This paper focuses on the key opportunities to safeguard and enhance ecosystem-derived benefits within REDD+, concentrating on the direct impacts on these benefits of decisions. Many of the decisions involved in REDD+ design and implementation will affect the various benefits to differing degrees, not least as a result of their effect on the overall success of REDD+. Only those approaches with direct potential benefits or risks for biodiversity and ecosystem services are considered here, together with possible tools and measures to safeguard and enhance ecosystem-based benefits, and the potential trade-offs between carbon, additional benefits and costs.

The paper is structured according to the phases of national REDD+ design and implementation, and the activities that are envisaged under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), so that the reader can easily identify the issues and possible tools relating to their own interests. We first discuss approaches to design and prepare for REDD+; then implementation approaches are presented by broad REDD+ activity (e.g. ‘reducing deforestation’), with cross-cutting approaches treated separately; and finally there is a brief discussion of Measurement, Reporting and Verification (MRV) and monitoring issues relating to ecosystem-derived benefits. , concentrating on the direct impacts on these benefits of decisions. Many of the decisions involved in REDD+ design and implementation will affect the various benefits to differing degrees, not least as a result of their effect on the overall success of REDD+. Only those approaches with direct potential benefits or risks for biodiversity and ecosystem services are considered here, together with possible tools and measures to safeguard and enhance ecosystem-derived benefits, and the potential trade-offs between carbon, additional benefits and costs.