In conjunction with its work with the Governor’s Climate and Forest Task Force (GCF), Climate Focus has developed a background brief explaining the significance of subnational initiatives for REDD+ and the means by which they may be implemented in making progress towards national reductions of emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD+).

The GCF is a coalition of 19 states and provinces from Brazil, Indonesia, Mexico, Nigeria, Peru, Spain, and the U.S. working to develop institutional, legal and technical capacities and frameworks for REDD+ and low-carbon development policies. As most REDD+ work to date has been concentrated in national readiness planning and isolated projects, this brief explains how provinces and states are critical in up-scaling and connecting localized initiatives to comprehensive national-level efforts, simultaneously greatly increasing levels of REDD+ participation.