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Projects : VCS Jurisdictional & Nested REDD+ Initiative

The Verified Carbon Standard (VCS) is overseeing a groundbreaking Jurisdictional and Nested REDD Initiative to provide a pathway for scaling up REDD activities. The initiative is convening policymakers, practitioners and technical experts from around the world to develop guidelines for creating robust accounting frameworks that will allow for crediting REDD projects, policies and programs across national and sub-national jurisdictions.

There is general consensus in global climate policy circles that efforts to Reduce Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD) will require robust accounting at the national scale. At the same time, a growing number of individual REDD projects are being implemented successfully around the world. These projects, many of which are being developed under the VCS, are demonstrating viable approaches to reduce deforestation while engaging local actors and leveraging private capital.

The Jurisdictional and Nested REDD Initiative will develop rules and requirements for the integrated, jurisdiction-wide crediting of REDD activities. Global advisors and technical experts will draft guidelines that can be used by jurisdictions seeking to create integrated accounting frameworks for crediting REDD projects and programs across their territories. Currently, there are no regulatory or institutional frameworks for the integrated, or nested, accounting of REDD projects and programs across jurisdictions.  

The initiative was launched in early 2011 with generous support from the Climate and Land Use Alliance. An Advisory Committee with two dozen government, civil society, and private sector representatives was assembled to provide strategic input and local perspectives to the work. A committee of technical experts was also assembled to draft guidelines and technical requirements. Names and affiliations of all participants can be found on the VCS website.

The initiative is being managed by a secretariat consisting of representatives from the VCS, the VCS AFOLU Steering Committee, and Climate Focus.

For more information including a Fact Sheet and background documentation visit the VCS website.

Project Updates - November, 2011

Initial technical recommendations for the VCS Jurisdictional and Nested REDD+ Initiative have been completed. The technical recommendations contain details on how a jurisdictional and nested REDD+ crediting scheme could be implemented in practice. These recommendations are currently being discussed with the Jurisdictional and Nested REDD+ Advisory Committee, technical experts and additional peer reviewers. Draft VCS text is planned for release for public comment in early 2012. For more information on the initiative and a copy of the technical recommendations see http://www.v-c-s.org/node/296

Project Updates - February, 2012

The revised technical recommendations for the VCS Jurisdictional and Nested REDD+ Initiative have been released and are available online (http://www.v-c-s.org/JNRI). The revised technical recommendations take into account over 800 comments received on the first draft of the technical recommendations released in October 2011 along with the outcomes of COP17/CMP7. The technical recommendations are currently being converted into draft VCS rules and requirements that should be released for public comment early in the second quarter of 2012.