I’ve recently posted on ssrn a draft book chapter examining REDD+ in Brazil as it relates to the nation’s indigenous peoples. Brazil is particularly important for REDD+ because of its large share of global forests (approximately 1/3), relatively well-developed institutional infrastructure, and leadership role in international climate negotiations. There is a much greater chance of successful REDD+ development in Brazil if indigenous peoples engage the program because they hold a consitutional right to manage 20% of the Brazilian Amazon and have a long history of successful forest management. REDD+ may offer indigenous people of Brazil benefits, but it also poses serious risks. Thus, in the chapter, I offer some suggestions for ensuring that indigenous peoples will reap net benefits from REDD+ engagement. These include securing a legal framework to define benefit distribution and free prior informed consent.
The final chapter will appear in Climate Change, Indigenous Peoples and the Search for Legal Remedies (Randall S. Abate & Elizabeth Ann Kronk, editors, Edward Elgar Publishing, forthcoming 2012).
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