The context of REDD+ in Brazil: Drivers, agents, and institutions

This report provides an overview of the contextual conditions that affect the REDD+ policy environment in the Brazilian Amazon. Based on reviews of existing literature, national and international data, legal opinions and selected expert interviews, it provides the background and the preliminary analysis of the context in which national REDD+ strategies are being developed. This document is organized into 5 main sections. First, it reviews the main forest and land use trends, investigating the main country-specific drivers of deforestation and degradation. The second section reviews major institutional factors linked to governance and rights, with particular emphasis on access rights to forestland and forest resources, as well as on decentralization of governance, which has a crucial role in Brazil's REDD+ strategy. The third section encompasses political-economic factors, depicting the broader context in which drivers of deforestation and degradation operate. The fourth section moves more specifically to the development of national REDD+ policy strategies. The final section then draws on the implications of the preceding sections for prospective REDD+ outcomes by conducting an assessment of the efficiency, efficacy and equity (3Es) of execution of REDD+ strategies