Safeguards and Multiple Benefits in a REDD+ Mechanism

The document examines the role of safeguards in REDD+ to prevent social and environmental harm and to generate 'multiple benefits' such as poverty alleviation and biodiversity conservation. It analyzes various international standards, reviews how countries integrate these into Readiness Preparation Proposals (R-PPs), and discusses the challenges of creating a cost-effective, transparent information-sharing system that respects national sovereignty while ensuring accountability.

• REDD+ safeguards are designed to ensure that activities do not cause negative social or environmental impacts, acting as a "do no harm" principle, while a properly designed mechanism can generate multiple benefits including poverty alleviation, indigenous rights, and biodiversity conservation.
• The Cancun Agreements establish a framework for REDD+ that requires a system for providing information on how safeguards are addressed and respected, while maintaining national sovereignty.
• No single existing safeguard standard provides comprehensive coverage of all criteria in the Cancun decision; some focus on sustainable forest management (FSC, PEFC, CarbonFix), while others better address biodiversity and poverty alleviation (CCBA REDD+ SES).
• A review of 22 Readiness Preparation Proposals (R-PPs) shows that countries are exploring various ways to monitor safeguards, such as Argentina's independent system linked to carbon MRV, and the Democratic Republic of Congo's use of participatory analysis.
• The cost of establishing safeguard or benefits monitoring systems during the REDD-readiness phase varies significantly by country, ranging from US$35,000 in Costa Rica to US$600,000 in the DRC over a three-year period.
• Effective benefit-sharing mechanisms are critical for achieving multiple benefits and require clear land tenure, property rights over carbon, and transparent governance to foster trust among stakeholders.
• There are significant synergies between REDD+ safeguard reporting and other frameworks, such as the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) indicators and the Nagoya Protocol on Access and Benefit Sharing.
• Workshop participants emphasized that safeguard implementation should be country-based and flexible to reflect national circumstances rather than being enforced externally.

APA

Murphy, D. (2011). Safeguards and Multiple Benefits in a REDD+ Mechanism. International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/redd_safeguards.pdf

Chicago

Murphy, Deborah. Safeguards and Multiple Benefits in a REDD+ Mechanism. International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2011. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/redd_safeguards.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Murphy |first1=Deborah |title=Safeguards and Multiple Benefits in a REDD+ Mechanism |publisher=International Institute for Sustainable Development |date=May 2011 |url=https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/redd_safeguards.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{murphy2011safeguards, author = {Murphy, Deborah}, title = {{Safeguards and Multiple Benefits in a REDD+ Mechanism}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2011}, month = may, url = {https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/redd_safeguards.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }