At their 16th meeting, the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) adopted in December 2010 an agreement on "policy approaches and positive incentives on issues relating to reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation in developing countries; and the role of conservation, sustainable management of forests and enhancement of forest carbon stocks in developing countries" (REDD+). A strong scientific basis was needed for implementing REDD+, to inform about the best possible management and policy approaches.

To that end, GFEP established the Expert Panel on Biodiversity, Forest Management, and REDD+. More than 60 scientists from around the world collaborated on writing this peer-reviewed publication, which was coordinated by IUFRO on behalf of the Collaborative Partnership on Forests (CPF). The report was formally presented during the event "Forest Day 6" at the UNFCCC meeting in Doha, Qatar (26 November-7 December, 2012).