Analysis of National Forest Programs for REDD+ Implementation in Six South and Southeast Asia Countries

Abstract

"To facilitate REDD+ implementation and identify relevant attributes for robust REDD+ policies, this study evaluated and synthesized information from national forest programs in South and Southeast Asian countries. Data was collected from six countries: Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Bangladesh, Philippines, India and Thailand. The data sources for the evaluation was an in-depth desk review of relevant documents and focus group discussion among experts from each study country. We found out that diverse factors may influence program feasibility and the ability to achieve ‘triple benefits’: the nature of the forest targeted by the policy, the characteristics of the population affected by the policy, attributes of the policy instrument and the different actors involved. We argue that national policies and programs targeted for REDD+ implementation should focus on the identified features to achieve REDD+ goals."