Reducing emissions from deforestation and degradation, and enhancing forest carbon stocks in developing countries  REDD+ plays a vital part in global efforts to tackle climate change. This has generated interest among the international community and as a result, new policies have emerged in which significant international finance is being provided to developing  countries  in  order  to  implement  REDD+.

This CDKN policy brief, Is REDD+ an opportunity to support climate compatible development in developing countries? outlines  how  these  processes  work  and  looks  at  whether  these financial flows offer new opportunities to support climate compatible development.  The message is  that  there  could  be  new  opportunities, although  these  require  considerable  investment  in  institutions  to manage forests and sufficient time.  REDD+ could also introduce new risks,  especially  for  forest  dependent  peoples,  so  any  new  policies need to be designed with this in mind to ensure that they are effective and equitable.