As part of its ongoing work bringing the voices of forest communities and southern NGOs to national and international decision-makers, Rainforest Foundation UK has supported the publication of a report bringing together the experience of five countries engaged in a global scheme to reduce emissions from deforestation and degradation (REDD).

This new report, 'Is REDD-Readiness Taking Us In The Right Direction?', by the Accra Caucus shows how the implementation of REDD+ (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation) is focusing much more strongly on attracting carbon income rather than on protecting the environment or the rights of indigenous peoples and local communities. Five new case studies show that in spite of the safeguards agreed upon in Cancun providing for the full and effective participation of all relevant stakeholders, the experience to date is discouraging.

Global debates about reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation, and promoting conservation, sustainable forest management and enhancement of forest carbon stocks (REDD+) emphasise the need for strategies to build on existing knowledge. This briefing describes an example of South-South collaboration in which IIED has helped facilitate a Mozambique-Brazil partnership to share expertise and create a unique REDD+ working group. The initiative provides key lessons for other countries contemplating South-South collaboration on REDD+, including the need for charismatic champions, continuity in government representation and integration across sectors.

Reduce carbon emissions from deforestation and degradation plus (REDD+) has been developing in Tanzania since 2008 and the government is working on the development of a national strategy and action plan, as well as institutions that will enable it to implement a national REDD+ scheme. A number of studies are currently underway to help inform the detail of a future REDD strategy. Ten pilot projects are in development (REDD strategy 2010). All of these processes are overseen by a National Climate Change Steering Committee, which includes a REDD+ Working Group. The Forestry and Beekeeping Division will play a major role in REDD+ implementation. The framework document (Government of Tanzania, 2009) which has served as an initial basis for REDD+ strategy development, and various scoping studies (Katoomba, 2009) outline criteria for selecting appropriate REDD+ sites and activities. One of the policy approaches that is emphasized in draft policy strategies is the use of Participatory Forest Management (PFM) applied through Joint Forest Management (JFM) and Community Based Forest Management (CBFM) as one of the main ways to address deforestation and degradation drivers through REDD+ in Tanzania. Although it is not completely clear how this would be managed in practice, the implication is that REDD+ funding will be used to speed up the rate of expansion of land area under PFM (currently only 12.8 percent of the country's forests are under PFM) and as a potentially new finance stream within

Tanzania's land, local government and forest laws mean that rural communities have well defined rights to own, manage and benefit from forest and woodland resources within their local areas through the establishment of village forests. This approach, known by practitioners as Community Based Forest Management (CBFM) results in the legal establishment of village land forest reserves, community forest reserves or private forests. By 2008, 1,460 villages on mainland Tanzania1 were involved in establishing or managing village forests covering a total of over 2.345 million hectares. A further 863 villages are currently involved in Joint Forest Management (JFM) approaches within government forest reserves, in which management responsibilities are shared between government and local communities. 1.78 million hectares of forest reserve under central or local government jurisdiction are now under JFM arrangements. Since 2008, the Tanzanian government has been making preparations for the establishment of systems and structures for REDD Plus (Reduced Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation). Tanzania is being supported in its preparations by the World Bank's Forest Carbon Partnership Facility (FCPF), UN-REDD plus and the Norwegian Forests and Climate Initiative as well as a number of local and international Non Government Organizations (NGOs). This report has been prepared to provide inputs to the development of policy processes currently evolving in Tanzania regarding REDD

For Ghana's national REDD plus scheme to be viable, the rights to carbon or the emission credits generated must be clearly delineated, and be accompanied by equitable and efficient benefit sharing systems. There are a number of approaches that the State can use to determine whom to vest the right to carbon in. If defined as a natural resource, the state would be vested with the rights. If recognized as an ecosystem service, then the right to the benefits would be vested in the owner of the trees. In the latter case, the beneficiaries will differ depending on whether the trees are naturally occurring or planted. The main opportunities in REDD plus in Ghana are in the forestation and reforestation of forestlands and degraded lands. It is possible that REDD plus could provide additional resources to build on existing systems that promote tree planting on degraded land, such as the National Forest Plantation Development Plan (NFPDP), by providing additional incentives in reserve and off-reserve areas.

Stakeholders in Tanzania are working on REDD through national programme development, awareness raising, advocacy and project implementation. As part of this, nine REDD pilot projects are being supported by the Royal Norwegian Embassy, and are being implemented by civil society organizations and their partners. These projects cover different regions of Tanzania, and have diverse aims and approaches. Some are focused primarily on REDD readiness activities, such as establishing permanent monitoring plots and carbon baselines, and training government staff and community members in carbon monitoring, reporting, assessment, and verification (MARV). Others are facilitating performance-based payments to forest community members. Some are working in community owned forests, while others are in joint forest management areas. Several are helping communities design benefit sharing mechanisms for anticipated REDD revenues.

Our new report, Low-carbon Africa: Leapfrogging to a green future, makes the case that Africa is able to deliver clean and sustainable energy to millions of energy-poor people across the continent without increasing greenhouse gas emissions – and for this renewable power potential to drive a green economic expansion across the region.

An abundance of resources and its sustainable development ambitions give Africa a real advantage when it comes to renewable energy. With access to a ‘leapfrog fund’ from global mitigation finance, this could lay the ground for a low-carbon future.

A report published by IUCN reviewing existing forest use and management data in order to calculate the value of breaking down barriers to locally-controlled forestry in tropical and developing countries throughout Asia, Africa and Latin America.

The proposed project seeks to contribute substantively to climate change and community forest management policies and advance the literature by analyzing the relationship between common property forest management (CPFM) in Ethiopia and climate policy within the context of the UN Collaborative Programme on Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation in Developing Countries (REDD) and proposing instruments for channeling REDD benefits to households.

REDD presents both risks and opportunities for forest conservation and poverty reduction in Tanzania. It has the opportunity to increase national, district, and local benefits from forests, and to diversify local incomes from natural resource management, but REDD also presents the risk of increased appropriation of community lands and conflicts over resource benefits in ways that could negatively impact local livelihoods and sustainable forest management.