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Abstract
Looking at two cases of community forests (CF) in Eastern North America, this article examines their institutional features in order to assess whether they are conducive to adaptive governance. To do so, this article presents CFs as manifestations of polycentric governance, which allow identifying the complex networks of relations existing between different actors involved in governance at many scales. Polycentric governance is assumed to have a higher adaptability to changing factors. To better capture the variables conducive to adaptive governance in CFs, we draw on the socio-ecological system (SES) framework. The study shows that variables from the SES framework are useful in identifying features of polycentricity in CFs. Moreover, these variables highlight mechanisms of adaptability in CF governance, namely: interaction between organizations and actors, multiplicity of complementary rules from different organizations and structures of governance. Moreover, ongoing communication with the forest users and learning among actors appear key for CF governance’s adaptability.
Highlights
Over the last three decades, the devolution of forest resource governance to local communities has gained momentum as its legitimacy grew in global policy, starting with the 1992 Rio Summit and Agenda 21 (Khan 1995; Berkes 2010)
Looking at two cases of community forests (CF) in Eastern North America, this article examines their institutional features in order to assess whether they are conducive to adaptive governance
The formal institutions of CF governing bodies display polycentric features in their mode of functioning that can be considered conducive to adaptive governance
Summary
Over the last three decades, the devolution of forest resource governance to local communities has gained momentum as its legitimacy grew in global policy, starting with the 1992 Rio Summit and Agenda 21 (Khan 1995; Berkes 2010). Numerous terms refer to the devolution of forest resource management to local communities – such as community-based forest management, collaborative forest management or community forests – which designate a range of institutional arrangements (Bowler et al 2012; Bullock and Lawler 2015). The characteristics of community forest institutions in the Global North have been less systematically analyzed than for the Global South (Teitelbaum 2014). Recent research has sought to improve the evaluation of performance and outcomes of community forestry initiatives in Canada, notably through case studies (Teitelbaum 2014; Bullock and Lawler 2015). Some studies have addressed questions of adaptive governance in the context of CFs, which emphasize how institutions adapt positively to changes in socio-ecological systems (SES), so as to increase their resilience
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