Forests in Asia-Pacific account for 18.6% of the world’s total forest cover. In addition to forests which contain a disproportionate number of the world’s vulnerable species, Asia Pacific also happens to be home to two-thirds of the world’s poorest people. Many of these people, living on less than USD $1 a day, are also remote, rural and/or indigenous communities that are dependent on forests for subsistence or marginal financial income. In this context, REDD+ and carbon credit markets present a spectrum of potential opportunities - as well as threats. As the likelihood of REDD+ being formally included in a post-Kyoto agreement increases, so too do expressions of concern that local and indigenous communities may see their rights violated in a rush to commodify forest carbon.

REDD-net Asia-Pacific seeks to strengthen the potential for REDD+ to work in favour of local communities: to ensure that they receive the greatest possible benefits deriving from REDD and that their rights and interests are protected. REDD-net was established to fill a need for information and knowledge sharing at the community level in the context of the fast paced evolution of REDD+ and carbon markets, and to support civil society efforts to ensure local-level participation and influence in the development of REDD+.

The work of REDD-net in Asia-Pacific consists of a range of activities including liaising with national and regional REDD-related networks and actors, the organizing of workshops and the production of a series of written materials including bulletins and thematic papers based on regional experiences and analysis of timely REDD-related issues. REDD-net Asia-Pacific is intended as a mechanism for two-way information sharing and capacity building amongst regional members with the underlying aim of ensuring effective local-level representation. 

Join our forum or review the resources below for further information on REDD-nets work in Asia-Pacific.

Featured News & Resources

REDD+, governance, and community forestry

REDD+, governance, and community forestry: highlights from the forest governance learning group Asia experts' meeting The Forest Governance Learning Group brought together 12 experts from India, Indonesia, Nepal, Philippines, Vietnam, and the UN-REDD Programme to discuss how community forestry strengths and shortcomings can influence ...

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Landmark FPIC consultation in Hanoi: More questions than answers

A workshop held June 16-18 in Hanoi, Vietnam on the application of Free and Prior Informed Consent (FPIC) in the context of REDD has wide-reaching implications for the use of FPIC globally. The event was a key consultation between “Indigenous Peoples organizations from Asia and The Pacific and the UN-REDD Programme on Free,Prior And Informed Consent Processes And Recourse Mechani...

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REDD-net Asia-Pacific Bulletin 3: Carbon Rights and REDD+

 REDD+ is based on the right to benefit from (or to be compensated for) reducing forest-based emissions of greenhouse gases, either through fund-based payments, carbon market payments, or a combination of these. But who can claim this right? Should an entitlement to payment depend on who owns the so-called ‘carbon rights’? This raises a numb...

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Implications of Cancun for Asia-Pacific: Experts panel report

In February 2010, RECOFTC – The Center for People and Forests and  the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) , brought together regional experts in Bali, Indonesia, to reflect on the outcomes of the 15th Conference of the Parties (COP) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). The resulting booklet &...

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