'Equity' and Institutional Logics in REDD+ Tanzania

Abstract

"The concept of equity is increasingly used especially by agencies designing environmental funding mechanisms and governance regimes from the local to the global level. In the context of Reduced Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+), a climate change mitigation instrument based on payments for the maintenence and enhancement of carbon stocks in tropical forests, in the manner in which 'equity' is understood will be of critical importance for the impacts and acceptance of REDD+ interventions. Although the concept of equity has been extensively analysed in the academic literature, in policy debates related to REDD+, however, equity is often described as an 'issue' without further conceptualization. In this study, we provide a conceptual framework for analysing the underlying rationales in the 'equity in REDD+' debate, and apply it to highlight how actors involved in the design of national REDD+ governance structures in Tanzania utilize the concept of equity in proposing different governance models."