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Legal frameworks and enforcement

Unclear legal frameworks governing land allocation, land use and forest conversion — and a lack of implementation of and compliance with these frameworks — are key underlying causes of deforestation and forest degradation in tropical countries.

Legal frameworks and enforcement

Unclear legal frameworks governing land allocation, land use and forest conversion — and a lack of implementation of and compliance with these frameworks — are key underlying causes of deforestation and forest degradation in tropical countries.

These factors contribute to illegal land allocation and forest conversion, including for the expansion of commercial agriculture.

Addressing these issues requires understanding of gaps and weaknesses of legal frameworks governing land allocation, land use and forest conversion. Independent monitoring of the implementation of relevant legal frameworks by non-state actors is fundamental to spurring governance reforms. Providing legal compliance incentives for forest and agriculture sector actors also supports deforestation-free commodity production and related trade, and promotes better land-use governance.

The work of the EU REDD Facility provides lessons and experiences in clarifying legal frameworks and incentives for compliance at subnational and national levels.

To further enhance the participation of stakeholders in forest and land-use governance processes, the EU REDD Facility also supported the application of EFI’s Forest Governance Index (FGI) in Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Indonesia and the Republic of the Congo. The FGI is a tool for assessing and monitoring the governance aspects relevant to the management, protection, and conservation of forests. Among other governance aspects, the FGI assesses the existence of robust and comprehensive legal frameworks and their application.

Actions

Meeting with a smallholder community interested in the sustainability project of oil palm and rubber, to discuss the jurisdictional approach, their role and expected benefits.Satrio Wicaksono, European Forest Institute

Piloting jurisdictional public-private partnerships for legal and sustainable palm oil in Banyuasin District, South Sumatra

Explore how the EU REDD Facility is pioneering a jurisdictional PPP approach to promote sustainable and legal oil palm production in South Sumatra. Learn about the challenges, strategies, and expected impact on deforestation reduction and climate change targets.
Jim Djontu, European Forest Institute

Strengthening civil society participation in REDD+ in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

The EU REDD Facility supported the Renovated REDD+ Climate Working Group (GTCRR) to strengthen civil society engagement in REDD+ in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). It helped develop a guide on civil society consultations, which was used by the Congolese civil society to reach consensus on their contributions to the forest policy reform process.
Jim Djontu, EU REDD Facility, presenting the findings of the legal study on civil society participation in REDD+ processes at the general assembly of the GTCRR in Kinshasa, June 2023.European Forest Institute

How to enhance DRC’s legal framework for greater civil society participation in REDD+

Learn how the legal framework for civil society participation in REDD+ in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) can be strengthened.

About the EU REDD Facility

The EU REDD Facility supports countries in improving land-use governance as part of their efforts to slow, halt and reverse deforestation. It also supports the overall EU effort to reduce its contribution to deforestation in developing countries. The Facility focuses on countries that are engaged in REDD+, an international mechanism that incentivises developing countries to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from their forest and land-use sectors. The Facility is hosted by the European Forest Institute and was established in 2010.

Disclaimer

This website has been produced with the assistance of the European Union and the Governments Germany, Ireland and the Netherlands. The contents of this site are the sole responsibility of the European Forest Institute’s EU REDD Facility and can under no circumstances be regarded as reflecting the position of funding organisations.

The work of the EU REDD Facility has come to an end. This website was archived on the 31st of October 2023 and is no longer being updated. For more information, please contact ipf.info@efi.int.