REDD Assumptions in Developing Countries

The REDD (Reduction Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation) program of the United Nations, in addition to its goal of forest preservation, identifies several social co-benefits as outcomes in its realization. However, social conditions in developing countries are not in place to implement REDD the way it has been designed. The neoliberal theories, at the core of REDD’s proposal, suggest mismatches between REDD assumptions and the developing countries’ rural dynamics. Despite these facts, currently, most tropical forest management agents in developing countries are preparing to enact a national REDD project, mainly under pressure from international institutions, without ensuring the appropriate social context. Land tenure rights, financial compensation, and poor people participation are some of the issues that are not clarified, yet the program has already begun allocating resources to some developing countries. Colombia is taken as an example to demonstrate the conflicting issues regarding use, control and access to forest resources.