This term ‘reversal’ as used in this safeguard is specific to REDD+. Viet Nam defines the risk of reversals as either:

• the possibility of reductions in greenhouse gas emissions from deforestation and forest degradation, achieved through the implementation of REDD+ policies and measures, increasing in the future; or
• the possibility of greenhouse gases removed from the atmosphere, through the implementation of REDD+ policies and measures, being released back into the atmosphere in the future.

There are many potential causes of reversals, which can be both anthropogenic (such as logging) and natural (such as fire or pest outbreaks).