IN THEIR POLICY FORUM “DOES REDD+ threaten to recentralize forest governance?” (16 April, p. 312), J. Phelps et al. note that a national approach to Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+) could reverse the gains made from decentralization. However, a national approach is still some way off—instead, the current, rapid roll-out of REDD+ pilot projects (1) is likely to dominate the policy agenda in the next few years. For many REDD+ host countries, a “nested” approach may emerge, which incorporates both project- and national-level approaches (2). Rather than see a national approach as a threat, it should be viewed as an opportunity to strengthen, innovate, and extend decentralized approaches to governance.
