REDD+: Stopping Deforestation as a Climate Strategy
REDD+ pays for keeping forests standing. Credits are generated when deforestation is lower than a reference level, which makes measurement hard.
What REDD+ means
REDD+ stands for reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation, plus conservation, sustainable management of forests, and enhancement of forest carbon stocks. It is a framework from the UN climate process that countries and projects use to reward forest protection.
How credits are generated
A REDD+ project sets a reference level: how much forest would have been lost without the project, based on past trends and local drivers. Credits are issued for the difference between that reference level and the forest loss actually measured. Protecting a forest that was not going to be cut produces no credits.
Why measurement is hard
Satellite imagery tracks forest cover over time, while forest inventory plots and allometric equations estimate how much carbon the trees hold. Three problems recur. The reference level can be set too high, which inflates credits. Leakage can occur when clearing moves to an area just outside the project. And forest carbon can be lost later to fire, disease or illegal logging, which is why permanence matters.
Community and co-benefits
Many REDD+ projects work with local and Indigenous communities and are judged on how benefits are shared and whether land rights are respected. These factors are part of the project's credibility, not an extra.