FOREST-BASED CLIMATE MITIGATION: LESSONS FROM REDD+ IMPLEMENTATION

The document evaluates the evolution of REDD+ from local projects to jurisdictional approaches, noting that while national initiatives have improved forest monitoring and governance, most have failed to reverse absolute deforestation. It highlights the emergence of subnational jurisdictional strategies as a way to link climate incentives with sustainable supply chains and recommends a rights-based approach that prioritizes indigenous peoples and local communities.

• National REDD+ initiatives in over 50 countries have generally failed to stop or reverse absolute deforestation, although they have achieved intermediate milestones such as improved forest monitoring capacities, a better understanding of deforestation drivers, and increased stakeholder engagement.
• The financial structure of REDD+ shifted from an original theory of large-scale results-based payments driven by carbon markets to a reliance on a few donor countries' development agencies, which primarily funded 'readiness' activities rather than ex post rewards for results.
• Subnational jurisdictional approaches are emerging as a strategic method to integrate REDD+ incentives with sustainable supply chain commitments and domestic policies; a study of 39 such jurisdictions showed that just under half saw a decrease in deforestation between 2012 and 2017 relative to projected reference levels.
• Evaluations of over 350 local REDD+ projects indicate that while some reduced deforestation and provided livelihood benefits, they were largely ineffective at addressing systemic issues like land tenure insecurity, which must be handled at jurisdictional scales.
• REDD+ implementation in Indonesia provided a policy opening for indigenous groups to advance territorial rights, contributing to a 2012 Supreme Court decision recognizing indigenous rights to forest land, though subsequent government restructuring has shifted focus toward a 'social forestry' agenda.
• A primary barrier to REDD+ success is the failure to address large-scale, commodity-driven drivers of deforestation, as many national strategies focus on small-scale activities like agroforestry rather than controlling powerful commercial actors.
• The document recommends that industrialized countries increase their financial co-responsibility and that governments recognize indigenous peoples and local communities as substantive rights holders rather than mere project beneficiaries.

APA

DUCHELLE, A. E., SEYMOUR, F., BROCKHAUS, M., ANGELSEN, A., LARSON, A. M., MOELIONO, M., WONG, G. Y., PHAM, T. T., & MARTIUS, C. (n.d.). FOREST-BASED CLIMATE MITIGATION: LESSONS FROM REDD+ IMPLEMENTATION. World Resources Institute. https://wriorg.s3.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/forest-based-climate-mitigation_0.pdf

Chicago

DUCHELLE, AMY E., FRANCES SEYMOUR, MARIA BROCKHAUS, ARILD ANGELSEN, ANNE M. LARSON, MOIRA MOELIONO, GRACE Y. WONG, THU THUY PHAM, and CHRISTOPHER MARTIUS. FOREST-BASED CLIMATE MITIGATION: LESSONS FROM REDD+ IMPLEMENTATION. World Resources Institute, n.d. https://wriorg.s3.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/forest-based-climate-mitigation_0.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=DUCHELLE |first1=AMY E. |last2=SEYMOUR |first2=FRANCES |last3=BROCKHAUS |first3=MARIA |last4=ANGELSEN |first4=ARILD |last5=LARSON |first5=ANNE M. |last6=MOELIONO |first6=MOIRA |last7=WONG |first7=GRACE Y. |last8=PHAM |first8=THU THUY |last9=MARTIUS |first9=CHRISTOPHER |title=FOREST-BASED CLIMATE MITIGATION: LESSONS FROM REDD+ IMPLEMENTATION |publisher=World Resources Institute |url=https://wriorg.s3.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/forest-based-climate-mitigation_0.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{duchellendforestbased, author = {DUCHELLE, AMY E. and SEYMOUR, FRANCES and BROCKHAUS, MARIA and ANGELSEN, ARILD and LARSON, ANNE M. and MOELIONO, MOIRA and WONG, GRACE Y. and PHAM, THU THUY and MARTIUS, CHRISTOPHER}, title = {{FOREST-BASED CLIMATE MITIGATION: LESSONS FROM REDD+ IMPLEMENTATION}}, institution = {World Resources Institute}, url = {https://wriorg.s3.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/forest-based-climate-mitigation_0.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }