title: Reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD+): game changer or just another quick fix?
abstract: Reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD+) provides financial compensation to land owners who avoid converting standing forests to other land uses. In this paper, we review the main opportunities and challenges for REDD+ implementation, including expectations for REDD+ to deliver on multiple environmental and societal cobenefits. We also highlight a recent case study, the Norway-Indonesia REDD+ agreement and discuss how it might be a harbinger of outcomes in other forest-rich nations seeking REDD+ funds. Looking forward, we critically examine the fundamental assumptions of REDD+ as a solution for the atmospheric buildup of greenhouse gas emissions and tropical deforestation. We conclude that REDD+ is currently the most promising mechanism driving the conservation of tropical forests. Yet, to emerge as a true game changer, REDD+ must still demonstrate that it can access low transaction cost and high-volume carbon markets or funds, while also providing or complimenting a suite of nonmonetary incentives to encourage a developing nation's transition from forest losing to forest gaining, and align with, not undermine, a globally cohesive attempt to mitigate anthropogenic climate change.
authors.affiliation: Terrestrial Ecology and Sustainability Science and the School of Marine and Tropical Biology, James Cook University, Cairns, Australia. oscar.venter1@jcu.edu.au
authors.forename: Oscar
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Venter
authors.forename: Lian Pin
authors.initials: LP
authors.lastname: Koh
mesh_terms: D044822:Biodiversity; D002245:Carbon Dioxide; D057231:Climate Change / Q000191:economics; D003247:Conservation of Natural Resources / Q000191:economics / Q000379:methods* / Q000639:trends; D017752:Greenhouse Effect / Q000191:economics / Q000517:prevention & control; D007214:Indonesia; D009664:Norway; D011057:Politics; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D014197:Trees
chemical_list: D002245:Carbon Dioxide