Advice on the Application of Relevant REDD+ Safeguards for Biodiversity, and on Possible Indicators and Potential Mechanisms to Assess Impacts of REDD+ Measures on Biodiversity

Summary

Environmental and social safeguards2and accurate information on environmental and social impacts are essential for the long-term success of activities for reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation and the role of conservation, sustainable management of forests and enhancement offorest carbon stocks in developing countries (REDD+) under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). In decision X/33, the Executive Secretary has been requested to (i) provide advice, for approval by the Conference of the Parties at its eleventh meeting, on relevant REDD+ safeguards for biodiversity; and (ii) identify possible indicators and mechanisms to monitor and assess the impacts of REDD+ on biodiversity. These two requests are addressed in separate sections of this note. Key aspects of the draft advice on REDD+ safeguards refer to: (i) clarifying land tenure issues, and aiming for integrated land-use planning at the landscape level, (ii) building on existing national biodiversity-related guidance and experience with the implementation of relevant decisions of the Convention on Biological Diversity; (iii) developing and applying national level REDD+ safeguards, drawing upon the three main existing safeguard initiatives,3and (iv) using national safeguard processes to ensure that REDD+ achieves additional social and environmental benefits. The draft advice also contains a proposal for a basic biodiversity risk identification and risk mitigation process for national REDD+ activities.