Role of Forest Related Policies and Laws on Sustainable Forest Management Practice: A Critical Overview

Gordon Kofi Sarfo-Adu

doi:10.7176/jrdm/73-06

Abstract

Following the rate with which forest resources get degraded, increasing attention has been paid to the conscious and sound efforts towards mainstreaming appropriate interventions to halt the menace. Following the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development held in Rio 1992, the idea of sustainable forest management has become popular in the international arena which admonishes various member-states and local governments to adopt policies and laws to enhance sustainable forest practices. The idea of SFM has been reinforced by the recent Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and forest degradation sustainable biodiversity management (REDD+) policy. In that regard, attention to laws, policies and institutions towards sustainable forest management has increased. This paper adopts a desk review approach to assess the role of forest-related policies on sustainable forest management practices. Essential tools and strategies for SFM are discussed, including measures to enhance enforcement of SFM policies and procedures. The study argues that actor constellation; autonomy to local actors and external actors involved are crucial in the drive towards sustainable forest management. Keywords: sustainable forest management; policies; institutions; community involvement; enforcement DOI: 10.7176/JRDM/73-06 Publication date: February 28 th 2021

Highlights

National forest policies and participatory action plans are critical to sustainable forest management (McDonald & Lane, 2004)
From the foregoing, promoting sustainable forest management requires an interplay between formal state actors, non-governmental actors and entire citizenry; and that these must proactively help in the effective enforcement of forest policies and laws
The study sought to examine the role of policies and laws in sustainable forest management drive

Summary

Introduction

National forest policies and participatory action plans are critical to sustainable forest management (McDonald & Lane, 2004). It provides the theoretical underpinning to a fundamental question of how biophysical elements interact with related rules and policies (both formal and informal institutions) to influence the behavior of stakeholders or actors towards natural resources. An essential part of the institutional process is the enforcement mechanism which, according to Gibson et al (2005) is fundamentally crucial for the desirable outcomes in sustainable forest management While other factors, such as high level of social capital, presence of the formal organisation, and peoples' degree of dependence on forest products, Gibson et al (2005) rate institutional enforcement and monitoring as more critical for a sequential improvement of forest management interventions. Methodological approach This paper uses arguments and observations from existing theoretical and empirical studies, which have been drawn from journal articles and relevant materials/resources to examine the role of forest policies and legal regimes in sustainable forest management. The observations from these resources have been used to elicit critical themes classified in the discussion section of this paper, which is adequately examined with the help of empirical observations from recent literature

Discussion

Findings

Enhancing the enforcement of SFM policies

Conclusion