Has the time come to rethink Canada's Crown forest tenure systems?

Forest tenure functions as a critical institutional mechanism globally for curbing deforestation and degradation and advancing sustainable forest administration, ultimately underpinning the provision of vital ecosystem services. However, research on robust forest tenure system models both globally and within China remains underdeveloped, hindering their potential as an effective administration tool. The study addresses this gap by conceptualizing China’s forest tenure system through the lens of systems thinking and proposing a Forest Cadastral System based on the Land Administration Domain Model (LADM). We conduct a comprehensive review of the evolution of China’s forest tenure system and an in-depth analysis of the current “person–right–land” configuration. Subsequently, we construct an integrated forest cadastral model structured around three core LADM-compliant packages: party, administrative, and spatial unit. The model is then tested in Ningbo’s forested highlands: trials confirm its efficacy in reconciling tenure security with ecological governance. The findings offer valuable insights for policymakers and practitioners engaged in forest tenure reform and administration, while advancing the academic discourse on leveraging land administration systems for ecosystem service outcomes through robust institutional mechanisms.

Forest tenure systems and sustainable forest management: the case of Ghana

The implications of new forest tenure reforms and forestry property markets for sustainable forest management and forest certification in China

ABSTRACTThe forest tenure reform plays a crucial role in the sustainable development of forest areas. It secures people's livelihoods and fosters the continuous growth of forest resources, generating substantial ecological effects. However, a systematic evaluation of the ecological effects of forest tenure reform remains absent. Here, we utilize remote sensing data from forest areas in southern China spanning 1998–2022 and employ a staggered Difference‐in‐Differences (DID) alongside an event study model to assess the ecological effects of forest tenure reform. Specifically, we examine the effects of the devolution of forest tenure reform (DFTR) and the improvement of forest tenure reform (IFTR). Our findings reveal that DFTR significantly promoted the short‐term recovery of forest ecosystems. During the IFTR stage, forest ecological benefits have been effectively maintained through policies that harmonize private interests, economic factors, and ecological considerations. Mechanism analysis indicates that changes in the forest tenure system have shifted the focus of forest management from timber production toward multifunctional uses, including ecological conservation, recreational services, and understory cultivation. Heterogeneity analysis further reveals that during the DFTR stage, counties in important river basins and with high levels of agricultural mechanization experienced stronger ecological impacts from the policy. In contrast, these regions exhibited significant negative effects in the IFTR stage. To address these challenges, future policy reforms should prioritize scientific adjustments to the utilization of ecological public welfare forests, expansion of forest ecosystem payment mechanisms, development of innovative forestry technology services, and the promotion of large‐scale forestry management. Our findings provide valuable insights for further advancing forest tenure reform.

Key messagesLamwo district, which before 2009 was part of the Kitgum district in northern Uganda, provides an interesting case of a post-conflict customary forest tenure system under a situation of changing forest governance, as forest tenure reforms introduced since 2001 give local communities extensive rights to forests. This is particularly important as the region continues to recover from the conflict that ended in 2006.In 2015, forest stakeholders took part in a Participatory Prospective Analysis (PPA) exercise that identified the determinants of forest tenure security in the district as: forest governance; the role and capacity of key stakeholders (particularly NGOs and customary institutions); an increasing demand for forest products; and pressure to convert forest land to large-scale agriculture.Based on their explorations of the implications of these driving forces, the participant stakeholders developed one desirable and three undesirable future scenarios of forest tenure security.The desirable scenario sees: a well-informed and active local community, which is aware of its forest tenure rights; an affordable forest land registration process that is not too bureaucratic; positive political influences; and a well-funded and -staffed district government that oversees and coordinates the work of NGOs, customary leaders, politicians and other stakeholders involved in forest tenure reform implementation.The three undesirable scenarios share the key features of corrupt local government, disinterested NGOs, disempowered local people, weakened cultural institutions (resulting in increasing conflicts and unresolved forest and land conflicts), and an expensive, bureaucratic forest and land registration process.Participants recommended seven initiatives to promote forest and land tenure security under customary systems in Lamwo district: 1) formulating and implementing bylaws; 2) creating forest conservation committees for each clan, to ensure proper management of their forest areas; 3) proactive community participation in decision-making, particularly in regards to women's rights and involvement; 4) popularizing, simplifying and translating documents into local languages, including guidelines on registration and declaration of customary forests; 5) regulating harvesting rates for forest products (especially timber), 6) improving the system for registering forest and land areas; and 7) undertaking capacity-building initiatives.The PPA exercise revealed state and non-state stakeholders share common interests in protecting the forest and land tenure rights of forest-dependent communities under customary tenure systems in Lamwo district. Stakeholders pledged support for improved implementation, collaboration and coordination, to achieve the shared goals of forest tenure security for rights holders in Lamwo district by 2025.

Privatization or communalization: A multi-level analysis of changes in forest property regimes in China

5 One of the districts, Kibaale, was divided into two districts (Kibaale and Kakumiro) midway through the project.

Forest tenure reform is one of the key agenda for sustainable forest governance. But forest tenure is not gender neutral. We examine various forest tenure regimes of Nepal from feminist institutionalist approach and explore, to what extent, each regime recognises the right of women to forest tenure. Five community-based forest tenure regimes, namely community forest, pro-poor leasehold forest, collaborative forest, buffer zone community forest and conservation area are taken into account for assessing gender dimension. Historical changes and continuity are presented in forestry governance in terms of women’s bundle of rights over forest resources across three key phases – before 1950s, from 1950s to 1970s and from 1970s onward. Formal and informal institutions in each of the five tenure regimes were analysed and we found that the formal institutions in community forestry recognises the roles of the women in forest tenure, but those in other regimes and informal rules in all the regimes, by and large, prevent women from having access to and control over forest resource decisions. Emerging aspects of forestry, mainly forest-based enterprises and REDD+ have not been able to address gender issues properly. Some recommendations are made for gender equality in forest tenure regimes.

The paper scrutinizes the current wave of forest land tenure reforms since the inception of the new forest policy in 1998. It explores which type of forestland tenure regime had more positive influence on forest condition in the Uluguru Mountains, Tanzania. The assessment was done with reference to vegetation types of montane and miombo woodlands. The study showed that for the montane vegetation, state regime (Uluguru Nature Reserve) had higher stocking (volume 1,233m3/ha; basal area 78m2/ha; density 777 stems/ha) and tree species diversity (H’ 3.48) compared to communal regime (Chief Kingalu Sacred Forest) which had low stocking(volume 798m3/ha; basal area 49m2/ha; density 1,020 stems/ha) and tree species diversity (H’ 3.21). For the miombo vegetation, corporate/private regime (Tangeni Roman Catholic Church Forest Reserve) had higher stocking (volume 122m3/ha; basal area 27m2/ha and density 2,573 stems/ha) and tree species diversity (H’ 2.60) compared to communal regime (Misumba Village Land Forest Reserve) which had low stocking (volume 23m3/ha; basal area 10.8m2/ha and density 4,200 stems/ha) and tree species diversity (H’ 3.53). The study concludes that state regime represented by Uluguru Nature Reserve showed improved forest condition compared to communal tenure regime (Chief Kingalu Sacred Forest) for the montane vegetation type while private regime (Tangeni Roman Catholic Church Forest Reserve) was more effective in conservation than communal regime (Misumba Village Land Forest Reserve). The study recommends that sustainable management of forests could not be addressed by tenure reforms in the forestry sector alone, but requires 'cross-sectoral', 'inter-disciplinary' and 'participatory' approach along with secure tenure. Moreover, it is essential that an in-depth forest inventory is conducted at predetermined intervals to quantify stocking of tree, shrub species and forest disturbances to understand the level of resource extraction for each tenure regime. Key words : Tenure regimes, reforms, forest condition, Uluguru Mountains, Tanzania.

The global community is currently grappling with multiple and overlapping social and environmental threats. These include the climate emergency, COVID-19 and the threat of widespread hunger, and the accelerating loss of biodiversity. All of these threats point to an urgent need to restore and sustainably manage land and forests. Studies are pointing to the critical role of tenure reform, and in particular strengthening collective forest tenure, as an effective means to reduce deforestation, mitigate climate change, restore ecosystem services and maintain biodiversity. Since the 1970s, countries worldwide have attempted to better recognize the customary rights of local communities. Yet despite over 40 years of effort, collective forest tenure reforms have yielded only moderate results. This article draws on recent assessments conducted in 23 countries by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) on community-based forestry and associated forest tenure regimes based on the internationally endorsed Voluntary Guidelines on the Responsible Governance of Tenure (the VGGT). The findings suggest that governments are increasingly giving legal recognition to community rights to use both timber and non-timber forest products for commercial purposes. Yet, the tenure provided to collective forestry is less robust than that held by companies and smallholders in a number of ways. These include fewer legal protections, more barriers to the use of these rights, inadequate access to justice, and less administrative support in documenting rights. Furthermore, in many cases the existing community forestry legal provisions are not implemented. The relatively successful cases suggest that with robust tenure, communities and smallholders can be potent vehicles for moving towards sustainable forest management and mitigating climate change, improving local livelihoods, contributing to timber and non-timber product economies, and achieving several of the Sustainable Development Goals. But for this, governments will need to strengthen community and local rights within their legal frameworks and mainstream implementation in government policies and practices. Non-governmental organizations, civil society organizations, donors, research institutions and academia can provide important support through policy implementation, research, and ensuring inclusive policy formulation processes.

Forest degradation has steadily increased throughout much of the world. The cause of this continued degradation is complex and multifaceted but there is a growing realization that a key cause, especially in developing countries, is insecure rights to ownership and use of forest resources. This realization coupled with a call for pro-poor forestry policy has stimulated the recent trend in forest policy toward strengthening property rights for forest resources by transferring property rights from the state to communities and individuals, giving them defined rights to manage and extract forest resources. However, a big puzzle remains unsolved—such reforms on property rights have not consistently led to the intended sustainable resource use and management, particularly in developing countries. The overall goal of this dissertation research is to offer insight into why forest tenure reforms may not always lead to their intended effects by focusing on how an individual’s preferences over time and risk affect individual responses to forest tenure reforms. Since forest management involves dynamic decision making with uncertainty in future returns, individuals’ forest management decisions, as well as their responses to forest tenure reforms, will depend on: 1) how an individual perceives preference for income today versus the future (time preference), and 2) an individual’s attitude towards risk (risk preference). For example, even if individuals are given secure property rights, those with strong preference for current benefits (most commonly observed among the poor) may have the incentive to use forest resources faster. Failure to recognize the impacts of time and risk preferences of individuals may result in outcomes that policy maker sought to prevent. Furthermore, forest tenure reforms are often implemented in areas where the poverty rate is high. Those living in poverty are often assumed to have both high discount rates (i.e., impatient) and high levels of risk aversion, which make them less likely to make investments. Such characteristics may also hinder the intended effects of forest tenure reforms. This study examines these issues in the context of rural China, where a large-scale reform of forest property rights is being implemented in areas where the poverty rate is still high. To examine these issues, this dissertation research has three objectives: 1) identify the impact of forest property rights reforms on forest management decisions and how individual risk and time preferences may augment those impacts; 2) examine the correlation between time and risk preferences and poverty; and 3) identify the effect

After 70 years of Indonesia’s independence, the development of Indonesia’s forestry remains complex and complicated. Forests, that have contributed significant economic growth, nowadays are facing some challenges. Many issues come across, such as deforestation, forest concessions’ bankrupt, and land conflicts. Many experts claim that the underlying cause of these problems is related to the uncertainty of forest area and forest tenure. These problems do not only bring negative effects to society but also hinder other development agendas. Thus, Indonesia needs to reform its forest area and forest tenure. This idea is knowing as forest reform or agrarian reform or forest tenure reform. This article explains the facts of forest unfair tenure, the fact of forest cover in Indonesia, pros and cons about forest tenure reform, using strategic environmental assessment to evaluate forest tenure reform, and also proposal policy framework. Currently, the government is preparing the mid-term development plan, later we call it as RPJMN, 2020-2024. As forest tenure reform is important as an enabling condition for the development in the forestry sector, thus the forest tenure reform should be included as national project priority in RPJMN 2020-2024.

In recent times, forest tenure reform has become one of the most discussed agendas among local and global policymakers. Forest tenure is a contract that specifies who has rights to forestry resources and depicts who should utilize, maintain, and acquire them. It can have a significant impact on whether farmers invest in their forestland. The study’s primary purpose is to explore whether and how the reform of forest rights affects farmers’ investment in public welfare forestry. More specifically, the study thoroughly analyzes the impact of primary and supplementary reforms on farmers’ investment in public welfare forest areas. We have outlined the theoretical framework using the theory of property rights and utilized the fixed-effect model and the Difference in Differences (DID) model to achieve research objectives. However, the empirical setup of the study has comprised time series data of 500 farmers, which was collected via interviews conducted at regular time intervals (2011—before the reform; 2013, 2015, and 2017— after the reform). The collective forest land welfare areas in Gansu Province, China, have been selected as the key data collection area. The study concludes that: (i) although the principle reform of forest tenure can stimulate farmers’ investment intensity in the short term, it is insufficient in the long term. (ii) The supplementary reform of forest tenure can significantly promote farmers’ long-term effective investment. There is a significant difference in forest land investment between the experimental and control groups, and this difference gradually expands over time. The study suggests that the government should pay more attention to the relevance of additional reforms to encourage the growth of forest rights mortgages and circulation. Moreover, the core themes of sustainable development in forestry should be highlighted.

The quest to foster sustainable forest management (SFM) in the era of sustainable development goals has reignited the debate on forest tenure concerns. Land and forest tenure insecurity has remained a major underlying cause of deforestation in Africa, which suggests that addressing tenure issues could effectively foster sustainable forest management. Adopting theoretical literature and drawing lessons from related empirical works, this study examines the role of land and forest tenure in sustainable forest management drive. Among other things, the study discusses how land tenure promotes or inhibits sustainable forest practices. The study outlines how frustrating tenure regimes deprive the community of the needed benefits and subsequent untoward behaviour unleashed on forests. The study concludes that the idea of tenure rights and tenure security has implications on sustainable forest management and admonishes a robust tenure regime that upholds local 'people's access to and usage of forest resources without sinister machinations and subjugation of local people. The study contends that determined rights and their long-term security remain crucial in attracting the tenure holders to make a strenuous investment in SFM since investments in forestry usually are made for the long term. Among other things, the study recommends for clarity and long-term security of ownership and tenure rights regarding forest products; a need to promote capacity-building for administrators and rights holders to adopt a sustainable mindset in their exploitation of timber products; and a need to foster stakeholder participation.

Are tenure reforms improving local people’s livelihoods and conserving the forest? To what extent is it possible for tenure reform to achieve the two goals simultaneously? What are the implications of these reforms for equity? This chapter provides insights into these questions by assessing the outcomes of the reforms in our case studies and discussing why and under what conditions they have resulted in improvements or deterioration.Livelihoods, forest condition and equity are also affected by other changes, broadly associated with increasing urbanization, agricultural development, industrialization and technological transformation. Tenure reform is only one of several processes shaping outcomes. In this chapter, however, we try to isolate the effects of the reforms, based on the assumption that the nature of tenure rights – e.g. tenure security and the specifi c locally relevant components of the ‘bundle of rights’ – shapes the decisions people make concerning forest resource use. The reforms, therefore, are likely to have signifi cant implications for the livelihoods of people who depend on forest resources and for the ways in which forest resources are used.There is substantial literature, only briefl y alluded to here, on the associ-ations between security of tenure and improvements in livelihoods and incomes. But much of this literature (e.g. Deininger and Binswanger, 2001) is based on situations regarding private, individual titles – not the norm in forest tenure reform. More relevant for forests is the common property literature, which has consistently demonstrated that livelihood benefi ts are more likely to result from secure common property rights (Pagdee et al, 2006). Still, there remains uncertainty about the actual benefi ts, for both communities and forests, which