In this article published in the Stanford Social Innovation Review, John Edward Myers, María Ángelica Parra, and Charles Bedford closely examine the impact, history, and implications of REDD+ projects in Colombia’s Selva de Matavén Unified Indigenous Reserve. They describe their journey through the reserve, during which they were able to speak to community members and project leaders, and to directly observe the positive effects the projects have had on indigenous communities.
The authors also discuss some of the controversies surrounding REDD+ projects in Colombia. They detail Verra’s refutation of the Carbon Watch Group’s claims that REDD+ projects in Selva de Matavén generated too many carbon credits for the amount of emissions reductions actually achieved. It is noted that the projects in question were audited and validated multiple times, and that no representatives form the Carbon Watch Group ever visited Selva de Matavén.