Can REDD+ deliver forest protection in Malaysia?

Abstract: The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change identified deforestation as the main cause of anthropogenic emissions of greenhouse gases in developing countries and since then the mechanism on Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation; and the role of conservation, sustainable management of forests and enhancement of forest carbon stocks in developing countries (REDD+) has been developed and discussed at the international level. In Malaysia, deforestation is prevailing. The forested areas of all three main regions in Malaysia continue to decrease each year and the fragmentation of forests is threatening the survival of terrestrial flora and fauna as well as the livelihood of indigenous people. The forest conservation strategies undertaken can reduce the impacts of deforestation in the country, but are not fully effective in addressing its driving forces. This is due to the complex and multiple factors governing deforestation in the country like local political structure and national economic development policies. This thesis aims to find out whether REDD+ can be a feasible instrument for Malaysia to preserve its forests, and whether it can be implemented within the Malaysia federal-state system. This study highlights and discusses three issues of implementing REDD+ in the country: i) financial resources to fund REDD+ activities; ii) setting-up REDD+ legal framework within the federal-state system; and iii) capability of REDD+ to address drivers of deforestation. This study also explores how the theory of incentives could be applied in the national context in gaining the support of state governments to implement REDD+. The findings of this study suggested that REDD+ mechanism has some potentials to address the drivers of deforestation. Furthermore, it was found that setting-up REDD+ within the existing federal-state system of Malaysia was not a straightforward process. For example, setting up legal framework like REDD+ laws to enable implementation of REDD+ activities may receive resistance from the state governments. Therefore, it is necessary to further strengthen the federal-state system and forest governance in Malaysia to enable better coordination on matters related to forests and natural resources management.