“Perspectives on REDD ” launched today at COP16

At the UN-REDD Programme's joint side event at the 16th Conference of Parties (COP16) today (2nd December 2010), the programme's new publication entitled, "Perspectives on REDD+" will be launched.

The REDD+ climate change mitigation solution has become popularly considered a central tool in adapting to climate change, with the new publication looking at three of the most pressing challenges with which the programme is confronted.

One of the most commendable aspects of the REDD+ and the programmes that implement it is its endeavour to consider all stakeholders from indigenous communities to big business. Stakeholder engagement for REDD+ via the application of free, prior and informed consent (FPIC), however has raised some complexities and controversy.

"FPIC refers to the collective right of peoples- particularly Indigenous and tribal Peoples to give or withhold consent regarding decisions that may affect the rights and interests associated with their lands, territories, and resources," states the UN-REDD publication. FPIC is increasingly applied in a range of sectors from conservation to dam development, and a number of key instruments, agencies, NGOs, certification schemes and industry related organizations refer to FPIC principles.

The publication highlights the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) as a key player towards ensuring permanence in safeguards for forest dependent peoples. "the UN-REDD Programme is currently developing guidelines
for respecting FPIC in UN-REDD Programme activities," the document states.

REDD and tribal and Indigenous peoples affected by the organisation's actions have experienced conflicts in the past. REDD+ and its implementation tools accept defining how FPIC is operationalised is a tough challenge and it anticipates that the UN-REDD publication will help to ensure the balance of all stakeholder rights.

Improving the state interface with Indigenous peoples is recognised in the document to yield broader development benefits. "An example of the costs associated with failing to secure adequate consent is evidenced in the case of oil palm developments in Sarawak,
Malaysia, where numerous court cases have been brought against oil palm developers by Indigenous plaintiffs," states UN-REDD.

International law provides considerable guidance on the matter of to whom and what FPIC should apply, and REDD+ aims to strengthen understanding and implementation of rights, mentions the publication. UN-REDD recognises that there is often disparity between the legitimate opinions of communities from whom free, prior and informed consent is sought, and the institutions that represent them.

"Experiences in participatory planning for community wildlife conservancies in Namibia have shown that flexible processes that allow communities to define culturally-relevant procedures can be successful," states the publication.

The second urgent issue highlighted is "REDD+ and the multiple ecosystem based
benefits of forests". This section states that the ability of the REDD+ mechanism to conserve, protect and manage forests sustainably "will depend in large measure on what financial resources are available and how they are deployed".

According to the publication REDD+ promises to motivate donor and developing countries to invest in forest management. REDD+ could well be the catalyst to help realize the promise that forests hold, suggests the document.

Overwhelming the REDD+ mechanism through spreading efforts over such a broad spectrum is a concern brought to light, although the publication states belief that multiple benefits could strengthen the effectiveness of the mechanism.

As well as carbon storage benefits, forests contain over two thirds of the world's terrestrial biodiversity as well as vital ecosystem services. "depending on how countries choose to implement the eventual REDD+ mechanism and under what circumstances, there will be risks as well as benefits to biodiversity and ecosystem services... if the protection of one area against deforestation means that conversion pressure gets displaced to other ecosystems high in biodiversity or important for ecosystem services," acknowledges the document.

Measuring, reporting and verification (MRV) and monitoring for REDD+ are seen as pivotal processes towards the success of the scheme. The document states: "deep understanding and analyses of how REDD+ policies impact and are impacted by other management objectives (that is, the wider range of benefits and issues related to forest resources and land use) as well as governance safeguards. Another is that for MRV to fulfill the expected requirements of the UNFCCC, it will be more cost-effective if it is integrated with forest monitoring for other purposes."

The publication looks at how monitoring efforts generate information that help policies and goals to be reached, including REDD+ payments. "Long term and clear institutional arrangements, roles and responsibilities must be established to guarantee transparency and effectiveness. This may require supporting legislation," states the publication.

It is anticipated that progress in REDD events in COP16, including the UN-REDD Programme event opening today (2nd December 2010), will lead to a binding international agreement to support REDD+ goals.

Author: Marianna Keen | Climate Action

Image: Find Your Feet/ Flickr