include information from projects participating in carbon markets and other certification schemes; and finally information will be produced as part of the activities associated to the implementation of social and environmental safeguards. Locally generated data on carbon and areas under different forms of management can be dovetailed into national systems and be used to describe management practices, complement existing information or replace Tier 1/2 values with more detailed local data produced by CBM.
Highlights
REDD+, the international policy to reduce emissions from deforestation and forest degradation and to promote the conservation, sustainable management of forests and enhancement of forest carbon stocks in developing countries is part of the efforts to mitigate climate change under the UnitedNations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)
community based monitoring (CBM) offers an opportunity to advance in the step-wise monitoring process for REDD+ by including more measurements and carbon stocks, and due to the fact that it can allow the mapping of the areas with different forest management practices (Management Units); this is essential to understand the effectiveness of activities implemented in REDD+
It will be at the third stage of implementation of REDD+ when the trade-offs between carbon and non-carbon benefits will be solidified [14], CBM can provide information in this context for benefit sharing. It is not clear what benefits communities might derive from sharing information produced through CBM 2 activities with the regional or national REDD+ programs; but given that such activities may have an impact on carbon stocks, the data they provide could form a basis for some non-performance related subsidy or incentive
Summary
REDD+, the international policy to reduce emissions from deforestation and forest degradation and to promote the conservation, sustainable management of forests and enhancement of forest carbon stocks in developing countries is part of the efforts to mitigate climate change under the United. Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) It is one of the activities developed in the Bali Action Plan for long-term cooperative action [1] and aims to provide incentives to developing countries to reduce emissions from deforestation and forest degradation and to enhance carbon stocks. The objective of this work is to review different elements of the design and implementation of national REDD+ programs in order to identify potential options for integrating community based monitoring (CBM) as means for generation of information at the local level to fulfil requirements of monitoring, reporting and verification (MRV). CBM offers an opportunity to advance in the step-wise monitoring process for REDD+ by including more measurements and carbon stocks, and due to the fact that it can allow the mapping of the areas with different forest management practices (Management Units); this is essential to understand the effectiveness of activities implemented in REDD+.
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