Abstract
Forest protection projects with the aim to Reduce Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation while ensuring social co-benefits (REDD+) are introduced at a fast pace and extensive scale across the global South as an instrument to mitigate climate change. Besides the intended positive outcomes and benefits such as of pro-poor development, biodiversity conservation and improved governance, there is also a risk of negative outcomes to the local participating communities. For instance, equity concerns in REDD+ are evident, in particular in terms of the distribution of costs and benefits in the participating communities. However, assessment of the potential social impacts from REDD+ are lacking and lagging behind, including frameworks to
examine equity in REDD+. Also, there is a lack of empirical studies that investigate impacts from REDD+ at community level.
This PhD thesis takes its point of departure in a case study of REDD+ in the Oddar Meanchey province in Northern Cambodia, which hosts the country’s first REDD+ demonstration project, and in a publication analysis of climate change research. The thesis addresses the overall research questions and the four sub-questions
To what extent is REDD+ equitable at community level compared with global
REDD+ objectives?________________________________________________________________
1. How are impacts on equity and other social impacts from REDD+ assessed?
2. How are the costs and benefits from REDD+ distributed within participating
communities?
3. Are the objectives of REDD+ being effective, efficient and equitable realistic at
local and national level?
4. Is the need for knowledge on climate change balanced by the supply of knowledge?
The four articles of the thesis address these research questions through an equity lens drawing on Political Ecology and on a conceptual framework to examine equity in REDD+. Qualitative research with a case study in Cambodia provides the empirical foundation for the thesis, supplemented with a quantitative analysis of climate change research to address the fourth research question. Together, these articles and approaches facilitate a broader discussion of the interplay between policy, research and community based on an examination of community-level equity in REDD+, which is compared with REDD+ policy objectives and placed in a climate change policy
perspective.
The main findings from the PhD research show that: 1) Proposed social assessments in REDD+ are inadequate due to a dominant positivistic approach to methods and indicators for social assessment, which contrasts the complexities and context of REDD+ projects; 2) The distribution of costs and benefits within communities in Oddar Meanchey is uneven, as the costs of deforestation disproportionally harm the poorer households, while the benefits from the forests protected under REDD+ are biased away from the poor and vulnerable groups due to various constraints and power relations; 3) The objectives of REDD+ as an effective, efficient and equitable way to reduce emissions from deforestation are unrealistic in the current form of REDD+, as REDD+ intervention disproportionally affect local deforestation drivers, because prospects of haling continued deforestation are limited, and because access to benefits and decision-making is constrained for some, and; 4) Research and policy concerns in climate change diverge in relation to mitigation vs. adaptation issues and in relation to natural vs. social science, where mitigation and natural science
perspectives are prioritized by decision-makers in the developing regions. A similar trend is reflected in REDD+ with a dominant focus on global solutions and effectiveness, as opposed to local concerns about equity. When considering society as a whole, these findings raise concerns about equity in REDD+ and about the balance in the global supply of and collective need for knowledge on REDD+ and broader climate change issues.
Finally, the thesis concludes that several challenges must be overcome towards ensuring equity in REDD+. These challenges relate to equity assessments, to equity at community level, to the realization of policy objectives and to the alignment of research concerns with research needs. In order to meet these challenges, specific recomm ndations are summarized in the thesis, namely: better integration of qualitative methods in social assessments, greater emphasis on local inclusion
and representativeness in relation to resource access and decision-making, more field research and cross-collaborations, and increased integration and exchange of knowledge across regions and institutions.
The PhD thesis contributes to research with new empirical data, which is analyzed and compared with existing policies activities and objectives in REDD+ through a conceptual framework for examining equity, as well as a comprehensive global analysis of climate change research. The thesis contributes to society and policy with the integration and exchange of knowledge.
examine equity in REDD+. Also, there is a lack of empirical studies that investigate impacts from REDD+ at community level.
This PhD thesis takes its point of departure in a case study of REDD+ in the Oddar Meanchey province in Northern Cambodia, which hosts the country’s first REDD+ demonstration project, and in a publication analysis of climate change research. The thesis addresses the overall research questions and the four sub-questions
To what extent is REDD+ equitable at community level compared with global
REDD+ objectives?________________________________________________________________
1. How are impacts on equity and other social impacts from REDD+ assessed?
2. How are the costs and benefits from REDD+ distributed within participating
communities?
3. Are the objectives of REDD+ being effective, efficient and equitable realistic at
local and national level?
4. Is the need for knowledge on climate change balanced by the supply of knowledge?
The four articles of the thesis address these research questions through an equity lens drawing on Political Ecology and on a conceptual framework to examine equity in REDD+. Qualitative research with a case study in Cambodia provides the empirical foundation for the thesis, supplemented with a quantitative analysis of climate change research to address the fourth research question. Together, these articles and approaches facilitate a broader discussion of the interplay between policy, research and community based on an examination of community-level equity in REDD+, which is compared with REDD+ policy objectives and placed in a climate change policy
perspective.
The main findings from the PhD research show that: 1) Proposed social assessments in REDD+ are inadequate due to a dominant positivistic approach to methods and indicators for social assessment, which contrasts the complexities and context of REDD+ projects; 2) The distribution of costs and benefits within communities in Oddar Meanchey is uneven, as the costs of deforestation disproportionally harm the poorer households, while the benefits from the forests protected under REDD+ are biased away from the poor and vulnerable groups due to various constraints and power relations; 3) The objectives of REDD+ as an effective, efficient and equitable way to reduce emissions from deforestation are unrealistic in the current form of REDD+, as REDD+ intervention disproportionally affect local deforestation drivers, because prospects of haling continued deforestation are limited, and because access to benefits and decision-making is constrained for some, and; 4) Research and policy concerns in climate change diverge in relation to mitigation vs. adaptation issues and in relation to natural vs. social science, where mitigation and natural science
perspectives are prioritized by decision-makers in the developing regions. A similar trend is reflected in REDD+ with a dominant focus on global solutions and effectiveness, as opposed to local concerns about equity. When considering society as a whole, these findings raise concerns about equity in REDD+ and about the balance in the global supply of and collective need for knowledge on REDD+ and broader climate change issues.
Finally, the thesis concludes that several challenges must be overcome towards ensuring equity in REDD+. These challenges relate to equity assessments, to equity at community level, to the realization of policy objectives and to the alignment of research concerns with research needs. In order to meet these challenges, specific recomm ndations are summarized in the thesis, namely: better integration of qualitative methods in social assessments, greater emphasis on local inclusion
and representativeness in relation to resource access and decision-making, more field research and cross-collaborations, and increased integration and exchange of knowledge across regions and institutions.
The PhD thesis contributes to research with new empirical data, which is analyzed and compared with existing policies activities and objectives in REDD+ through a conceptual framework for examining equity, as well as a comprehensive global analysis of climate change research. The thesis contributes to society and policy with the integration and exchange of knowledge.
| Original language | English |
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| Publisher | Department of Food and Resource Economics, Faculty of Science, University of Copenhagen |
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| Number of pages | 63 |
| Publication status | Published - 2013 |