REDD, Climate Change and the Rights of Tribal Communities in India

Reducing Emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD) is the global endeavour to create incentive for developing countries to protect, better manage and save their forest resources, thus contributing to the global fight against climate change. REDD plus goes beyond merely checking deforestation and forest degradation, it includes incentives for positive elements of conservation, sustainable management of forests and enhancement of forest carbon stocks. Countries that reduce emissions and undertake sustainable management of forests will be entitled to receive funds and resources as incentives. REDD became part of the Bali action plan, which was supposed to culminate in a new climate protection treaty in Copenhagen in December 2009. The Inter-governmental Panel on Climate Change has also stressed the importance of REDD+ in the context of international climate co-operation. Furthermore with the exception of the European Union Emissions Trading System (EU- ETs) all existing and most proposed domestic or regional trading schemes include or aim to include sustainable land practices and forestry as a class of eligible offsets. While moving forward towards the implementation of REDD+, participation of local communities with compulsory representation of women would be the central theme. Government of India is committed to ensure that full and adequate incentives from REDD+ go to the local communities as and when these became available. India’s context, the forest will not be managed for “carbon services” alone but for all the ecosystem services that are flowing to the local community from the forests. Incentives for carbon services will be an addition to the benefits that the local communities are already receiving from the forest eco systems.