Provided adequate environmental safeguards are included, the international payment
transfer mechanism to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from deforestation and forest
degradation in developing countries, known as REDD?, could take on an important role in
climate change mitigation as well as forest biodiversity conservation in the future. Taking
REDD?pilot projects in Peru as an example, Entenmann and Schmitt (2013) identify
expectations and policy issues with regards to forest biodiversity conservation that are
assigned to the instrument by different actors in this country. The authors reveal that most
actors see direct links between REDD?and biodiversity conservation. Biodiversity values
mentioned by the actors were, above all, connected to direct or indirect uses. Aspects of
biodiversity that are vital for the long-term integrity of forest ecosystems were not rated as
equally important. This highlights the importance of integrating respective safeguards into
the REDD?mechanism.