Recent publications have highlighted the importance of
community rights in reducing deforestation and forest degradation (REDD+) a
mitigation policy under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate
Change.
A Special Feature in Ecology and Society on Beyond Carbon: enabling justice and equity in REDD+ across levels of governance, examines the
complex landscape of justice and equity in REDD+ and the multiple levels of
governance in which they play out. The papers illustrate the need for a greater
integration of the human rights discourse in REDD+ as a means to improve equity
outcomes, and disturbingly none provide evidence of a significant
re-distribution of material benefits as a result of REDD+ initiatives.
Interestingly, an analysis of Indigenous Peoples engagement in the UNFCCC REDD+
processes demonstrates that some indigenous actors have managed to ‘import
power’ from human rights discourse to strengthen their influence over REDD+
decision-making.
