UPSC Prelims 2026 Q40: First Plan Vivo REDD+ Project in India
Which one of the following is the first Plan Vivo certified Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+) project in India?
- Uttarakhand REDD+ project
- ICFRE-ICIMOD Transboundary REDD+ project in North-Eastern Himalayas
- Khasi Hills Community REDD+ project
- Sikkim Mamley Kamrang Community REDD+ project
Answer: (c) Khasi Hills Community REDD+ project
Statement-wise explanation
- a: incorrect — Uttarakhand's REDD+ work is mainly state-level planning. Under the ICFRE–ICIMOD REDD+ Himalaya programme, a State REDD+ Action Plan was prepared for Uttarakhand, as one was for Mizoram. This is government readiness work, not a community carbon project registered under the Plan Vivo standard, and it has no claim to being India's first Plan Vivo project.
- b: incorrect — In 2015, ICFRE (Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education) and ICIMOD (International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development, Kathmandu) agreed to run 'REDD+ Himalaya'. It was a transboundary capacity-building programme in Bhutan, India, Myanmar and Nepal, funded by Germany's International Climate Initiative. In India it produced State REDD+ Action Plans and pilot sites in Mizoram's Mamit district. It was a research and readiness project, not a Plan Vivo-certified carbon project.
- c: correct — The Khasi Hills Community REDD+ Project in East Khasi Hills district, Meghalaya, began in 2011. Plan Vivo validated it in 2012, and the standard's own registry calls it India's first community-based REDD+ programme. A federation (Synjuk) of 10 indigenous Khasi kingdoms (hima) runs it. The project protects and restores about 27,000 hectares of forest in the Umiam river watershed and sells Plan Vivo carbon certificates.
- d: incorrect — The Mamley Kamrang Community-led REDD+ Project is in the Mamley watershed near Namchi, South Sikkim. It was much later and only reached the Project Idea Note stage with Plan Vivo. Plan Vivo now lists it among its discontinued projects. It was never certified, so it cannot be the first.
How to eliminate
This is mainly a recall question. The fact to remember is: Khasi Hills, Meghalaya = India's first Plan Vivo REDD+ project (started 2011, validated 2012, run by a Synjuk of Khasi hima). Some reasoning still helps. Plan Vivo certifies small, community-run carbon projects, and three options say 'Community' or name a specific community. The ICFRE–ICIMOD option is a government–intergovernmental research programme spread across countries, which is not what a community-focused standard certifies, so it can be dropped. 'Uttarakhand REDD+ project' names a whole state, which points to state planning rather than a certified site project. That leaves Khasi Hills and Sikkim Mamley Kamrang. Khasi Hills is the well-known older project, often cited as India's REDD+ pioneer. If unsure between the two, the older and better-known project is the safer pick for a 'first' question.
Know more
REDD+ stands for Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation. The '+' adds conservation, sustainable forest management and enhancement of forest carbon stocks. It grew out of UNFCCC talks from Bali (COP13, 2007). The Warsaw Framework for REDD+ (COP19, 2013) set its rulebook, and Article 5 of the Paris Agreement (2015) endorses it. Under it, developing countries can receive results-based payments for verified emission reductions from forests.
There are two routes to forest carbon money:
| Route | Who acts | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Jurisdictional / national REDD+ under UNFCCC | National or state government | India's National REDD+ Strategy (MoEFCC, 2018); State REDD+ Action Plans (Mizoram, Uttarakhand) |
| Voluntary carbon market project | NGO / community + independent standard | Khasi Hills (Plan Vivo) |
Plan Vivo is a Scotland-based voluntary carbon standard ('plan vivo' means 'living plan'). It certifies small-scale, community-led land-use projects. Communities draw up their own land management plans, and a large share of credit revenue must go back to them. Other voluntary standards include Verra's VCS and Gold Standard.
Khasi Hills project at a glance
- Location: East Khasi Hills, Meghalaya (Umiam watershed); includes sacred groves such as Mawphlang
- Governance: Synjuk (federation) of 10 Khasi hima (traditional kingdoms)
- Area: ~27,000 ha of community forest
- Timeline: launched 2011, Plan Vivo validation 2012
The exam takeaway is that customary community ownership of forests in Meghalaya's Sixth Schedule areas made a community-run carbon project possible there.
In the news
This is largely a static fact. Forest carbon finance was in the news in the run-up to the 2026 exam: forest funding at the Belém climate summit (COP30, November 2025), the notification of India's Carbon Credit Trading Scheme, and a carbon credit programme announced in the Union Budget 2026.
NCERT Concepts to Revise
- REDD+: Every option is labelled a REDD+ project, so you need to know what REDD+ is to tell real forest-carbon projects from state planning or readiness programmes.
- Carbon credit: Plan Vivo certification means a project can issue and sell verified carbon certificates, which is what separates a certified project from planning work or a Project Idea Note.
- Carbon market: Plan Vivo is a voluntary carbon-market standard, so the question asks which Indian community project first entered that market through validation and registration.
- Garo, Khasi and Jaintia hills: One option is set in Meghalaya's Khasi Hills, where community-run forests under traditional Khasi institutions are the setting for a community REDD+ project.