Linking FLEGT and REDD+ to Improve Forest Governance

For the past decade or so, developing countries have engaged in a variety of new international initiatives aiming at improving forest management and governance. The prevailing international forest initiatives at the moment are FLEGT and REDD+. FLEGT focuses on combating illegal logging; REDD+ aims to reduce deforestation and forest degradation and enhance carbon stocks. These initiatives offer innovative approaches to longstanding challenges in the land-use sector for policy-makers and forest stewards in developing countries. although FLEGT and REDD+ use different approaches and methods, they both aim to address the drivers of forest loss in tropical countries. Increased cooperation between the initiatives at the national level could advance forest governance reforms, strengthen stakeholder engagement and balance competing interests, such as using forests for local development, generating revenue and income, biodiversity conservation and carbon sequestration.