A comparative analysis of the processes, costs and impacts of REDD+ : findings from pilot projects in Brazil and Tanzania

Abstract

This thesis is a comparative study that examines how the policy of Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+) was implemented in three pilot sites located in Kilosa and Kondoa districts in Tanzania and the RDS Rio Negro in Amazonas, Brazil. Applying classical institutional theory, the thesis analyses ‘what it takes’ to establish local governance structures for trading carbon under REDD+. The analyses cover REDD+ implementation from ‘start to finish’. The aim has been to obtain a more comprehensive understanding of the establishment of REDD+, which included the processes of implementation, what it costed to establish and apply the relevant governance structures and what the outcomes have been regarding both livelihoods and deforestation/carbon storage. The study employs both qualitative and quantitative approaches, and has produced altogether four scientific papers.