Community forest management and REDD+

The urgent need to limit anthropogenic carbon emissions has led to the global initiative on Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation (REDD+). One option to facilitate the design and implementation of REDD+ is to build on the experiences of community forest management (CFM). Despite tensions between the central objectives of REDD+ and CFM, the two policy interventions share the objective of managing forests sustainably. REDD+ projects can build on and benefit from the environmental, social, human, and institutional capital associated with existing community forest governance. Using a comparative case approach with studies from Nepal and Tanzania, we illustrate interactions between REDD+ and CFM. In Nepal, most REDD+ pilot projects have been located in community forest sites, especially in high-carbon forests. In Tanzania, REDD+ funding is being used to expand the area of forest under Participatory Forest Management. Our study also highlights how community forestry institutions may need to be modified to satisfy key REDD+ criteria. Greater institutional coordination, equitable benefit sharing mechanisms, and higher community capacity for monitoring, reporting, and verification are key areas needing change. There are significant risks, but the vast experience and significant successes of CFM can improve prospects for achieving REDD+ objectives in other less-industrialized, forested countries.