CHALLENGE

Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation (REDD) has been singled out as a promising way to cut the rate of carbon emissions, and contribute to mitigating climate change. But much of the focus has been on the first “D”. In countries with high forest cover, weak governance structures, and active concession forestry (where the challenge of measurement and enforcement will be the greatest), there may be opportunities through Sustainable Forest Management (SFM) certification, for inciting the private sector to contribute to more sustainable and less degrading concession practices that generate REDD benefits.

RESULTS

This knowledge activity explored the policy, legal and financial measures necessary to develop a carbon payment mechanism that generates incentives for concession holders to undertake practices (such as reduced-impact logging) that contribute to REDD. 

It also analyzed how forest certification can be integrated into concession rules as a means of accounting for and measuring improvements to forest degradation and related carbon emissions.