Over the past 25 years, developing countries have transitioned toward decentralized forest management that allows local actors increased rights and responsibilities, and has helped protect forests in many regions. A new approach to mitigating terrestrial emissions associated with climate change, Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+), is poised to interrupt this trend. Given the implications for tropical forest management, REDD+ governance links should be a research priority/While there is an increased global agreement on a REDD+ mechanism, this paper warns the global community that it may be poised to interrupt a developing country trend towards decentralised forest management (which allows for increased rights and responsibilities for local actors). The authors argue that the REDD+ mechanism should provide for decentralised strategies as heavily centralised REDD+ implementation can be detrimental to efficiency and equity. It is noted that governments have decentralised forest management for many reasons:

to reduce costs and increase efficiency by transferring responsibilities
to respond to local demands for rights and international donor pressures
to transfer benefits to users
in recognition that conservation is possible across diverse tenure regimes.

The authors argue that while effective decentralisation reforms have increased local actors’ benefits and rights in forests, reduced costs of protection, and provided opportunities for biodiversity conservation, the REDD+ mechanism actually calls for a national approach so as to avoid leakage, ensure permanence, and provide reliable monitoring, reporting, and verification. The paper recognises the efforts to promote community involvement in REDD+ but cautions that even then the mechanism may undermine decentralisation.