Harnessing REDD+ for Community Involvement and Equitable Benefit Distribution: Insights from Dhankuta District, Nepal (original) (raw)
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Costs, cobenefits, and community responses to REDD+: a case study from Nepal
We examine the role of subnational institutions in carbon sequestration and assess whether community forest user groups can meet both existing forest needs and international carbon demand. By conducting a qualitative evaluation of a pilot program in Nepal that made carbon payments to forest user groups, we examine if community forestry institutions can be effective, efficient, and equitable in implementing Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD)+. Our evaluation relies on focus group discussions, meetings, and community and program documents of forestry user groups that participated in the REDD+ pilot and matched groups that did not. Compared to control groups, REDD+ user groups appear to be more effective in carbon sequestration, perhaps because of increased prevention of forest fires and grazing, nursery establishment, and other forest management. REDD+ user groups report a larger number of forest conservation, forest utilization, and community development activities relative to control groups. Participating communities bear transaction costs of US$4.5/hectare and implementation costs of US$2.5/hectare on average (or NPR 50,000 (US$600) per year). The mean REDD+ rent per ton of additional carbon sequestered was US$1.3. Targeting of benefits improves partly because some marginalized groups, particularly women, participate more in the planning and management. In terms of equity, microcredit and capacity development activities were skewed to the poorest households, whereas alternate fuel and carbon monitoring were more advantageous to middle or high income households. Overall, our analyses suggest that REDD+ activities can be successfully executed, if communities receive technical and capacity building support for institutional strengthening, in addition to carbon payments.
Contemporary Research: An Interdisciplinary Academic Journal
Nepal's decentralized forest governance has now included a new actor, i.e. REDD+ which is a mechanism based on market for mitigation of climate change through conservation of forest. This paper aims to shed lights on the REDD+ effect on community forestry governance, and local livelihood. For this various published articles and reports were reviewed and analyzed. Organizations like ICIMOD, FECOFUN and ANSAB are leading a pilot project in community forestry on measurement of carbon and equalizing benefit. The major objective of the REDD+ program is to reduce forest carbon emissions by providing financial incentives for developing countries. The impacts of the implication of the REDD+ is more questionable preceding its 10th anniversary. Special income generating activities and awareness programs have been implemented by the REDD+ pilot project targeting the poor, women, disadvantaged groups and indigenous people. While some study findings show the REDD+ gave priority to the carbon...
Journal of Forest and Livelihood, 2009
This article argues that Nepal can benefit from the REDD mechanism by proactively acting to curb the rate of deforestation and forest degradation. Successful participation can bring biodiversity, ecological and economic benefits to the community as well as the country. Nevertheless, technical complexities in assessing the market, elite domination in contract negotiation and risk of ignoring the voices of forest?dwelling communities pose serious threats to the success of the plan. Key words: REDD, community?managed forests, carbon sequestration, deforestation, climate change Full text is available at the ForestAction website Journal of Forest and Livelihood 8(1) February 2009 pp.56-61
2016
Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+) was reformulated to cover deforestation and forest degradation, which, until recently, were overlooked in climate change mitigation initiatives. However, whether REDD+ will benefit countries like Nepal, which has a relatively low deforestation rate, less forest cover, and a population predominantly comprising farmers who are heavily dependent on forests, is being debated. To address this issue, the opportunity cost (OC) of REDD+ need to be analyzed. This study analyzes the OC of REDD+ against high-value and mid-value crops in the Thangsa Deurali Community Forest (TDCF) of Dolakha district in the midhills of Nepal. This community forest has been participating in the REDD+ pilot program since 2009. In the study, household survey, focused group discussions, and key informant interviews were used to collect data on community forest management, including forest harvesting and agricultural practices. To estimate the OC, ...
Are Community Forestry Institutions Appropriate for Implementing REDD+? Lessons from Nepal
This paper examines the role of national and sub-national institutions in managing carbon sequestration and trade in Nepal. It first asks whether it is feasible and advantageous to implement REDD+ in Nepal’s community managed forests. Then, using a pilot experimental program, it assesses whether community institutions can serve both existing needs and meet international demand for carbon. The review of secondary evidence suggests that community forestry can effectively and equitably manage REDD+ activity. However, there may be higher carbons returns to converting forests currently directly managed by the government to more efficient regimes. At the sub-national level, available evidence suggests that REDD+ activities can be successfully implemented, if, in addition to rent, communities receive technical mentoring that contributes to institutional strengthening.