ABSTRACT
Why is community forestry relevant to REDD+ and the carbon fix? Community forestry (CF) and CF institutions are already managing the forests that REDD+ aims to keep standing. Community forestry offers a strong foundation for jumpstarting REDD+. Socially sound approaches based on CF lessons can improve REDD+ outcomes and build resilience for adapting to climate change irrespective of the fate of REDD+. 1 Globally, deforestation rates inside community forests with strong legal recognition are dramatically lower than in forests outside those areas (Stevens et al. 2014). Securing the tenure of community forests is increasingly recognized as the key strategy for REDD+ and other climate mitigation programs. 2
This chapter challenges the unidimensional image of community forestry and REDD+ as “people planting trees,” and assesses evidence that reveals the strategic ways that indigenous peoples and forest-dependent communities have innovated and responded to externally driven changes relevant to REDD+. The chapter takes the perspective that communities are agents in their own development. It is based on meta-analyses of relevant academic, donor and nongovernmental organization (NGO) literature, including case studies, reports and other meta-analyses. Lessons from CF are assessed for recommendations to improve REDD+ social soundness, design and implementation.
