Greening REDD+. Challenges and opportunities for forest biodiversity conservation

This policy paper is an output of the research project “The protection of forests under global biodiversity and climate policy”, a cooperation between the Institute of Forest and Environmental Policy (IFP)1 and the Institute for Landscape Management2, both University of Freiburg. The project is financially supported by the German Federal Agency for Nature Conservation (BfN) with funds from the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU).

The project aims at developing approaches for the currently evolving REDD+ mechanism that deliver synergetic effects for achievement of international climate and biodiversity objectives under the UNFCCC and the CBD, respectively. In light of this, the paper aims to provide scientific background and analyses as well as practicable policy options for the ongoing processes, especially with regards to the upcoming CBD negotiations at COP10 in Nagoya, Japan, and the subsequent COP16 of the UNFCCC in Cancún, Mexico.

The options and opportunities described are based on the results of the international expert workshop “Greening REDD+: Challenges and opportunities for forest biodiversity conservation” that was convened in Freiburg by the IFP and the Institute for Landscape Management from April 14th to 16th, 2010. The workshop brought together 37 international experts from eleven countries with academic, policy and practical backgrounds to jointly discuss central issues related to the consideration of biodiversity aspects in the context of REDD+. The authors would like to thank all participants for sharing their personal insights and for contributing to the workshop with inspiring enthusiasm and new ideas.This paper is an independent study and the opinions expressed are the views of the authors.