REDD+ Implementation in Asia and the Concerns of Indigenous Peoples

This report provides an overview on indigenous peoples in five of REDD+ countries in Asia: Indonesia, Nepal, Vietnam, Laos and Thailand, together with the status of the program’s implementation in each one. The report also elaborates on the concerns of indigenous peoples in the current ‘readiness phase’ and on REDD+ national strategies, providing recommendations on ways forward for REDD+. It is hoped that this report will contribute to the over-all efforts of indigenous peoples to be heard and for their rights and concerns to be fully taken into account in the current negotiations for a final international agreement on REDD+ and in the formulation of National REDD+ Strategies. Most states in Asia do not recognize indigenous peoples neither their collective rights, especially to their land, territories and resources. State policies and regulations have prevented or restricted the access or use of natural resources including forest resources. In fact, most of the REDD+ countries in Asia have policies of restriction or prohibition on the practice of shifting cultivation or rotational agriculture. These policies have caused food insecurity, loss of biodiversity and traditional knowledge. With these conditions, the implementation of REDD+ has very strategic and serious impacts on indigenous peoples in these countries. This publication has been published with the support from IWGIA and others.