Governing Southern Africa’s Forests: The Case of REDD+

This case study provides a political-economy analysis of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) regional support programme for Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+). It examines the valuation of forests as global, regional, and local public goods, the challenges of forest governance in Southern Africa, and the implementation of a regional MRV (measurement, reporting, and verification) project to support carbon sequestration goals while balancing regional equity.

• Forests provide a range of ecosystem services that function as public goods at different scales: carbon storage and sequestration are global public goods, while hydrological services (regulating rainfall, floods, and water yield) and health benefits operate at regional and local levels.
• REDD+ is a financing partnership between developed and developing nations designed to incentivize the preservation of forests. While Norway is the largest financial contributor, followed by the UK, Australia, and the US, the scheme has not reached the required scale of finance, and disbursement is often linked to results, making Measurement, Reporting, and Verification (MRV) essential.
• Southern Africa faces severe deforestation, with Zimbabwe and Zambia having some of the highest rates globally. Primary drivers include agricultural expansion and extraction of timber, fuelwood, and charcoal. In most SADC countries, greenhouse gas emissions from land-use change and forestry exceed those from fossil fuels, with South Africa and Angola being the exceptions.
• Forestry governance in SADC member states is hampered by sector marginalisation, characterized by small budgetary allocations and capacity constraints. Decision-makers frequently fail to consider the full implications of converting forest land to other uses, such as mining or industrial expansion, because the sector's formal economic contribution to GDP is often negligible.
• The SADC regional support programme for REDD+, approved in May 2011, aims to provide a 'regional value add' by increasing bargaining power in international negotiations, achieving economies of scale, and preventing 'regional leakage' where deforestation shifts to neighbouring countries.
• The SADC FANR Directorate and GIZ are implementing a three-year project (ending February 2015) with a budget of EUR 3.365 million to develop integrated MRV systems. To balance carbon effectiveness with regional equity, the project selected three pilot sites: Mozambique (Mopane), Botswana (Baikiea), and a transboundary site in Malawi–Zambia (Miombo).

APA

du Preez, M.-L. (2013). Governing Southern Africa’s Forests: The Case of REDD+. South African Institute of International Affairs. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/REV_SAIIA_perisa_pg_CS2_du-preez_20131212.pdf

Chicago

du Preez, Mari-Lise. Governing Southern Africa’s Forests: The Case of REDD+. South African Institute of International Affairs, 2013. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/REV_SAIIA_perisa_pg_CS2_du-preez_20131212.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=du Preez |first1=Mari-Lise |title=Governing Southern Africa’s Forests: The Case of REDD+ |publisher=South African Institute of International Affairs |date=August 2013 |url=https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/REV_SAIIA_perisa_pg_CS2_du-preez_20131212.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{dupreez2013governing, author = {du Preez, Mari-Lise}, title = {{Governing Southern Africa’s Forests: The Case of REDD+}}, institution = {South African Institute of International Affairs}, year = {2013}, month = aug, url = {https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/REV_SAIIA_perisa_pg_CS2_du-preez_20131212.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }