The primary goals of REDD+ (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation, plus the role of conservation, sustainable management of forests, and enhancement of forest carbon stocks in developing countries) revolve around mitigating climate change by addressing the significant contribution of forest loss and degradation to global greenhouse gas emissions. At its core, REDD+ aims to reduce human pressure on forests that result in greenhouse gas emissions at the national level through the implementation of activities by national governments.
Overarching Objective: Climate Change Mitigation
The fundamental objective of REDD+ is to contribute to global efforts to combat climate change. Forests play a crucial role in regulating the Earth's climate by absorbing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. When forests are destroyed or degraded, this stored carbon is released, accelerating climate change. REDD+ seeks to reverse this trend by providing financial incentives for developing countries to keep their forests standing and manage them sustainably.
Core Goals of REDD+
REDD+ encompasses a comprehensive set of activities designed to achieve its climate and forest-related objectives. These activities, often implemented through national government programs, directly target the main drivers of emissions from the land-use sector:
- Reducing Emissions from Deforestation: This involves preventing the conversion of forest land to other land uses (like agriculture or infrastructure development) that lead to the release of vast amounts of stored carbon.
- Reducing Emissions from Forest Degradation: This focuses on minimizing activities that diminish the quality, density, or carbon-storing capacity of forests, such as unsustainable logging, fuelwood collection, or forest fires.
Beyond these two core reductions, the "plus" in REDD+ adds three vital elements:
- Conservation of Forest Carbon Stocks: Protecting existing forests and their capacity to store carbon, ensuring these vital carbon reservoirs remain intact. This includes establishing protected areas and enforcing forest protection laws.
- Sustainable Management of Forests: Implementing practices that maintain forest health, biodiversity, and productivity over the long term, while also providing social and economic benefits. Examples include sustainable timber harvesting and non-timber forest product collection.
- Enhancement of Forest Carbon Stocks: Increasing the amount of carbon stored in forests through activities like afforestation (planting trees on land that was not previously forested) and reforestation (replanting trees on deforested land), as well as improving the density and health of existing forests.
How REDD+ Achieves Its Goals
REDD+ operates on the principle of "results-based payments," where financial incentives are provided to developing countries for verified reductions in emissions or enhancements in carbon sequestration. This encourages countries to develop and implement national strategies that include:
- Policy and Governance Reforms: Strengthening forest governance, land tenure security, and law enforcement to prevent illegal logging and deforestation.
- Capacity Building: Enhancing the technical and institutional capacities of national and sub-national entities to monitor, report, and verify forest carbon emissions and removals.
- Stakeholder Engagement: Ensuring the full and effective participation of indigenous peoples and local communities, whose livelihoods often depend on forests and whose traditional knowledge can be vital for sustainable forest management.
- Alternative Livelihoods: Promoting sustainable economic activities that reduce pressure on forests, such as sustainable agriculture, ecotourism, or forest product processing.
Practical Examples of REDD+ Activities
To illustrate how REDD+ goals translate into action, consider the following practical approaches:
- Developing national forest monitoring systems using satellite imagery and ground-based data to track changes in forest cover and carbon stocks.
- Implementing land-use planning to designate areas for conservation, sustainable forestry, and agricultural expansion, minimizing conflict.
- Supporting community-based forest management initiatives that empower local populations to manage their forests sustainably and benefit from their conservation efforts.
- Promoting efficient cookstoves to reduce demand for fuelwood, thereby decreasing forest degradation.
- Establishing payment for ecosystem services (PES) schemes that reward landowners or communities for protecting forests or engaging in reforestation.
These efforts collectively aim to reduce deforestation and degradation, preserve vital forest ecosystems, and sequester more carbon, contributing significantly to global climate action. For more information on international climate efforts, visit the United Nations Climate Change website.
| Goal Category | Specific REDD+ Objective | Climate Impact |
|---|---|---|
| Reducing Emissions | Reducing Deforestation | Prevents massive release of stored carbon dioxide (CO2) from forest conversion. |
| Reducing Forest Degradation | Mitigates ongoing, smaller releases of CO2 due to declining forest quality and function. | |
| Enhancing Carbon Storage | Conservation of Forest Carbon Stocks | Maintains existing carbon reservoirs, preventing their release into the atmosphere. |
| Sustainable Management of Forests | Ensures long-term carbon sequestration capacity of forests while providing ecosystem services. | |
| Enhancement of Forest Carbon Stocks (Afforestation/Reforestation) | Actively removes CO2 from the atmosphere and stores it in growing biomass, increasing the planet's carbon sink capacity. |
REDD+ represents a crucial mechanism for integrating forest conservation and sustainable management into national climate change mitigation strategies, fostering a more sustainable relationship between human development and the natural environment.
