A/77/238 3. REDD-plus initiatives 52. REDD-plus initiatives have the potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and support ecosystem services for the benefit of all. Nevertheless, these initiatives, including forest conservation and deforestation remediation projects, may also create collisions between indigenous peoples’ rights and environmental protection interests and lead to land-grabbing and evictions for forest conservation purposes. 53. Indigenous peoples have expressed concerns about the lack of transparency in the sharing of benefits from, and of meaningful participation in, REDD-plus projects globally. Some indigenous peoples report direct or structural discrimination by national authorities, which, in some cases, question the ability of indigenous peoples to implement these projects or encourage indigenous peoples to move away from protected forests and abandon their traditional lifestyle ( A/HRC/30/41/Add.1, para. 52, and A/HRC/45/34/Add.1, para. 22). As noted by the former Special Rapporteur, in addition to discrimination, the global lack of formal recognition of indigenous peoples’ land rights in their territories makes them particularly unlikely to become the recipient of any form of benefit arising from REDD-plus projects (A/HRC/36/46, para. 97). 54. In the Latin American region, for example, indigenous peoples are often not made aware of how many carbon credits are being sold through REDD-plus projects or to whom they are being sold. In a 2015 report on Paraguay ( A/HRC/30/41/Add.1), the previous mandate holder highlighted the prevalence of discriminatory views with respect to the ability of indigenous peoples to develop their own economic alternatives, including the implementation of the REDD -plus programme. In Costa Rica, indigenous peoples reported that access to payments for environmental services were hindered by administrative requirements that were culturally inappropriate and did not take into account the specific situation of indigenous peoples (A/HRC/51/28/Add.1, para. 61). 55. In her report on her visit to the Congo (A/HRC/45/34/Add.1), the previous mandate holder noted that the Ministry of Forest Economics had supported an approach to the REDD-plus mechanism that encouraged indigenous peoples to abandon their traditional semi-nomadic lifestyle in favour of settling down in villages to pursue income-generating activities. The Special Rapporteur warns against government practices that prevent indigenous peoples from engaging in their traditional livelihood activities, in particular in protected areas, because such practices will eventually lead to the loss of the indigenous knowledge that has for so long maintained the few remaining zones of high biodiversity. 56. Another concern is that many REDD-plus initiatives lack adequate grievance mechanisms. Where World Bank funding is involved, communities can in theory file a complaint to the World Bank Inspection Panel, but the Panel is essentially inaccessible without significant external support. 41 57. Even in past instances when indigenous peoples have turned to the World Bank Inspection Panel to complain about violations occurring in the context of conservation, such as the case of the Sengwer indigenous people in the Cherangany Hills in Kenya, experience has regretfully demonstrated that there are insufficient __________________ 41 22-11289 Submission from the Rainforest Foundation to the Special Rapporteur. 15/20