REDD+ Safeguards

Overview

REDD+ (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation, plus conservation, sustainable management of forests and enhancement of forest carbon stocks) safeguards represent a comprehensive framework established under the UNFCCC to ensure that forest-based climate mitigation activities protect the rights of Indigenous Peoples and local communities while maintaining environmental integrity and governance standards.

Formally established at COP 16 in Cancun, Mexico (2010), these safeguards are critical for climate finance professionals as they form the foundation for credible, high-integrity forest carbon credits and ensure that REDD+ investments contribute positively to sustainable development goals while mitigating risks for investors and communities alike.

The Seven Cancun Safeguards

Safeguard (a): Policy Consistency

Requirement: Actions complement or are consistent with the objectives of national forest programmes and relevant international conventions and agreements.

Implementation: Countries must demonstrate alignment between REDD+ activities and existing national forest policies, biodiversity strategies, and international commitments such as the Convention on Biological Diversity and the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

Safeguard (b): Transparent Governance

Requirement: Transparent and effective national forest governance structures, taking into account national legislation and sovereignty.

Implementation: Establishment of clear institutional arrangements, anti-corruption measures, public access to information, and accountability mechanisms for REDD+ implementation.

Safeguard (c): Indigenous Rights and Knowledge

Requirement: Respect for the knowledge and rights of indigenous peoples and members of local communities, by taking into account relevant international obligations, national circumstances and laws, and noting the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

Implementation: Recognition of traditional knowledge systems, customary land tenure, and cultural practices in REDD+ design and implementation, including Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) procedures.

Safeguard (d): Stakeholder Participation

Requirement: The full and effective participation of relevant stakeholders, in particular indigenous peoples and local communities.

Implementation: Meaningful consultation processes, ongoing engagement mechanisms throughout the REDD+ cycle, and inclusive decision-making structures that ensure all affected parties have a voice.

Safeguard (e): Biodiversity Conservation

Requirement: Actions are consistent with the conservation of natural forests and biological diversity—ensuring REDD+ actions are not used for the conversion of natural forests, but instead incentivize protection and conservation of natural forests and their ecosystem services, and enhance other social and environmental benefits.

Implementation: Prohibition of natural forest conversion to plantations, protection of high conservation value areas, and enhancement of ecosystem services including water regulation and biodiversity habitat.

Safeguard (f): Addressing Reversals

Requirement: Actions to address the risks of reversals.

Implementation: Risk assessment and management systems, buffer pools for carbon credits, monitoring to detect potential reversals, and adaptive management to address threats to emission reductions.

Safeguard (g): Preventing Displacement

Requirement: Actions to reduce displacement of emissions.

Implementation: Landscape-scale planning to prevent leakage, monitoring systems to detect displacement, and measures to address identified leakage including coordination across jurisdictions.

Safeguards Information Systems (SIS)

Legal Requirements

Under UNFCCC Decision 1/CP.16, developing country Parties implementing REDD+ activities must establish "a system for providing information on how the safeguards are being addressed and respected." This Safeguards Information System (SIS) must be:

Country-driven: Building upon existing national and sub-national systems
Transparent and flexible: Allowing stakeholder access and continual improvement
Periodic in reporting: Through summaries submitted in national communications or via the REDD+ Web Platform

SIS Design Principles

Effective SIS implementation follows several key principles:

Participatory Development: Engaging all relevant stakeholders in SIS design and implementation, ensuring that monitoring approaches reflect community needs and capacities.

Integration with Existing Systems: Building upon existing monitoring and information systems rather than creating parallel structures, improving efficiency and sustainability.

Multi-Level Approach: Capturing information at national, subnational, and project levels to provide comprehensive coverage while respecting different implementation contexts.

Adaptive Management: Allowing for continuous improvement based on experience, changing circumstances, and stakeholder feedback.

Country Examples

Costa Rica: Developed a web-based platform integrating forest monitoring data with social and environmental information, enabling real-time tracking of safeguards compliance.

Indonesia: Established the PRISAI (Principles, Criteria, and Indicators) system linking safeguards monitoring to the national forest monitoring system and one-map initiative.

Mexico: Created a comprehensive SIS encompassing federal and state levels, integrating existing information systems and establishing new mechanisms for stakeholder participation.

Implementation Frameworks

National Level Implementation

Countries typically establish national REDD+ institutions or strengthen existing forest agencies to coordinate safeguards implementation:

Institutional Arrangements: Clear mandates and coordination mechanisms among ministries, agencies, and levels of government responsible for forests, environment, indigenous affairs, and social development.

Legal and Policy Framework: National laws and regulations that provide legal basis for safeguards implementation, including constitutional protections for indigenous rights and environmental legislation.

Capacity Building: Training programs for government officials, local communities, and civil society organizations on safeguards principles and implementation procedures.

Subnational Implementation

Many countries adopt jurisdictional approaches that implement safeguards at state or provincial levels:

Jurisdictional REDD+: State or provincial governments lead implementation with support from national frameworks, as seen in Acre (Brazil), East Kalimantan (Indonesia), and Chiriqui (Panama).

Nested Approaches: Combining jurisdictional and project-level activities within consistent safeguards frameworks, allowing for diverse implementation while maintaining coherence.

Project Level Implementation

Individual REDD+ projects must demonstrate safeguards compliance through:

Environmental and Social Impact Assessments: Comprehensive assessments of potential impacts on communities and ecosystems, with mitigation measures for identified risks.

Stakeholder Engagement Plans: Detailed procedures for ongoing consultation and participation, including culturally appropriate communication methods and conflict resolution mechanisms.

Benefit-Sharing Agreements: Transparent mechanisms for distributing financial and non-financial benefits from REDD+ activities, negotiated with affected communities.

Climate Finance Integration

Risk Mitigation for Investors

REDD+ safeguards serve critical functions in climate finance by reducing investment risks:

Operational Risks: Strong governance and stakeholder engagement reduce the likelihood of project disruption or failure due to local opposition or institutional weakness.

Reputational Risks: Robust social and environmental protections help investors avoid association with projects that harm communities or ecosystems.

Legal and Regulatory Risks: Compliance with national and international standards reduces exposure to legal challenges or regulatory action.

Carbon Credit Quality: Safeguards implementation enhances the credibility and market value of generated carbon credits.

Multilateral Climate Finance

Major climate finance institutions require safeguards compliance:

Green Climate Fund: Requires all REDD+ activities to demonstrate safeguards implementation through Environmental and Social Safeguards, with specific Indigenous Peoples Policy and Environmental and Social Management Framework.

World Bank Forest Carbon Partnership Facility: Uses comprehensive Environmental and Social Framework requiring Free, Prior and Informed Consent, benefit-sharing arrangements, and grievance redress mechanisms.

Adaptation Fund: Requires Environmental and Social Policy compliance including gender considerations and vulnerable groups protection.

Blended Finance Approaches

Safeguards enable innovative financing structures:

Performance-Based Payments: Results-based finance tied to both emission reductions and safeguards compliance, as implemented in Norway's International Climate and Forest Initiative.

Debt-for-Nature Swaps: Linking debt relief to forest conservation with safeguards ensuring community rights protection, as seen in Belize and Barbados agreements.

Private Sector Engagement: Corporate buyers increasingly demand credit issuance.">verification of safeguards compliance as part of their due diligence for carbon credit purchases.

Challenges and Solutions

Implementation Challenges

Capacity Constraints: Limited technical and institutional capacity in many developing countries to implement comprehensive safeguards systems.

Funding Gaps: Insufficient resources for safeguards implementation, particularly for ongoing monitoring and stakeholder engagement activities.

Coordination Difficulties: Challenges in coordinating across multiple levels of government and sectors with different mandates and priorities.

Measurement and Monitoring: Technical difficulties in developing indicators and methodologies for some safeguards, particularly for intangible cultural values.

Emerging Solutions

Technology Integration: Use of satellite monitoring, mobile applications, and blockchain systems to improve transparency and reduce monitoring costs.

South-South Cooperation: Exchange of experiences and technical assistance among developing countries implementing REDD+ safeguards.

Simplified Procedures: Development of streamlined approaches for smaller jurisdictions and projects while maintaining integrity.

Multi-Stakeholder Platforms: Creation of formal mechanisms bringing together government, civil society, private sector, and indigenous representatives for ongoing oversight.

Future Developments

Enhanced Integration with SDGs

Growing recognition of REDD+ safeguards' contribution to multiple Sustainable Development Goals, particularly:

SDG 1 (No Poverty) through benefit-sharing mechanisms
SDG 5 (Gender Equality) through inclusive participation requirements
SDG 15 (Life on Land) through biodiversity conservation provisions
SDG 16 (Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions) through governance requirements

Article 6 Integration

As international carbon markets develop under Paris Agreement Article 6, REDD+ safeguards are being integrated into corresponding guidance, ensuring that international transfers maintain high integrity standards.

Market Evolution

Voluntary carbon markets are increasingly demanding robust safeguards implementation, with buyers prioritizing credits from projects demonstrating strong community engagement and environmental protection.

Conclusion

REDD+ safeguards represent a critical framework for ensuring that forest-based climate action contributes positively to sustainable development while generating credible emission reductions. For climate finance professionals, understanding these safeguards is essential for assessing investment risks, ensuring regulatory compliance, and accessing the growing market for high-integrity forest carbon credits.

The successful implementation of REDD+ safeguards requires sustained commitment from governments, adequate financing, and meaningful participation from all stakeholders, particularly Indigenous Peoples and local communities. As carbon markets continue to evolve and scale, these safeguards will remain fundamental to maintaining the environmental integrity and social legitimacy of forest-based climate solutions.

Sources: This content is based on research from UNFCCC decisions, World Bank safeguards policies, country submissions to the REDD+ Web Platform, and academic institutions specializing in forest governance and climate finance.