Biodiversity Monitoring Protocol for REDD+; (Special Publication)

Biodiversity monitoring protocol for REDD+ has been developed to help project proponents, policy makers, and those responsible for the design and implementation of biodiversity monitoring and land-based carbon projects implement cost-effective biodiversity assessments. The biodiversity monitoring protocol for REDD+ can help to achieve the targets and standards, and compliance with international conventions, donor agencies, investors, and other stakeholders in REDD+. In addition, implementation of this protocol will contribute to the avoidance of negative impacts on biodiversity conservation, as recognized in the Cancun Safeguards at the 2010 UNFCCC meeting, to meet the multiple-benefit standards as suggested by the Climate, Community & Biodiversity (CCB) Standards. Additionally, this will also promote and strengthen coordination between UNFCCC and CBD, which will ultimately lead to the implementation of the Multi-lateral Environmental Agreement (MEA), including Rio Conventions, on the ground.

A strategic aim of REDD+ activities is to reduce the risk of biodiversity depletion through prioritization of sites with both high carbon value and high biodiversity benefit. To assess priority sites for conservation, one would ideally obtain biodiversity measures assessing the species richness (total number of species), species diversity (type of species), and population sizes of all species present at the site. In order to help attain this information, this document provides a variety of methods, tools, and assessment at multiple points.

This protocol has been prepared in the simplest of formats to cater to all kinds of stakeholders, and it contains all the tools necessary for biodiversity monitoring, covering all taxonomic groups and the selection of sampling sites. This protocol will help to generate temporal and spatial data/information on the patterns, processes, and trends of biological resources, which can be used to inform resource managers, policy and decision makers, community members, and other stakeholders.