Mapping national REDD+ initiatives in the Asia-Pacific region

Tek Narayan Maraseni; Bishnu Hari Poudyal; Eak Rana; Sudarshan Chandra Khanal; Puspa Lal Ghimire; Bhishma P Subedi

doi:10.1016/j.jenvman.2020.110763

Mapping national REDD+ initiatives in the Asia-Pacific region

J Environ Manage. 2020 Sep 1:269:110763. doi: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2020.110763. Epub 2020 May 15.

Authors

Tek Narayan Maraseni¹, Bishnu Hari Poudyal², Eak Rana³, Sudarshan Chandra Khanal⁴, Puspa Lal Ghimire⁴, Bhishma P Subedi⁴

Affiliations

¹ Centre for Sustainable Agricultural Systems, University of Southern Queensland, Queensland, 4350, Australia; Chinese Academy of Sciences, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Lanzhou, 730000, China. Electronic address: Tek.Maraseni@usq.edu.au.
² Centre for Sustainable Agricultural Systems, University of Southern Queensland, Queensland, 4350, Australia. Electronic address: Bishnuhari.Poudyal@usq.edu.au.
³ NIMS College, Patan, Nepal.
⁴ Asia Network for Sustainable Agriculture and Bioresources (ANSAB), Nepal.

PMID: 32425168
DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2020.110763

Abstract

Countries in the Asia-Pacific region are pioneers in the implementation of climate change mitigation initiatives. They have implemented readiness activities to fulfil the requirements for results-based payments from the forestry sector (termed REDD+). Using content analysis, a questionnaire, and a series of workshops with key stakeholders, we mapped the REDD + readiness of 11 Asia-Pacific countries with respect to UNFCCC's resolutions on REDD+. Their status was mapped against the Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC), which constitutes the five design elements of the Warsaw REDD + Framework and the Forest Carbon Partnership Facility (FCPF) requirements. While the overall achievements vary across the studied countries, our results demonstrate that Vietnam, Nepal, and Indonesia are in an advanced stage of REDD + readiness. A significant number of conditional NDCs and timely and adequate technical and financial support are imperative for the studied countries to achieve a high level of readiness. However, lack of trust and coordination among the state and non-state actors, limited national participation of Civil Society Organizations and Indigenous Peoples in REDD + related committees, and conflicts among regulatory frameworks related to forestry and other land uses remain common challenges for these countries. These challenges risk disrupting the essence of REDD + as a multi-level, multi-stage and multi-stakeholder governance system. Stakeholders in these countries are optimistic about a better performance of REDD + regarding emission reduction, enhanced livelihoods, improved forest governance and improvement in biodiversity. However, any optimism is challenged by stakeholder's own suspicion of the effectiveness of REDD + projects to achieve permanency and control leakage/displacement. Building political will and the development of context-specific benefit-sharing plans and their effective implementation could be important keys to maintaining optimism of stakeholders about REDD + initiatives.

Keywords: Climate financing; Forest carbon partnership facility; REDD+; UN-REDD; Warsaw framework.

MeSH terms

Asia
Conservation of Natural Resources*
Indonesia
Nepal
Vietnam