Governance features for successful REDD plus projects organization

Projects aiming at reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD+) still account for a small share of the voluntary carbon market. Indeed, although carbon buyers claimed REDD credits to be the most desirable ones, and despite the steps forward for a REDD+ approval under the UNFCCC, REDD+ project development appears problematic. Good governance is often a prerequisite for the development of a REDD+ project. With the scope of determining the governance features for a successful REDD+ project, the research proposes a logical framework for REDD+ project governance assessment. Starting from the Governance of Forests Initiative Toolkit developed by the World Resource Institute, a set of REDD+ governance indicators are selected and applied in two Peruvian REDD+ field case studies. The methodology is then tested on REDD+ projects where no primary information is available. REDD+ projects are found to be successful when transparency and accountability are carefully addressed and when forest management and land use planning are endorsed. In this sense the Forest Stewardship Council certification appears to be an important pre-condition for the success of REDD+. (c) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.