By Tracey Osborne
A new report on REDD+ and indigenous peoples, written by PPEL members has been recently published. The report, titled Indigenous Peoples and REDD+: A Critical Perspective was commissioned by Indigenous People’s Biocultural Climate Change Assessment Initiative (IPCCA), a NGO based in Cusco, Peru. IPCCA works closely with indigenous communities around the world to assess local strategies for climate change mitigation and adaptation. The report is deeply informed by political ecology literatures on the commodification of nature, environmental governance, and indigenous rights. It tackles critical issues on REDD+ such as land tenure, benefit-sharing, safeguards and finance – particularly the role of market mechanisms, which is a key concern of indigenous and forest dependent communities. These issues are likely to be raised and debated in the upcoming international climate change meeting (COP 20) in Lima, Peru. Therefore, our intention is that this timely intervention provides some clarity into a highly complex set of issues around REDD+. This report represents a prime example of public political ecology, as it is based on rigorous research that includes a comprehensive review of the literature on REDD+ and indigenous peoples, and offers a set of recommendations for climate change mitigation in forests with special emphasis on the rights of indigenous peoples. See the report’s executive summary below. You can also download the full report here.
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Tracey Osborne is an Assistant Professor at the School of Geography and Development, University of Arizona
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