Abstract
Over the past 40 years, Nepal has become renowned for its community-based forestry policies, initiatives, and institutions, characterized by local autonomy in decisions about forest management and use and a gradual shift toward more inclusive national policy processes. In recent years, the government, international nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), donors, and some civil society organizations have instigated policy and piloting initiatives for an international climate change mitigation scheme known as reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation and enhancement of forest carbon stocks in developing countries (REDD+). Although many people see REDD+ as a means of bolstering forest conservation efforts and enhancing rural livelihoods, its broader implications for decentralized forest governance in Nepal and elsewhere remain uncertain and contested. Using policy network analysis and theories of polycentric and network governance, I examined influence, inclusiveness, and deliberation among actors involved in REDD+ policy making in Nepal. Data were collected between June and December 2011 through a survey of 34 organizations from government, civil society, educational and research institutions, international NGOs and donors, and the private sector. I investigated whether policy processes and the configurations of actors involved reflect state-centric, market-oriented, or polycentric governance, and I discuss the implications for decentralized forest governance in general and for the implementation of REDD+ in particular. Results indicate that REDD+ policy making is dominated by a development triangle, a tripartite coalition of key government actors, external organizations (international NGOs and donors), and select civil society organizations. As a result, the views and interests of other important stakeholders have been marginalized, threatening recentralized forest governance and hampering the effective implementation of REDD+ in Nepal.
Highlights
Reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation and enhancement of forest carbon stocks in developing countries (REDD+) has strong implications for forest governance worldwide
The analysis indicates that REDD+ policy making in Nepal clearly does not represent a purely state-centric model, given that some international nongovernmental organizations (INGOs) and civil society organizations (CSOs) wield considerable power and that donor organizations play a relatively important role in key network relations
Employing social network analysis, I analyzed the influence and power of 34 policy actors in three key aspects of REDD+ policy making, namely reputational power, information exchange, and collaboration, through an assessment of inclusiveness and deliberation based on the level of dominance, marginalization, and interaction among actors
Summary
Reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation and enhancement of forest carbon stocks in developing countries (REDD+) has strong implications for forest governance worldwide. REDD+ is an emerging market-based mechanism designed to curb greenhouse gas emissions through performancebased payments for the protection and sustainable management of forests. Others claim that mechanisms such as REDD+ constitute a distinct form of forest governance shaped by emerging markets, in which certain actors and solutions are favored over others, determining the engagement of and outcomes for different stakeholders (Thompson et al 2011). This question is addressed through two secondary (operative) research questions: Which actors and groups of actors or sectors are most dominant and which are most marginalized in the policy-making process? I draw on my analysis to discuss which of three broad types of governance REDD+ policy making in Nepal most resembles: topdown, government-led, state-centric governance; marketoriented governance driven by market influences and actors; or polycentric governance characterized by multiple nodes of authority and decentralization and/or deliberative decision making. I reflect on the implications of my findings for the current system of decentralized forest governance in Nepal
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