Discourses on sustainable forest management and their integration into climate policies in South Africa

C Ofoegbu,C Ifejika Speranza

doi:10.1505/146554821832952762

Abstract

In South Africa, forests can play an important role in achieving the broader goals of climate change mitigation and adaptation. However, national policies on climate change mitigation and adaptation seem to narrow the potential contributions of the forest sector to climate protection targets. This is largely because of the divergence between the management goals of forests for climate protection, and products for both industries and livelihoods. This article uses discourse analysis as a methodological tool to analyze South Africa's climate and forest policies to identify the discourses shaping forest policy goals and mandates, and their integration into climate policy targets for forest-based climate change interventions. Four discourses, namely, preservation of forest integrity, social inclusiveness, equitable benefit sharing, and inclusive development of forests and forest-based communities, were identified as the dominant discourses influencing forest policy goals in South Africa. Their influence on forest management programmes has a mix of costs and benefits outcomes. For example, policy responses to the discourse on the preservation of forest integrity have resulted in ecologically sustainable forests in some cases and in other cases restricted the participation of local people in forest enterprise development. Additionally, climate policies recognized six possible interventions with respect to forest-based climate change mitigation and adaptation in South Africa but were silent about the four discourses shaping forest policy goals. Consequently, existing climate policies do not contain regulations to guide forest management for climate change mitigation and adaptation. We therefore recommend that forest-related goals in climate policy be grounded in the past experiences and lessons of forest policy implementations in order to take advantage of the synergies and reduce the trade-offs with respect to multipurpose management of forests for livelihoods, enterprise development, and climate change mitigation and adaptation.

Highlights

Forests in most developing countries constitute a significant part of the national land area and, forests are impacted by multiple factors such as tourism, biodiversity, agriculture, mining, and the rural economy (Ambjörnsson et al 2016, Locatelli et al 2015, Hajost and Zerbock 2013, Naidoo et al 2013, Department of Water Affairs and Forestry – DWAF 1998)
Policy responses to the discourse on the preservation of forest integrity have resulted in ecologically sustainable forests in some cases and in other cases restricted the participation of local people in forest enterprise development
Forests in most developing countries constitute a significant part of the national land area and, forests are impacted by multiple factors such as tourism, biodiversity, agriculture, mining, and the rural economy (Ambjörnsson et al 2016, Locatelli et al 2015, Hajost and Zerbock 2013, Naidoo et al 2013, Department of Water Affairs and Forestry – DWAF 1998)

Summary

Introduction

Forest management during this era was characterized by communal tenure and extraction of forests resources for subsistence and trade to supplement household income (Shackleton et al 2013, Chamshama and Nwonwu 2004, Kojwang 2004, Obiri and Lawes 2002). Forest development during this era led to the formal regulation of local peoples’ forest resources use, and the designation and protection of forestlands.

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