SNV Pro-Poor REDD+

Low Emission
Development Plans
Multiple Benefits
Participatory Forest
Monitoring
Agriculture
Benefit Distribution
Systems
Renewable Energy

A major challenge to the success of REDD+ is how to balance the goals of rural
economic growth through agricultural and infrastructure development with better
protection and management of forests. With the competition for land there is
real potential for conflict and continued deforestation and degradation, unless a
balance can be found. Introducing more open, integrated and effective planning
through the development of Low Emission Development Plans provides a
blueprint for this to be achieved.


Low emissions development plans (LEDPs) have become a central focus of
efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in developing countries. The draft
decision of the Ad Hoc Working Group on Long-term Cooperative Action, agreed
at COP 17 in Durban, ‘’encourages developing country Parties to develop
low-emissions development strategies, recognising the need for financial and
technical support by developed country Parties…’’1. The focus of SNV’s support
on LEDPs is in rural areas, looking at the interaction between forest, agriculture
and energy sectors. Agriculture and forestry activities account for the majority
of emissions in most developing countries, and are also important sources of
national income and provide livelihoods for the vast majority of the world’s poor.

SNV’s approach to LEDPs
SNV, with partners, has developed an overall framework to help governments
to factor GHG emissions into key sectoral and land use plans in order to meet
the dual goals of pro-poor economic development and sustainable land and
forest use planning within a chosen sub-national jurisdiction. This provides the
groundwork for the establishment of a performance based finance mechanism.
Such an approach will help ensure permanence and sustainability. Under
each step of the LEDP, tools and guidance are provided to allow the multiple
stakeholders to better understand, discuss and agree on activities. Community
engagement and participation is essential.
The LEDP approach is outlined in Figure 1. These steps are not linear. LEDPs are
currently being tested through the Lowering Emissions in Asia’s Forests (LEAF)
programme, with a focus on forest plans.

Case study: The LEAF programme
LEAF is a USAID supported
programme which began in 2011
and is due to be completed in 2016.
It is implemented through a consortium of SNV, Winrock International and
Climate Focus, covering six core countries: Cambodia, Lao PDR, Malaysia,
Papua New Guinea, Thailand and Vietnam.
Part of the LEAF programme aims to demonstrate innovation in sustainable
land management. In Vietnam, Provincial REDD+ Action Plans are being
developed with the National REDD+ Office while in Lao PDR LEAF is
considering working at the village level and moving through a bottomup approach. The ‘top-down’, spatially explicit, work in Vietnam and the
‘bottom-up’ field based approach in Lao PDR provide two opportunities
to evaluate both the development and outcomes of LEDPs on balancing
social, economic and environmental needs (as measured through carbon
emissions) at a sub-national level.


SNV REDD+


Figure 1 Generic framework for LEDPs

Scoping
The scoping will require compilation of current socio-economic development/
sectoral and land use plans, as well as tenure arrangements, to identify key
intervention opportunities for the integration of emissions. This could be at
the level of the district, province, forest management unit, community etc. A
stakeholder analysis will need to be carried out to assess stakeholder’s rights
in land use planning, their responsibilities and their returns (or incentives) and
capacity for incorporating carbon into sub-national land use planning processes.

Baseline
The baseline is produced by examining historical landscape change.
Jurisdictional Reference Emission Levels (REL/RLs) are established using
historical data to project future forest and land use change, incorporating threat
analysis and forward looking land use and sector plans. The drivers and those
responsible (the ‘actors’) for deforestation and forest degradation must be clearly
identified. Consideration must be made of how this sub-national REL can be
nested both vertically, into national emission reduction targets, and horizontally,
with other sectors.

LEDP Plans
Design of Low Emission Development Plans to ensure ‘Business As Usual’ is
not followed. Different scenarios which meet socio-economic development and
environmental (including emission reduction) targets will be examined. There
needs to be wide stakeholder consultation. Appropriate environmental and social

safeguards need to be integrated and benefit distribution systems designed.

Implementation
LEDP implementation could include a range of activities such as better land and
forest use zoning, forest protection and reforestation development, agricultural
intensification and production. Efforts will focus on introducing activities that
satisfy the needs of the multiple stakeholders across the landscape in a low GHG
emissions pathway.

MRV
A robust MRV system must be in place to measure changes in GHG emissions,
ultimately to be able to link to a performance-based finance mechanism. Any
MRV system must be compatible with UNFCCC requirements. SNV is examining
the use of different measuring options, as well as the use of non-carbon
performance measures and the role of communities in data collection.

Finance
REDD+ implementation needs to be linked to secure and long term financing.
Different funding options need to be examined in collaboration with stakeholders,
in particular through the various REDD+ carbon funds being introduced.


While LEDP development is still relatively immature, a number of important
principles are emerging (see Box 1).

Box 1 Guiding principles for LEDPs

1.

It is critical to integrate emissions reductions into on-going national and

sub-national plans and programmes; preferably cross sectoral plans, such
as socio-economic development plans, land use plans and sectoral plans.
This is important in order to achieve permanence and sustainability of
any intervention.

2.

Alternative options are available and economically feasible which
meet the goal of rural development in a lower emissions pathway.

3.

There are sufficient incentives for stakeholders to invest in the development
of LEDPs. These incentives are likely to be economic, through carbon
finance and/or as a result of legal requirements, be it national and/or subnational policies. Without a carrot or stick, or preferably both, there will not
be genuine incentives to make LEDPs work.

4.

LEDPs must be context specific. Land use and sectoral planning
processes across the region differ and so the LEDP model must
differ to accommodate country context. Some countries already
have strong planning systems in place, while others will require
the gradual building up and introduction of activities. Also different
countries have different capacities, systems and structures in place
to measure and report changes in the forest landscape.

5.

There is a need to understand and be inclusive of the multiple objectives

and interests to be met across the landscape, as well as understanding
the potential trade-offs. This requires horizontal coordination across
different ministries and agencies and inclusion of relevant stakeholders in
the process. The LEDP process will help better understand and show the
changes within the landscape; sharing this information across stakeholders
will be key.

www.snvworld.org/redd


SNV activities with LEDPs
1. Development of the LEDP Framework
It is expected that the LEDP framework will be dynamic and evolve as it responds
to the needs of partners and requirements under future international REDD+
agreements. In order to further develop and refine this framework, SNV is
carrying out the following activities:
•

Lesson learning: Across Asia there are various initiatives underway which are
exploring emission reductions in land use planning; for example, the land use
planning for low emissions development strategy (LUWES) model developed by
CIFOR in Indonesia. Through the LEAF programme’s regional learning platform,
experiences are being shared;

•

Testing different approaches: As highlighted in Box 1, LEDPs are being tested
under different local contexts. Although the general steps may be the same the
approach will differ across countries;


•

Innovation: SNV is further exploring some of the key challenges to ensuring
a robust and pro-poor LEDP framework, such as the use of near-term MRV
options; integration of safeguards into sub-national planning; defining non-carbon
performance indicators; and access to different financing options2.

Figure 2 Tools/approaches used at different stages of the LEDPs process
Scoping

Baseline

Low emissions
development
plan

Implementation

Carry out
multi-stakeholder
analysis

Reference
emissions level
development tool

Developing pro-poor
benefit distribution
system


Value chain analysis
(integrating REDD+)

Compilation and
assessment of
planning documents

Terrestrial carbon
stock and sampling
design stand
operating procedure

Assessment of
drivers of deforestation

Participatory
carbon monitoring:
operational
guidance

Scenario planning
exercises

Assessment of
renewable energy
technologies

Integration of
environmental and
social safeguards

and co-benefits

Decision making support
tool to determine REDD+
compatible agriculture
systems

Holding
multi-stakeholder
platforms and
analysis

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

See paragraph 38. Available at />Ogonowski, M (2012), SNV Internal Strategy Papers on: (i) MRV near term options; (ii) financing; (iii)
integration of agriculture; and (iv) scenario planning. SNV Vietnam
Walker, S., T. Pearson, F. Casarim, N. Harris, A. Grais & S. Brown (2011) Standard Operating Procedures
for Terrestrial Carbon Measurement Version 1.0. Lowering Emissions in Asia’s Forests (LEAF) programme,
Bangkok.
Building up on utilising the World Agroforestry Centre Abacus software.
Swan, S and McNally, R.H.G (2011). High Biodiversity REDD+: Operationalising Safeguards and Delivering
Environmental Co-benefits. SNV Vietnam.
SNV (2008). Using the Value Chain Approach for Pro Poor Development: Experiences from SNV in Asia.
SNV Vietnam.



2. Producing tools, guidelines and standard operating procedures to
support the LEDP process
Tools/approaches used at different stages of the LEDPs process are shown in
Figure 2.
•

Baseline development: Various manuals and standard operating procedures
to support the measurement of forest based carbon emissions and the
development of baselines can be used. This includes the Terrestrial Carbon
Stock and Overall Sampling Design Standard Operating Procedure3 produced by
Winrock International under the LEAF project. Different guidance will be relevant
depending on the type and scale of intervention. Participatory methods of data
collection are encouraged through participatory carbon monitoring (see SNV
briefing paper on REDD+ and Participatory Forest Monitoring)

•

LEDP design: During this phase there is a need to hold multi-stakeholder
assessments and carry out inclusive scenario planning exercises that include
carbon emissions. In order to examine trade-offs, opportunity cost assessments4
can be carried out. At this design stage there is also the need to integrate
environment and social safeguards5, promote multiple benefits and design a propoor benefit distribution system in order to maximise social and environmental
benefits. (See SNV REDD+ briefing papers on REDD+ and Benefit Distribution
Systems and REDD+ and Multiple Benefits).

•

During LEDP implementation SNV can draw on existing expertise in the
agriculture and renewable energy sectors by applying a number of tools and

technologies that can be adapted to integrate REDD+. For example, integrating
REDD+ into the agriculture value chain tool6. Under the new SNV REDD+ and
Energy and Agriculture Programme (REAP) new tools will be developed. (See
SNV REDD+ briefing papers on REDD+ and Agriculture and REDD+ and
Renewable Energy).

As well as helping develop and apply the tools there is a large training and
capacity building component to ensure our government partners and local
community partners are able to understand, apply and adopt such tools.

Supported by:

Contacts:
Richard McNally
SNV REDD+
Global Coordinator


Peter Stephen
LEAF Forest Management and
Climate Change Technical Advisor


For more information on the SNV REDD+ Programme go to
www.snvworld.org/redd and follow us on twitter:
@SNVREDD
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