In a new report, to be presented at the Global Landscapes Forum on Saturday, the Sustainable Tropics Alliance analyzes progress made in implementing low-emission rural development (LED-R) in eight regions in the Tropics.

LED-R provides a framework for integrated implementation of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and helps to address challenges related to implementation. Some of the key messages of this analysis for policy-makers and stakeholders are:

• There are no silver bullets. Corporate and national government commitments to reduce deforestation are extremely difficult to implement on the ground. Governments, businesses, farmers, communities and civil society must be at the table to drive the transition to LED-R.
• REDD+ finance has not reached most jurisdictions. Incentives for supporting LED-R must also be found in domestic policies and programs.
• Performance-based incentives could play a critical role. Be they financial, regulatory or contractual, these incentives systems can reward performance at the farm and jurisdictional level, pushing progress towards time-bound performance milestones.
• Land rights have advanced in Latin America and are progressing in Indonesia. Legal protection of indigenous and community rights to land is more advanced in Latin America. However, in Indonesia a recent Constitutional Court decision on customary land rights provides a foundation for progress.
• Smallholders are generally neglected in sustainable development and climate change processes. With numerous small landholdings, usually without formal land titles, it is more difficult to include them in supply chain initiatives, support them through rural extension, or finance them through credit programs.
• Forest monitoring outside Brazil is still weak. Most nations have developed forest monitoring systems, but only Brazil makes reliable, annual maps of new deforestation publicly available on the internet. Others could follow soon.

For more information see Sustainable Tropics Alliance

The Sustainable Tropics Alliance is co-hosting a side-event at the Global Landscapes Forum on Saturday, 6 December 8.30 to 12.30

Building new alliances for sustainability in tropical states and provinces