Understanding REDD+ (Reduce Deforestation and Forest Degradation) and its finance mechanisms can be a painful process. In 2014, WWF together with the Union of Concerned Scientists and the Yale School of Environment and Forestry, produced a new series of visual mind maps detailing REDD+ within the UNFCCC system.
The idea of producing these maps is to provide a visual guide to systems and structures supporting REDD+ and its role within the complex UNFCCC (United Nation Framework Climate Change Convention).
The set of maps consist of various topics:
- Foundations of REDD+
- National strategy or action plan and its link to drivers of deforestation and forest degradation
- Safeguard Information Systems
- Forest Reference Emission Level .
- National Forest Monitoring Systems
- Measurement, Reporting and Verification
- Implementation elements of the Warsaw Framework for REDD+
- REDD+ finance
- Coordination of support for the implementation of REDD+ activities
- Information hub the web platform on the UNFCCC website
- General commitment and support
- REDD+ web platform
- Nationally appropriate mitigation actions
I find these maps are useful for REDD+ practitioners located around the globe to help them understand the complex streams of the UNFCCC processes for REDD+ and the design elements of REDD+ necessary to obtain and receive results-based finance.
When you look at each map, the graphic illustrations clearly detail information into groups: blue, green and grey bubbles that refer to different topic areas such as guidelines for developing countries and links to REDD+ finance. Each of these bubbles is tagged with the according UNFCCC process and convention.
These maps are free to download from the WWF website and they have been released in time for use at the UNFCCC meetings in Bonn, Germany in June 2014. To get a detailed view into REDD+, I suggest you spend a few minutes checking out our Knowledge article on the subject.