REDD-Net Asia-Pacific Bulletin #1: Introducing Equity in REDD

This bulletin draws on country-level experience to share civil society perspectives on the challenges, opportunities, and possible approaches for pro-poor REDD. As governments begin to formulate their national REDD programs, questions are emerging about the role of local people in design and implementation, and the socio-economic implications for the rural poor. Drawing on experiences from Nepal and Vietnam, this bulletin includes:

• Initial observations on REDD equity in the Asia-Pacific region
• Case-studies of networks improving participation for REDD
• Analysis: Will tenure issues cause conflict?
• Models for pro-poor REDD
• Project Focus: Reducing carbon emissions through community-managed forests in the Himalayas
• Studies, initiatives and projects in Vietnam and Nepal

Key Messages

• For REDD to effectively contribute to poverty reduction efforts, local people must be involved in program decision making and design from the outset and at all stages; from forest land allocation and carbon monitoring through to benefit distribution.
• REDD programs and projects that do not take local priorities and practices into account will very likely fail. Local people's dependence on forests and experience in forest management make them indispensable partners in REDD.
• REDD presents an opportunity to address longstanding issues regarding forest governance and tenure security, both of which have important implications for equitable benefit distribution and the ultimate success or failure of REDD as a climate change mitigation tool. It is thus critical that strategic discussions about REDD are linked to the wider political discourse on these issues.