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In this report, Conservation International provides an in-depth analysis of 12 pilot forest carbon initiatives in which it has been involved as partner, in order to provide preliminary insights into what will be needed to make REDD+ work on the ground. Located in nine countries throughout Asia, Latin America and Africa, these initiatives represent a broad range of geographic, socioeconomic and biophysical conditions and provide a unique opportunity to examine the challenges and opportunities of designing and implementing forest carbon initiatives in different countries. By providing a holistic and fine-scale analysis of Conservation International’s experiences in implementing reforestation and REDD+ initiatives on the ground, this study reveals many of the real-world challenges that project managers and policy makers will likely face as they design and implement new REDD+ initiatives , and provide practical recommendations of how to enhance the chances of successful design and implementation in the field that result in the provision of climate, community and biodiversity benefits.

The United Nations climate negotiations on reducing emissions from deforestation and degradation (REDD) provide a rare opportunity for conservation of tropical forests and biodiversity. Here, we explore the implications of REDD design and implementation options on biodiversity conservation and ways to link REDD with biodiversity conservation. From both a mitigation and biodiversity perspective, the most important immediate steps are to ensure that REDD is included in the new global climate agreement and maximizes the area of tropical forest conserved. It may also be possible to include guidelines or incentives within a REDD framework or in national implementation to channel funding to areas of high biodiversity. However, if the immediate steps above are not taken first, REDD will reach neither its mitigation nor its biodiversity conservation potential.