Doctoral Dissertation Research: The Conservation and Development Implications of a United Nations Environmental Initiative in Aceh, Indonesia.

Rutgers University New Brunswick, New Brunswick NJ

Investigators

Abstract

This doctoral dissertation research will assess efforts to attain the potentially competing goals of a major United Nations-sponsored climate change mitigation initiative through a case study of the Ulu Masen project in Aceh, Indonesia, one of the largest and most well-established such projects in the world. The United Nations originally conceived of its Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD) initiative exclusively as a market based climate change mitigation strategy. Under pressure from critics, the UN and other agencies have recently expanded the program?s agenda to include conservation and sustainable human development goals (REDD+), hence the "plus." This re-envisioning of REDD promised a "triple win" solution because it simultaneously promoted green economic growth (via carbon markets), protected the environment, and enhanced local community well-being. To date, robust empirical studies that gauge the effectiveness of the broader REDD+ policy agenda have been absent. Existing studies have tended to focus on technical issues related to implementation whereas this study will specifically examine critical questions to assess the abilities of the REDD+ project to contribute to the conservation and development of the region in which it is being implemented. Fieldwork in two village sites in the Ulu Masen area, Banda Aceh will be conducted over a period of ten months, during which time data will be gathered via a household survey, focus group discussions, participant observation, semi-structured and in-depth interviews, and archival research. The proposed research will contribute to a better understanding of REDD+ in the climate change literature through documenting and analyzing the set of innovations that have been implemented under the 'plus' in REDD+ initiatives. It will constitute an empirical study that analyzes the effectiveness of the expanded agenda envisioned by REDD+ policy makers. The proposed study will also examine the significance of local agency in shaping the global REDD+ agenda. Given that the REDD+ project is being implemented in Indonesia, the world?s second largest contributor of carbon emissions resulting from deforestation and one of its most critical biodiversity hotspots, suggest its potential for close monitoring as a model for future climate mitigation initiatives. The broader impact of the new knowledge created by this research will be to assist policy makers to develop better tools for the assessment of climate change mitigation projects, thereby ensuring that such projects are more likely to improve human development and empower forest dependent communities in the future. As a Doctoral Dissertation Research Improvement award, this award will provide support to enable a promising student to establish a strong independent research career.