Issue Brief - Co-benefits of REDD+ Activities in Nepal

Key messages

1. Nepal’s community forestry program has successfully demonstrated the benefits of forest conservation by strengthening biodiversity, contributing economically to local livelihoods, improving preparedness of climate change adaptation, and enhancing governance and sustainable management of forest resources. These are the same co-benefits that can be anticipated from Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+) activities in Nepal.

2. The value of these co-benefits of forest conservation and sustainable forest management to local communities is far greater than forest carbon payments alone. REDD+ activities should be designed to ensure communities can access those co-benefits.

3.To fully realize the co-benefits of REDD+ activities in Nepal, emphasis should be placed on technologies and methods for cost-effective measurement, reporting, and verification (MRV) as well as human and institutional capacity development at different levels. Sustainable financing will be required for REDD+ to become an attractive incentive for improved forest management.