Nested Carbon Governance in Southeast Asia: Towards Just Nature‐Based Solutions?

ABSTRACT

Nature‐based solutions (NbS) have gained prominence as an integrated approach to addressing climate change and biodiversity loss while supporting sustainable development. Yet, their implementation across Southeast Asia remains fragmented and often contested. This paper uses qualitative documentary analysis of regional and national policy documents, complemented by five comparative case studies spanning forests, peatlands and coastal ecosystems. It investigates how carbon‐dense ecosystems in Southeast Asia are being positioned within evolving global frameworks for NbS and carbon market mechanisms. Our analysis is guided by two questions: (1) How do international definitions and discourses shape regional and national NbS policies? (2) How are governance arrangements structured across scales? The findings from these questions inform our broader discussion of the extent to which these emerging governance regimes aimed at conserving, restoring, or sustainably developing carbon‐dense ecosystems consider issues of equity and justice. We find that NbS framings are increasingly visible in Southeast Asian policy discourses, but operationalisation remains uneven. Whereas some projects align closely with national climate goals (e.g., Vietnam's REDD+ programme), others remain detached from the relevant Nationally Determined Contribution to emissions reduction (project case studies from Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, and Thailand). In such cases, nested governance structures are weakly institutionalised, and Indigenous and local communities are often excluded from benefit‐sharing mechanisms, undermining both legitimacy and equity. These findings underscore the need for more integrated, transparent and inclusive approaches to scaling NbS within the region.