Nested governance for effective REDD plus : institutional and political arguments

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

2014

Keywords

community forest management; multilevel governance; deforestation;resources; carbon; decentralization; mexico; conservation; peoples

Abstract

Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation and Forest Enhancement (REDD+) has become a central focus of global climate change mitigation efforts. Even though the international demand for forest-based carbon sequestration is the key driver of REDD+, forest protection strategies must be implemented on the ground. This cross-scale nature of REDD+ explains why scholars and policy makers increasingly favor nested governance arrangements over either fully centralized or fully decentralized REDD+ governance. The focus of the literature on nested REDD+ governance has mostly been on monitoring, reporting, and verification of carbon emission reductions across sub-national, national, and international levels. We build on Ostrom's principle of 'nested enterprises' to argue that REDD+ must be designed to systematically and formally link national policy reforms with the organization and execution of sub-national (regional and local) forest conservation efforts led by forest users. We also contribute new insights on the political dimensions of nestedness in REDD+, with important roles for inter-community forestry associations and forest rights movements.

Publisher Attribution

Kashwan, P., & Holahan, R. (2014). Nested governance for effective REDD+: Institutional and political arguments. International Journal of the Commons, 8(2).

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