REDD+ case study

The REDD+ programme aims to curb carbon emissions by providing financial incentives to developing countries for protecting forestry resources. While small-scale projects in Kenya and Cambodia have successfully preserved biodiversity and created jobs, large-scale implementation has faced significant failures. In Indonesia, the programme has been undermined by the misclassification of palm oil plantations as revegetation projects, alleged double counting of credits, and the displacement of indigenous communities. Despite these issues, the document notes that REDD+ has improved forestry monitoring and kept rainforests on the global policy agenda.

• The REDD+ programme operates by assigning monetary value to hectares of forest based on carbon absorption, allowing governments to claim funds from third-party financiers if the forests are not cut down.
• Implementation in Indonesia has been marred by the government labelling palm oil plantations as revegetation projects to redefine rainforest destruction as the creation of new forests, a claim rejected by scientists.
• Indonesia has secured significant funding through REDD+ and UN forestry funds, including US $56 million from Norway and US $104 million from a UN fund, despite using questionable methods such as alleged double counting of credits and large timeframes.
• The programme has failed its social mandate in Indonesia, where indigenous communities are often displaced and 83% of unprotected, vulnerable forestry resources are at risk of being replaced by palm oil plantations.
• While large-scale efforts are criticized, small-scale REDD+ projects, such as the Kasigau Project in Kenya and the Southern Cardamom Project in Cambodia, have successfully preserved biodiversity and created local employment.
• Other nations face similar REDD+ challenges: Brazil has received financial compensation despite unchecked deforestation, and Australia is criticized for potentially using REDD+ as an offset for its own deforestation programmes.

APA

Contributor, C. (2021). REDD+ case study. ClimaTalk. https://climatalk.org/2021/08/08/redd-case-study/

Chicago

Contributor, ClimaTalk. REDD+ case study. ClimaTalk, 2021. https://climatalk.org/2021/08/08/redd-case-study/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Contributor |first1=ClimaTalk |title=REDD+ case study |publisher=ClimaTalk |date=8 August 2021 |url=https://climatalk.org/2021/08/08/redd-case-study/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{contributor2021redd, author = {Contributor, ClimaTalk}, title = {{REDD+ case study}}, institution = {ClimaTalk}, year = {2021}, month = aug, url = {https://climatalk.org/2021/08/08/redd-case-study/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }