ABSTRACT
Integrated conservation and development projects (ICDPs) have been one of the most pervasive paradigms for conservation in the tropics over the last twenty years (McShane and Wells, 2004). In recent years, however, the international conservation discourse has moved away from project-based conservation approaches such as ICDP and Community-based Natural Resource Management (CBNRM). As part of this institutional shift, Payments for Environmental Services (PES) initiatives and REDD (Reduced Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation) have become the focus of international conservation discussions. It is widely anticipated that a global REDD frame work, based on the concept of PES, will incorporate tropical forest conservation and management into the next global climate change agreement (UNFCCC, 2007; Angelsen and Atmadja, 2008; UNFCCC, 2009; Ghazoul et al., 2010). Despite a current focus on international negotiations, the implementation of REDD will still require sub-national or project-scale interventions (Angelsen and Wertz-Kanounnikoff, 2008). However, little attention has been focused on how REDD projects will be implemented at this scale. Many of the REDD projects proposed or pilot projects implemented so far resemble ICDPs, regardless of the fact that the term ICDP is rarely explicitly mentioned (Collins, 2008; IBRD, 2008; TNC, 2009). This suggests that the lessons from previous project-level conservation attempts, particularly lessons accumulated by ICDPs, will be an essential tool for designing effective, efficient and equitable REDD projects.
