Resource information
Reducing emissions from deforestation
and forest degradation and enhancing carbon stocks (REDD+)
has raised the profile of benefit sharing in the forest
sector. Sharing benefits, however, is not a new concept.
Previous work on benefit sharing (associated with
intellectual property, forest and agriculture concessions,
mining, and so forth) has focused on clarifying the concept
and examining how benefit sharing could feed into broader
development outcomes. Getting benefit sharing right in the
context of REDD+ has a similar objective. The objective of
this study is twofold. The first is to examine existing
arrangements for sharing benefits and extract insights from
existing community-based natural resource management (CBNRM)
arrangements that involve sharing benefits, specifically
insights regarding how benefits are determined, how
beneficiaries are identified, and how the set-up is
influencing the effectiveness of the arrangements. The
second objective is to provide community perspective on
benefit sharing and partnerships in the forest sector. This
study examines nine partnership arrangements in three
countries Nicaragua, Tanzania, and Uganda. The partnerships
include five performance-based PES arrangements (of which
two are focused on carbon). The remaining four partnerships
involve sustainable management of forests for specific
objectives (timber, ecotourism, wildlife conservation, and
so forth). All the partnerships took several years to set
up, and some have been under implementation for several
years. For purposes of this study, benefit sharing or
sharing of benefits refers to an intentional transfer of
financial payments and payments in the form of goods and
services to intended beneficiaries.
