Learning on governance in forest ecosystems: Lessons from recent research

Catherine M. Tucker

doi:10.18352/bmgn-lchr.224

Abstract

<div> Research on forest governance has intensified in recent decades with evidence that efforts to mitigate deforestation and encourage sustainable management have had mixed results. This article considers the progress that has been made in understanding the range of variation in forest governance and management experiences. It synthesizes findings of recent interdisciplinary research efforts, which indicate that sustainable management of forest resources is associated with secure rights, institutions that fit the local context, and monitoring and enforcement. At the same time, the variability in local contexts and interactions of social, political, economic and ecological processes across levels and scales of analysis create uncertainties for the design and maintenance of sustainable forest governance. By identifying areas of progress, lessons learned, and gaps in knowledge, the discussion suggests priorities for further research. </div>

Highlights

How can forests be governed productively and sustainably? In an age of environmental degradation, deforestation, and global climate change, forest governance has become a pressing research topic
It synthesizes findings of recent interdisciplinary research efforts, which indicate that sustainable management of forest resources is associated with secure rights, institutions that fit the local context, and monitoring and enforcement
Monitoring and enforcement are key elements for sustainable forest management: One of the most significant findings for forest governance is that monitoring and enforcement are strongly associated with maintenance of good forest conditions. These results have emerged with case studies and time-series analyses of satellite images, which confirm stable forest boundaries under monitoring and enforcement (Schweik 2000; Dietz et al 2003a). These results have proven to be statistically significant through large-N comparative studies of forest governance based on data collected by International Forest Resources and Institutions (IFRI) researchers

Summary

Introduction

How can forests be governed productively and sustainably? In an age of environmental degradation, deforestation, and global climate change, forest governance has become a pressing research topic. Despite several decades of intensive efforts by governments, non-governmental organizations, and environ mental activists to improve forest conservation and foster sustainable management, results have been mixed. Research has made progress in understanding the conditions associated with well-managed forests, but we still have much to learn about why some forests endure and others suffer degradation and deforestation. Studies relevant to forest governance represent many disciplines and approaches, which complicates efforts to synthesize the information. Comparative studies remain the exception, but in conjunction with case studies, have shown that certain conditions are consistently associated with sustainable forest governance across different social and ecological settings. Given that forests are complex social-ecological systems (Agrawal et al 2008), the discussion considers the problems posed by context and complexity, and suggests priorities for further research

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