COM/ENV/EPOC/IEA/SLT(2022)2
35
4. Deep dive: scaling up actions aimed at reducing deforestation and forest degradation by non-Party stakeholders Non-Party stakeholders (NPS) play a key role in the implementation of REDD+ activities. REDD+ stands for “Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation, plus the sustainable management of forests, and the conservation and enhancement of forest carbon stocks”. REDD+ is a framework developed under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) that regulates activities that prevent elimination or degradation of forests in developing countries. It was agreed on at the 16th Conference of the Parties to the UNFCCC (COP) in Cancun and is governed by the Warsaw Framework for REDD+ adopted at COP19. This section explores measures that national governments can take to facilitate the implementation of REDD+ initiatives by NPS. First, this section briefly discusses the mitigation potential of REDD+, the roles of different actors in and challenges to REDD+ implementation, as well as the measures that national governments can take to tackle these challenges. Second, the section collects concrete experiences of how measures taken by national governments have contributed to tackling challenges to REDD+ implementation across the world. The section focuses on experiences in dealing with institutional, technical and regulatory challenges, as well as challenges relating to increasing the financial attractiveness of REDD+ activities. Drawing on these experiences, the section identifies lessons for national governments on how they can facilitate NPS action within the framework of REDD+ initiatives.
4.1. Implementing REDD+ activities by NPS: Context and challenges 4.1.1. Mitigation potential Annual global deforestation emissions have been rising since 2010 (WRI, 2022[79]) and need to be sharply reduced to be aligned with the Paris Agreement (UNFCCC, 2021[5]). Actions aimed at reducing deforestation and forest degradation have considerable GHG mitigation potential – particularly in tropical countries.19 According to the IPCC, decreasing deforestation and forest degradation has the greatest potential to reduce emissions in the agriculture, forestry and other land use (AFOLU) sector, which is responsible for almost a quarter (23%) of total net anthropogenic emissions (Shukla et al., 2019[80]). Graham (2016[81]) reports that avoiding tropical deforestation has a mitigation potential of up to 20% of total annual emissions. REDD+ can play an important role in the protection of tropical forests by providing financial incentives to countries or sub-national actors to implement activities aimed at reducing deforestation and forest degradation. REDD+ projects are located in countries where the largest tropical forests can be found – 19
The vast majority of global deforestation since 2001 has occurred in tropical regions (WRI, 2022[77]).
Unclassified
