This policy brief, published by the Centre for International Forestry Research, provides a snapshot of 17 REDD+ pilot projects in Indonesia. It begins by discussing early REDD+ pilots in Indonesia and then provides a comprehensive typology of REDD+ activities in Indonesia. The brief continues with a discussion of the motivation behind different pilot models and the following section outlines research needs and implications of REDD+ design in Indonesia. The brief concludes by arguing that the REDD+ pilot activities discussed illustrate challenges and a need to reform existing institutional, regulatory and land-tenure systems. It then asserts that Indonesia’s experience regarding the structure of sub-national activities and how these alternatives are shaped by institutional and governance conditions provide key lessons for the global community.