What is REDD? – Get to Know Everything About it

A concept created by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) to deal with the global warming impact, REDD is a project that proposes reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation. For that, it relies on reduction by carbon compensation through economic incentives.

The REDD and REDD+ projects work to maintain the forests protected, preserving the carbon reservatories in the world, like soils, rocks, and the atmosphere.

The resources acquired by the commercialization of the carbon credits, for example, must be reverted and used for the wellbeing of the forests, as well as the communities that live within. These are long-term projects, with preservation, conservation, and maintenance-focused actions.

And, in this cycle, when looking at the forests, the communities that live around them can also be benefited. A REDD project turns into the action of sustainable environmental and socio-economic development, integrating nature and local residents.

In this post, you’ll get to know details about what is REDD and REDD+. Furthermore, will learn more about Redda+, a Brazilian company that uses the REDD+ mechanisms in their projects in the region of the Amazon Rainforest.

In this post has:

• What is REDD?
• How did the acronym start?
• How does REDD work?
• What are the REDD challenges?
• Current REDD actions
• What’s the difference between REDD and REDD+?
• Get to know REDDA

What is REDD?

REDD is the conjunct of economical incentives focused on Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation. REDD offers mechanisms to help minimize carbon gas emissions into the atmosphere. As well as actions that help deal with deforestation.

REDD can be comprehended as a sustainable and smart management guide for the forests. Through it, is possible to establish functional actions in favor of the environment. The people responsible for these actions, belonging to REDD, are paid to follow their projects.

After all, it is the way found to avoid the emissions of CO2, the originator of global warming.

How did the acronym start?

In 2005, the acronym REDD (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation) could be heard in international conversations about climate change. In 2007, at the UNFCCC, in Bali, Indonesia, the acronym was consolidated.

Documents showed how countries in development, responsible for the rainforests, could promote reductions in carbon emissions by less deforestation. These actions would be financially compensated. 

This compensated reduction concept has been the solid base for REDD. This way, it’s believed that it’s possible to better monitor gas emissions from deforestation and forest degradation. Elaborating and putting into practice actions to deal with, and even prevent, the destruction of the forests.

The acronym keeps on being connected to other causes, directly or indirectly, like preservation of the biodiversity and local cultures. It’s an ongoing job that has been spread and received another concept, REDD+, that is explained further into the text.

How does REDD work?

The compensated emission reduction, proposed by REDD, encourages policies designed to keep the forests standing. As a consequence, not only do they survive but also there is a great decrease in the negative effects of climate change.

The mechanisms applied by REDD can be related to the carbon market and even volunteer works. For instance, some projects calculate how much carbon was avoided from being emitted into the atmosphere through forestal conservation. This way, it is possible to sell “carbon credit” to companies and the amount paid is used to continue the preservation.

What are the REDD challenges?

The proposal is relevant, however, it is needed to deal with some challenges. Some of the most worrisome are: the deficiency of supervision and the rampant sales of carbon credit. Learn more about it:

• Supervision – how to police and monitor to make sure the deforestation in a certain area has decreased. How to make sure that the applied actions follow, certainly, basic sustainability questions?

• The governments – how to negotiate with governments in a transparent and clear way? Most are involved by the economical compensation, but are they really accomplishing the goals for emission reduction? Besides, will these governments use the money received in local actions to give continuity to the preservation of the area?

• The carbon market –  selling carbon credits is interesting, but it can also cause unbalances. Rich countries, for example, can rely on the possibility of buying carbon credit and not comply with their part in reducing emissions. Would there be a quote to buy and sell credits? How would these transactions be?

• The measurement of carbon emissions – which calculation will be officialized to “quantify” the carbon emission in storage and how much has been avoided of being emitted by the preservation?

It is obvious that all these questions can’t be the reason to avoid the continuity of a project that reaches for humankind’s wellbeing. For that, it is necessary to deal with them in a smart way, looking for certified companies in the market for the carbon credit sale and with information transparency.

Current REDD actions

Lately, it is possible to follow the REDD mechanisms working. Some examples are the Ulu Masen Project, in Indonesia, and the given support to the families living in the Juma Preserve, in Brazil. Also in Brazil, REDDA appears with a project to act on Portal, a city in Pará. The project proposes to help the environmental and sustainable development in the region, as well as the socio-economic growth.

Besides, there are partnerships between countries, like the financial support offered by Norway to Guiana preserve their rainforest.

What’s the difference between REDD and REDD+?

Now that you understand what is REDD, we will explain what is REDD+ and their differences. 

While REDD values emission reduction by deforestation and forest degradation, REDD+ has a little bit more.

With REDD+ sustainable management and the increase of forestal carbon stocks are included. Note that one doesn’t overshadow the other, on the contrary. They are concepts that complement each other, having goals that are in common.

It’s interesting to observe that the mechanisms offered by REDD and REDD+ also go in favor of the communities within nature. That is because there are communities that live in the forests, surviving off activities linked to them.

Key-points of REDD

We went over the key points of REDD so you can clearly understand what it is. Check it out:

• REDD: Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation. Made in line with the compensated emission reduction.
• REDD+: Beyond the mechanisms offered by REDD, added to it are the increase of the carbon stocks, sustainable management, and conservation.
• REDD baseline: Uses the expected emissions, considered normal, as a reference to the emission reduction measures.
• REDD conditions: Some basic conditions are taken into consideration to show the carbon emission reduction. For example, the authenticity of this reduction. Also to not exist any leak, that is, the emission in an area cannot be avoided and transfer the emission to another one. It needed to be replaced by sustainable, rentable ways, with neutral carbon emission. At last, there is a necessity to invest in long-term viability, as the work for the carbon reduction is not punctual. It remains to prevent emission at any point in history in this area.

Get to know Redda+

The name Redda+ comes from the combination of REDD (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and forestal Degradation) and Amazon. Redda+ has as its first project, an action in Portal, Pará, also relying on a social project IRAMA (Instituto Ribeirinhos da Amazônia, in Portuguese – Amazon Riverside Institute, in free translation).

The city of Portal is located in the region of the Marajó Island. It shelters vegetation created by the Amazon Equatorial Forest, with great specimens diversity.

Redda+ and IRAMA, together, become a complete project, of long-term, that attends to the 17 United Nations sustainable development goals. In a general way, the goals are complied with environmental, social, and economical development, encouraging sustainable growth in the region.

Redda+ wants to ally conservation and sustainable use of natural resources, through REDD mechanisms, to community growth. This way, it can offer resources to education, health, and the generation of the local economy, besides investments in local projects, such as Agroextratives Settlement Projects Alto Camaraí, Jacaré-Puru, Acangatá, and Acutipereira.