REDD+ as a Potentially Viable Solution to Biodiversity and Ecosystem Insecurity

Tropical forests cover more than 600 million hectares of the Earth’s surface and contain at least two thirds of the world’s terrestrial biodiversity (Gardner et al, 2009). Forests not only benefit humankind with a vast number of products – both timber and non-timber – but they also provide ecosystem services such as regional and local climate regulation, water supply and soil conservation. Tropical forests also serve as significant carbon sinks, a vital ecosystem service, storing more than half of all carbon found in terrestrial vegetation worldwide (Watson et al, 2000).