ID: 1494
Presenting Author: Paulette Bynoe
Session: 756 - Assessing Integrity: The Role of Impact Assessment in High-Quality Nature-Based Carbon Projects
Status: pending
IA enhances Guyana’s REDD+ programme by supporting transparent monitoring, stakeholder engagement, equity, and adaptive management, ensuring resilient outcomes for forests and communities.
Guyana’s REDD+ programme is internationally recognised as a leader in forest conservation and climate action, achieving significant success in maintaining forest cover, advancing governance reforms, and securing low-carbon financing. As the programme expands its nature-based climate solutions, sustaining integrity, equity, and long-term effectiveness is essential. This paper explores how impact assessment (IA) can strengthen the credibility, transparency, and sustainability of Guyana’s REDD+ initiatives. Using a mixed-methods approach, the study combines the analysis of Measurement, Reporting, and Verification (MRV) datasets, independent audits, and policy documents with interviews of government officials, Indigenous leaders, and civil society stakeholders, as well as a review of consultation processes. This triangulated method shows how IA frameworks can identify potential risks, reinforce accountability, and generate co-benefits for both ecosystems and communities. Findings indicate that MRV systems support advanced carbon monitoring, while audits and consultations enhance oversight and emphasise equity and inclusion. Further opportunities exist to strengthen participatory monitoring, safeguard Indigenous rights, and improve long-term benefit-sharing. Integrating IA into programme design enables concurrent evaluation of environmental and social outcomes, builds trust, and supports adaptive management. In conclusion, enhancing IA in Guyana’s REDD+ programme is vital for integrity, social equity, and sustained climate benefits, offering lessons for sound NBS initiative.
I am a Full Professor with 30 years of experience in research and in teaching environmentally oriented courses at the University of Guyana.