Deforestation and the Paris climate agreement: An assessment of REDD + in the national climate action plans

More than ten years after REDD+ (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation) entered the UN climate negotiations, its current state and future direction are a matter of contention. This paper analyses 162 INDCs (Intended National Determined Contributions), or climate action plans, to assess whether and how countries plan to use REDD+ in their implementation the Paris Agreement. Our analysis suggests that REDD+ continues to have political traction. Many tropical countries still have expectations of REDD+, and hope that public and private donors will support chronically underfunded domestic conservation programs. However, the expectations are not formulated in detail. We argue that until the questions of how to finance REDD+ and how to deal with the drivers of deforestation are resolved, REDD is unlikely to move quickly from formulated INDCs plans to implementation on the ground. •The Article is based on a qualitative content analysis on REDD+ of 162 national climate strategies (INDC).•Despite all risks and criticism: REDD+ is still a significant political reality, 56 out of 162 countries mention REDD+.•Social and environmental safeguards are mostly absent in INDCs•International support plays a crucial role in the survival of the concept of REDD+, but finance for REDD+ is absent in the INDCs of potential donor countries.•Until the question how to deal with the drivers of deforestation is resolved, REDD+ is unlikely to move quickly from paper to implementation on a larger scale.