Engaging forest communities with jurisdictional carbon initiatives in Viet Nam

Global climate finance mechanisms are increasingly emphasizing not only results-based payments and carbon market integrity, but also the need to ensure the meaningful participation of Indigenous Peoples and local communities.

This is particularly relevant to Viet Nam, as it prepares to implement a large-scale Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+) programme under an agreement with the Lowering Emissions by Accelerating Forest Finance (LEAF) coalition.

The programme covers five provinces in the Central Highlands and South-Central regions. And the engagement of Indigenous Peoples and local communities is both a critical requirement and an ongoing challenge.

Before joining a RECOFTC training event, Y Pam Ayun, a farmer in Viet Nam’s Central Highlands, had never heard about the REDD+ programme. Today, he can explain the basics of forest carbon, understands his community’s rights and knows which authorities to approach with questions.

Such a shift, if replicated, will shape the outcomes of an ambitious experiment in climate finance. Markets for forest carbon can only succeed if the people who live in and depend on forests are meaningfully involved.

This is the challenge facing jurisdictional forest carbon initiatives such as REDD+. These initiatives operate at the provincial or multi-provincial scale, linking payments for carbon credits to verified reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, while embedding social safeguards, including the engagement of Indigenous Peoples and local communities.

In principle, the model is straightforward. In practice, delivering on engagement is proving to be a challenge. RECOFTC Viet Nam’s experiences show that, to achieve large-scale engagement, it is effective to have materials in local languages, engage communities regularly and train farmer champions to share information through local networks, meetings and existing systems.

Why engagement is difficult

Across Viet Nam, hundreds of thousands of people live in or near forest areas, often in remote or mountainous regions. Many belong to Indigenous groups whose livelihoods and identities are closely tied to these ecosystems. Their participation in forest carbon initiatives is essential not only as a safeguard but because they are central to forest protection.

Yet the systems governing carbon finance are highly technical and rapidly evolving. Even climate change specialists can struggle to explain their complex methodologies, reporting frameworks and verification processes. For communities in remote areas, often with limited formal education, these concepts can seem abstract and distant.

In many cases, there is no information in local languages. Communication channels are weak and opportunities for dialogue are limited. Women, youth and marginalized groups face additional barriers. The result is an immense gap between the global ambition of carbon markets and local reality.

This gap extends to local authorities. Central and provincial officials tasked with implementation lack the resources and capacities to engage communities at scale and also have their own knowledge gaps about forest carbon initiatives. Most international support has focused on setting up national systems, measuring carbon stocks and so on, rather than the ‘last mile’ – the villages where success ultimately depends.

The consequences of a lack of engagement are profound. Carbon credits issued through initiatives like REDD+ must be validated by independent third parties. This includes assessing whether communities have been properly informed and engaged. If these requirements are not met, credits may not be approved and payments may not flow.

Lessons from Lam Dong

Our recent pilot work in Lam Dong province offers some practical insights into addressing these challenges.

RECOFTC Viet Nam and partners worked with several villages to improve the understanding of forest carbon and REDD+. Activities included capacity building for Indigenous Peoples and local communities, and provincial dialogues.

Our approach was simple and participatory. We used visual materials, storytelling and discussions grounded in real-life situations. Concepts were localized and linked to familiar experiences, such as financial incentives for watershed protection through Viet Nam’s system of payments for forest environmental services. Facilitators introduced climate change and forest carbon before explaining elements of the REDD+ programme, including its requirements for community consultation and consent, benefit-sharing agreements and grievance redress mechanisms.

Crucially, the project emphasized repeated engagement rather than one-off training. Repeated cycles of information-sharing and localization of key concepts helped build understanding over time. The project also focused on training farmer champions — trusted and proactive individuals who could continue sharing information with fellow villagers.

The results were clear. Participants reported greater confidence in engaging with authorities and a clearer understanding of roles, rights and responsibilities. From a baseline of having no information, their awareness of the REDD+ programme and its implications grew significantly. Local officials gained insights into community perspectives and greater appreciation of why meaningful community participation matters. Women and marginalized groups were more actively involved.

Our experience in Lam Dong shows that meeting international participation requirements for Indigenous Peoples and local communities in jurisdictional carbon initiatives like REDD+ requires locally appropriate and inclusive participatory approaches.

Scaling what works

The challenge now is scale. The new REDD+ programme in Viet Nam spans more than four million hectares and thousands of communities across five newly enlarged provinces in the Central Highlands and South-Central Coast. Reaching all of them through conventional approaches is not realistic. Yet the need for engagement is growing as the programme moves into implementation and benefit-sharing.

Our pilot project has identified scalable solutions.

One is to invest in local human capital. With training and support, farmer champions can serve as local trainers, sustain information flows, facilitate dialogue and bridge gaps between communities and authorities.

Another is to use existing systems. Regular meetings of village committees, women’s unions, farmers’ unions and rangers, alongside local communication channels such as village loudspeakers used to broadcast news, already reach large audiences. Using these platforms to share information on forest carbon initiatives like REDD+ can expand reach without creating new structures.

Equally important is developing communication materials that are genuinely accessible, using local languages, visuals, stories and formats that reflect local realities. This must be coupled with mechanisms for feedback, not just dissemination.

At higher levels, multistakeholder platforms can help ensure that information flows in both directions, building trust and transparency.

Time to act

Our pilot project has shown that practical, scalable approaches exist. They build on decades of experience in community forestry and participatory methods. They are cost-effective, adaptable and grounded in local realities.

Recognizing this, Viet Nam is focusing more on strengthening the meaningful participation of Indigenous Peoples and local communities in REDD+. There is a clear need for additional resources and donor support to make this happen. Stakeholders have expressed strong interest in RECOFTC scaling these efforts across the programme’s provinces to further strengthen this participation.

Y Pam Ayun now understands the programme that governs the forest he depends on. Many more do not. What is needed now is the will and resources to scale so that communities are informed, meaningfully engaged and able to benefit, and government meets international requirements.

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Ly Thi Minh Hai is country director of RECOFTC Viet Nam.