Exploring Socioeconomic Impacts of Forest Based Mitigation Projects: Lessons from Brazil ad Bolivia

Socioeconomic impacts of a set of forest based mitigation pilot projects that emerged under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change are explored. Carbon finance has emerged as potential policy option to tackling global climate change, degradation of forests, and social development in poor countries. All four pilot projects studied have experienced cumbersome implementation processes specifically, due to weak social objectives, poor communication, as well as time constraints. There is no single solution as to how projects can ensure success in terms of the distribution of benefits locally, but an important starting point is for project managers to engage in a process that is articulated and prioritized with local stakeholders. The results conclude that both public and private partnerships are responsible for ensuring that projects fulfill multiple sustainable development objectives.