Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD) is an effort to create a financial value for the carbon stored in forests, offering incentives for developing countries to reduce deforestation and degradation thereby lowering their associated carbon emissions. REDD+ has evolved from REDD and focuses on deforestation and degradation but also includes conservation, sustainable management of forests and improvement of forest carbon stocks. With 20% of global carbon emissions caused by deforestation and forest degradation, REDD+ has the capacity to fight climate change by producing real and verifiable emissions reductions, while benefiting biodiversity and people’s well-being. REDD+ offers many co-benefits alongside lowering carbon emissions and improved forest management.
REDD+ projects can also offer many benefits for forest dependent communities. The incentives offered by REDD programs can help with poverty alleviation. Many REDD+ programs offer communities improved education systems and more sustainable livelihood options. This paper will explore community based monitoring in REDD+ projects including the benefits of using this method to compliment data collected remotely, an overview of the available technologies that can be used for this purpose and how community based monitoring can be applied by project developers who are developing projects under the Natural Forest Standard.
