Implementing the conservativeness principle in accounting for REDD+ under the UNFCCC

Tropical countries vary widely in their technical and financial capacities and in their environmental conditions (Romijn et al. 2012). It is expected, therefore, that countries will employ a variety of methods for reporting their REDD+ activities under the UNFCCC (UNFCCC 2012a), which could lead to differences in data quality and accuracy of results. National circumstances may therefore lead to incompleteness of country-specific data or even errors in estimates when applying complex methods. As a consequence, some countries may not benefit from REDD+ performance-based payments because they will not be able to provide accurate and/or reliable estimates of forest biomass before deforestation occurs or, therefore, accurate1 estimates of reduced emissions from reduced deforestation. Biases in estimates can arise because of problems in collecting countryspecific data or in applying correct methods. Resolving these problems requires time and resources.JRC.H.3-Forest Resources and Climat