William Pickering
The forestry sector has historically been responsible for large greenhouse gas emissions. REDD+ is a mechanism that attempts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from deforestation and forest degradation while also conserving the forestry sector's role as a carbon sink, inter alia. It operates by incentivising the global south to maintain forests by making trees more valuable standing than felled through results-based payments. On paper, this appears to be a practical approach to the emissions from the forestry sector. However, due to the nature of REDD+, this mechanism can be undermined by weak governance and corruption, resulting in rights concerns for indigenous peoples as REDD+ initiatives imply potential economic gain. This project will examine the operation of REDD+ as a mechanism and assess how effectively indigenous interests are safeguarded in REDD+ projects.
Williams participation in our Climate Desk initiative is part to the research project InterFor
