“Safeguarding Cancun” refers to the Cancún Safeguards, a framework adopted at the 2010 UNFCCC COP16 in Cancún, Mexico, to guide REDD+ (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation) initiatives. These safeguards are a set of principles designed to ensure that forest carbon programs respect the environment and human rights. They aim to prevent social and environmental harm by addressing concerns like transparency, governance, biodiversity protection, and the rights of Indigenous Peoples and local communities.
In the context of ART’s TREES (The REDD+ Environmental Excellence Standard), the Cancún Safeguards are integral to ensuring that carbon credits generated from REDD+ activities adhere to the highest standards of environmental and social integrity. These safeguards help mitigate risks like leakage (where deforestation is displaced elsewhere) and reversal (where carbon stored in forests could be released in the future) while promoting benefits like biodiversity conservation and the protection of vulnerable populations.
