Abstract
Implementation of forest restoration projects requires cross-scale and hybrid forms of governance involving the state, the market, civil society, individuals, communities, and other actors. Using a case study from the Atlantic Forest Hotspot, we examine the governance of a large-scale forest restoration project implemented by an international non-governmental organization (NGO) on family farmer landholdings located within protected areas of sustainable development. In addition to forest restoration, the project aims to provide an economic benefit to participating farmers by including native species with market potential (fruits, timber) in restoration models and by contracting farmers in the planting phase. We employed qualitative methods such as structured interviews and participant observation to assess the effect of environmental policy and multi-scalar governance on implementation and acceptability of the project by farmers. We demonstrate that NGO and farmer expectations for the project were initially misaligned, hampering farmer participation. Furthermore, current policy complicated implementation and still poses barriers to project success, and projects must remain adaptable to changing legal landscapes. We recommend increased incorporation of social science methods in earlier stages of projects, as well as throughout the course of implementation, in order to better assess the needs and perspectives of participants, as well as to minimize trade-offs.
Highlights
Tropical forest regions, as sites of both high biodiversity and high rates of ecosystem transformation and degradation, are a focus of conservation and forest restoration initiatives worldwide [1]
The researchers were part of the field team collaborating with the non-governmental organization (NGO), in charge of prospecting 21 hectares to be restored in Barra do Turvo, and used this opportunity to familiarize themselves with the study sites and the different actors involved in the project
Additional data was collected through participant observation during a one-day workshop organized in August gathering all stakeholders and through review of project documents provided by the NGO
Summary
Tropical forest regions, as sites of both high biodiversity and high rates of ecosystem transformation and degradation, are a focus of conservation and forest restoration initiatives worldwide [1]. As large-scale environmental issues faced by all mankind, such as climate change and biodiversity loss, increase in complexity, so too do our understandings of the range of solutions and partnerships necessary to address these problems. With this understanding comes a recognition that no one sphere offers the best approach, but that strategies require the cooperation, interaction, and interdependence of different sectors. When effective, these interdependencies comprise systems of “good governance”. Like other concepts employed in development, such as “participation” and “community-based natural resource management (CBNRM),” “good governance” has become
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