HostCIFOREmissions from forests and land-use change account for about two-thirds of national greenhouse gas emissions of many developing countries. Accordingly, REDD+ measures will have to play an important role in national low-carbon development pathways toward 2050, NAMA's, and other emissions reduction schemes. A major challenge is thus: How do we reconcile emissions reductions with national development objectives?For many industrialised countries, the inclusion of forest carbon in a global climate agreement offers an attractive option to achieve part of their reduction targets through investments in developing countries. Some developing countries have welcomed this potential additional source of financing to support sustainable forest management. However, a consensus appears to be emerging that REDD+ cannot be seen solely as a tool for mitigating excessive carbon in the atmosphere. REDD+ should also generate co-benefits, including the conservation of forested ecosystems, and provide sustainable income for some of the world's poorest people.REDD+ competes with a multitude of interests inside and outside the forest sector. REDD+ initiatives are implemented in specific national and subnational circumstances, specific national and subnational governance conditions, and in an existing institutional landscape shaped by a variety of actors, interests and development objectives. The session will explore ongoing efforts at national and subnational levels to develop REDD+ strategies, programmes and projects; the challenges faced in terms of the trade-offs between emissions reductions and development objectives; and how the international policy framework could further support REDD+ initiatives.
