Abstract:
Deforestation poses a huge problem in global efforts to reduce carbon emissions, which
are necessary for climate change mitigation. The Brazilian Amazon alone is responsible
for about half of this deforestation and thus requires effective policies and mechanisms to
preserve its rainforest. The concept of Reducing Emissions through Deforestation and
Forest Degradation (REDD) provides such a mechanism, which contributes to reducing
deforestation by valuing the ecosystem services of forests like the Amazon. Countries
across the globe tend to implement REDD rather differently, among which Brazil stands
out through the application of a voluntary fund as financing mechanism. This not only
suggests that REDD is susceptible to interpretation, but also indicates that the
materialization or institutionalization depends on domestic factors. This research
therefore argues for an institutional approach to REDD in Brazil.
