Decentralization Of Forest Management Research Articles

An Assessment on the Roles and Accountability of Adjacent Local Communities in Decentralized Forest Management System in Mufindi District, Iringa, Tanzania

Purpose: This study was undertaken in Ihang’ana Forest Reserve to provide an understanding of the roles and accountability of forest stakeholders in decentralized forest management for sustainability. The study was proposed specifically to assess decentralization of forest management approach by identifying the main stakeholders and examine their roles and methods used on management of the Ihang’ana Forest Reserve.
 Methodology: Multiple research methods were used for data collection which included literature reviews, structured questionnaires survey; institutional and key informant interviews, transect walks and observation and focus group discussions. The study adopted a mixed methods approach with simple and purposive sampling procedures. Quantitative data were analysed through SPSS with support of content analysis for qualitative data. Three villages adjacent to Ihang’ana forest were studied as target population Igeleke, Kibengu and Mwatasi with a total of 102 sampled respondents.
 Findings: The key findings of the study revealed that the major stakeholders in the management of Ihang’ana forest reserves were the local communities adjacent the forest reserves, the government and non-governmental organizations. The roles played by these stakeholders were guarding and patrolling done by local communities, education provision on forest management and facilities provision of seminars and workshops. The methods used to conserve and manage forest resources in Ihang’ana forest were afforestation, reforestation, agroforestry, destocking, implementation of enacted by-laws and the use of alternative energy. Several factors that led to effective management of the Ihang’ana Forest were implementation of forest by-laws, community inclusiveness, and strictness of the forest committee and application of deterrent penalties. The study concludes that local community participation in decentralized forest management bottom up approach is of paramount. The inclusiveness of the local community had led to effective management of the forest.
 Unique contribution to theory, practice and policy: The study recommends that, decentralized bottom-up approach forest management should be maintained for the forest sustainability. Also the central government should continue supporting the local communities in conservation activities of the forest, maintaining the existing fire breaks and timing for clearing the fire breaks is crucial.

Perpetuating the malign legacy of colonialism? Traditional chiefs’ power and deforestation in Sierra Leone

Sierra Leone is affected by considerable deforestation. The chieftaincy as it exists today in Sierra Leone is a construct of colonialism with removed key aspects of bottom-up accountability that perpetuated itself after independence. In this setting, traditional chiefs have considerable power to shape multiple facets of everyday life in their local communities including land allocation that influences deforestation. There is an open question of whether keeping traditional chiefs as a construct from the colonial era perpetuates the malign legacy of colonialism. I explore from this perspective the role of traditional chiefs in deforestation in Sierra Leone. By combining high-resolution satellite image data with survey and historic data in a regression analysis setting, the central findings of this article are that keeping the institution of traditional chiefs in its state from colonial times, giving them power to define multiple aspects of everyday life at the local level, combined with chiefs’ and the broader state’s corruption accelerates deforestation. These results have important implications for the increasingly popular global trend toward forestry decentralization strategies. The article suggests that a reform of the traditional chiefs’ system in Sierra Leone and in countries with a similar structure of local traditional authorities is needed and that democratic decentralization of forest management with bottom-up accountability of traditional chiefs may be a viable solution.

From afforestation to forest landscape restoration in DPRK: Gaps and challenges

The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) is currently in a state of severe deforestation and forest degradation, such that it was selected a beneficiary for Forest and Landscape Restoration (FLR) programs run by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). This study investigates the status and gaps in the implementation of FLR actions and analyzes the key challenges to FLR implementation. To accomplish this, I visited ministries relevant to forest and landscape restoration, selected and interviewed officials and professionals, and based our research on 10 years of experiences working in DPRK. Further, I proposed a roadmap for FLR implementation. Our results indicate that there is a need for a profound shift in attitudes towards the role of local people, recognizing that local people can be the main actors and partners in forest and landscape management. The reformation of the forestry sector and policies is needed to support the transformation of local livelihoods into a forest-friendly paradigm to exit the vicious cycle of “poverty and hunger–deforestation–environmental degradation–poverty and hunger.” Future FLR policies need to focus on the decentralization of forest management, clarification of forest tenure, and improvement of multi-sectoral cooperation and multi-level collaboration. The role of traditional knowledge and customary regulations should be highlighted, and forest management needs to be integrated into socio-economic development planning and programs.

Does the devolution of forest management help conserve mangrove in the Mekong Delta of Viet Nam?

In the decentralization of forest management, the state devolves forestland use right to communities. What if the state devolves the right directly to individual households, not to communities? Does this policy work and within this policy what devolution mechanism works better in terms of forest conservation? This paper addresses these questions using the context of mangrove forest in Viet Nam. Mangrove forest areas in Viet Nam have experienced a substantial decline during the last century. Since 1994, a devolution policy has allowed mangrove forests to be assigned to households for protection and management. Households were allowed to convert part of the mangrove forest areas into other uses that bring private benefits. It is not clear whether the devolution policy provided sufficient incentives to households for not over-converting mangrove forest.We collect and analyse commune-level data and household-level data. At commune level analysis, we used fixed effects instrumental variable (IV) regression to examine whether the devolution of forestland right to households helps conserving mangrove forest areas of communes. At household level analysis, we apply Tobit IV regression to evaluate the performance of two devolution mechanisms with regard to farms’ mangrove coverage as well as household violations of the regulatory level of mangrove coverage. Our analyses indicate that the devolving forestland right from state to households increases forest coverage. We find that comparing to the land use certificate, the contract-based allocation of forestland from the state to households results in higher level of forest cover and less violation of coverage regulation. Interestingly, increasing coverage regulation result in higher actual mangrove coverage and higher violation. Higher payment that households received from the devolved forestland right would improve forest coverage. Market conditions, such as market prices and alternative livelihood, do not affect mangrove coverage and household’s violation of regulation. The findings indicate that the current devolution policy should be redesigned to more effectively conserve mangrove forest.

Relationship between community capitals and governance: The perspective of local actors in the Maya Biosphere Reserve

Internationally, the decentralization of forest management from central government control to collaborative stewardship by local communities is gaining popularity. Forest decentralization is seen as a means of promoting both conservation and community economic development while decreasing government agencies’ management burdens. However, not all community forest programs have been able to successfully achieve both forest conservation and socio-economic development. A growing body of literature identifies under what circumstances local groups can collective action dilemmas in resource management. While a wealth of literature focuses on institutional influence in common-pool resource management, recent research emphasizes the need to understand both how the local context and local governance structures influence community forestry outcomes. The goal of this study is to understand how governance and community resources interact to facilitate or impede the establishment and management of community-based forest enterprises. This paper addresses this question through a cross-case analysis of community forest enterprises in the Maya Biosphere Reserve. Results highlight the importance of social capital reflecting a growing body of research that has found that local-level network-based relationships are an important factor that either facilitates or impedes community governance processes. In addition, for many attributes of good governance, the resources that are typically seen as the most difficult to measure such as cultural capital, human capital and social relationships were also seen as having the greatest impact on governance.

Enhancing the Role of the District Government in Decentralized Forest Management

Following the enactment of Law Number 23 of 2014 on the Regional Government, which superseded Law Number 22 of 1999 and Law Number 32 of 2004, now the local government has no longer holds an authority to manage state forest areas, except “grand forest park” (Taman Hutan Raya) located in their respective administrative areas. The management of production forests and protected forests (located at state forest areas) is the authority and responsibility of the provincial government, while the management of conservation forests is the authority of the central government. The success of forest management and management program activities is determined, among others, by government and local government policies and their implementation at the site level. By considering ntthe complexity of forest management, the context of decentralization, and available resources as well as constrained authority, this study aims to identify the level of importance, priorities, and main roles of district governments in forest management by applying the analytic network process (ANP) method. This study suggests that the district government could play a significant role in building social capital, which serves as a first step in developing collaborative forest management by promoting the optimization of multipurpose forests to preserve forests.

Policy Makers’ Perspective on Impacts of Decentralizing Forest Management in Kenya on Forestry Conservation and Community Livelihoods

Forests in Kenya were under traditional community management regimes up to 1891 when formal state management of forests started in Vanga Mangrove forest and later the entire country. In 1997 decentralized forest governance was successfully piloted through Participatory Forest Management in Kenya. This informed review of the Forests Act, Cap 385 to The Forests Act, 2005 subsequently revised to Forest Conservation and Management Act, 2016. The Act has explicit support to decentralized forest management with special focus on communities. The study determined the perceptions of policy makers on: why decentralization was introduced; policy makers’ understanding of decentralization and its impact on forest management and community livelihoods. Literature review was conducted, questionnaires administered and Key Informant Interview and Focus Group Discussion held. The policy makers indicated that decentralization was being implemented in the country and they could distinguish the models being practiced and noted that decentralization was facilitating stakeholder participation and improving forest conservation and community livelihoods. The key challenges were; inadequate budgetary allocation; failure by state to transfer key functions to communities but had decentralized roles that reduce costs. The country has three forest management models and each was best in its context but can be enhanced through capacity building, financial support and partnerships.

Governance and decentralization of forest management in the construction of public policies: process applied to amapá and sergipe – Brazil

Forest governance, now in vogue, has been touted by the debate on decentralization. In Brazil, these processes are in progress, coalescing and coming to constitute an important agenda of policy makers, social actors and the academy. This agenda is aimed at harmonizing quality improvement aspirations of living with the support capabilities of the different forest ecosystems. However, the mediation of social demands regarding conservation and use of forest resources is differently expressed and in conflicting hues in the three spheres of government, due to the decentralization of forest management process. Thus, this work presents a process applied in mediating such type of conflict via construction of forest policies in the states of Amapá and Sergipe, located in the Amazon and Semi-Arid Brazil, respectively. The method applied within the forest policy process integrates and complements theories, methods and techniques to articulate forest functions, state functions in forestry, forest policy fundamentals, social demands, and organizational management. The final construction allowed to adjust to the social demands of forest ecosystems carrying capacities and to align them with organizational management, to provide conditions of effectiveness for the implementation of decentralization and strengthening of forest governance.

Reduced Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD) and Access and Exclusion: Obstacles and Opportunities in Cambodia and Laos

IntroductionThe Reduced Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD) framework is being developed to reduce carbon emissions into the atmosphere due to deforestation and forest degradation. Phelps et al. (2010) have, however, raised concerns that REDD could cause the recentralization of forest lands in so-called developing through providing central governments and international players with increased control over forests, thus potentially seriously setting back efforts to institute more locally sensitive decentralized models of forest management. They argue that over the last quarter century many non-industrialized countries have adopted more decentralized forms of resource management, hard fought reforms that have given many local forest users increased rights and responsibilities, at least over forests of lower economic value.While the extent to which locals have been allocated rights and responsibilities in association with forest management varies considerably (see Hall et al. 2011; Ribot 1999; 2004; McCarthy 2001; Badola 1998; Fisher 1998; Vandergeest 1996), at least the rhetoric of the desirability to substantially increase the participation of local users in forest management has advanced considerably in recent decades. This has frequently translated into more agency for local people, although there are often important trade-offs between sustainability and local benefits when decentralization occurs (Jagger et al. 2005). In addition, devolving control in cases when local elites are able to capture benefits at the expense of other local resource users can be counter-productive (Barr et al. 2006; McCarthy 2001; 2004; Hutchcroft 2001), thus necessitating careful consideration of the circumstances surrounding particular cases. Still, overall efforts to devolve power to local resource users have resulted in better forest protection and increased benefits for local people (Persha et al. 2011; Agrawal and Ostrom 2008; Agrawal and Gibson 1999; Ribot 1999).Crucially, the shift to increasing local forest management rights and responsibilities has largely been driven by two main arguments. The first is ethical, or rights-based, and is founded on the recognition that local people have often been severely and unfairly disenfranchised by governments, and that locals therefore deserve to gain significant rights and responsibilities over the lands and forests that they have long depended on for their livelihoods. This position asserts that governments and others have a moral obligation to rectify the serious wrongs that have been imposed on local and especially indigenous forest users, and that empowering people is the only ethically appropriate thing to do, regardless of whether such changes lead to improved forest management or not.1)The second argument is fundamentally pragmatic, and is grounded on the fact that past efforts by distant actors, both governmental and private, to effectively manage forest resources have often failed to ensure sustainable management and protection (Ribot 1999; Agrawal and Ostrom 2008). Many have argued that decentralizing management and empowering local users to significantly benefit from forest resources is often the most efficient and cost-effective way to manage forests. Being participatory and transparent is particularly crucial (Cortula and Mayers 2009; Somanathan et al. 2009). Those taking this position frequently point out that central governments, especially in poorer countries, rarely have the resources or convictions to effectively protect forests from various threats (Ribot 1999; 2004; Ostrom 1990), although government recognition and support for local people in gaining rights to use and manage natural resources frequently remains critical, as without it limiting or excluding users may not be feasible (Ostrom 1990; Baird and Flaherty 2005).At present the increased global focus on utilizing REDD (including REDD+) to fund forest protection represents a potential threat to the trend in forest management decentralization, as argued by Phelps et al. …

The limits and failures of existing forest governance standards in semi–arid contexts

Dry forests today are managed following the standards of scientific forestry imported in the tropics in the XIXth century by the colonial empires. The model proved efficient to control deforestation and regulate production but its evolution even after decolonization increased the segmentation between forests and agriculture and the lack of consideration for local knowledge by the forest administration. The process of decentralization of forest management that disseminated in the 1990s aimed at bringing back local communities within the formal management of forests. However the results of this process, often restricted to a simple transfer of tools and techniques, have fallen below expectations. If discourses shifted towards a better recognition of local needs, knowledge and constraints, the day-to-day implementation of participatory forest management in the dry lands remains fraught with administrative inefficiencies and a mistrust of local communities. Sustainable management of dry forests is yet to be invented.

Institutional Change and Institutional Performance Under Decentralized Forest Management in Babati District, Tanzania

In the last three decades, self-governed robust institutions and design principles were emphasized for effective management of the commons including forests. However, little attention was given to institutional change and institutional performance. This paper addresses the relationship between institutional change and institutional performance under decentralized forest management (DFM) in Babati District, Tanzania. It is demonstrated that both constitutional and operational changes occurred under DFM in Babati. Institutional changes were found to be associated with improved condition of forest resources, good governance and sustainable livelihoods. However, cash income accrued from forests under DFM did not improve. Theoretically, a framework of multiple institutional logics of action was found more capable of explaining institutional change and institutional performance than Ostrom’s rational choice institutionalism and design principles.

Actor, Customary Regulation and Case Study of Collective Forest Tenure Reform Intervention in China

The newly implemented collective forest tenure reform (CFTR) in China is a remarkable part of the global trend of forest management decentralization. This paper illustrates how local communities respond to the reform and how the various actors translate the policy principle into action under local social ecological condition in two case villages in Wuyuan County of Jiangxi Province in China. In the policy implementation of the CFTR, various actors, including local government, communities and villagers try to deconstruct the policy text, such as reform plan, forest distribution criterion and Forest Tenure Certificate system, with their own knowledge system. The cases of CFTR in the villages in Wuyuan County suggest there are major inconsistencies between national forest policy intervention and the local practice system. The traditional resource management system, which is based on the social customs in the local communities, is also effective to solve the collective action problem and contribute to efficient resource utilization. Thus the complexity and robustness of forest tenure combinations may ensure flexibility for sustainable forest management and accommodate the change of socioeconomic conditions.

Decentralization of natural resources management and improvement of rural livelihoods: empirical evidence from the Dimako Council Forest experiment in eastern Cameroon

Since the mid-1980s, throughout the world, decentralized experiments in natural resources management are being promoted under the major assumption that through the inclusion of those who were formerly excluded – rural communities and governments – the management of those resources as well as local and rural living conditions will be improved. In Cameroon, following the 1994 landmark Forest Law which transferred significant powers, resources and responsibilities to local actors, three primary modes of involving local communities and rural governments in the forestry sector were created: community forests; the annual forestry fee (AFF) and (local) council forests. While the literature has focused on the governance of community forests and the AFF, the study of council forests has lagged behind until recently. This paper investigates the impact of the forest management decentralization on rural livelihoods in the local council of Dimako, the first local government to benefit from this particular type of transfer of powers in Central Africa. Overall, the empirical data reveals that the whole experiment has turned awry as the benefits have essentially bypassed local villagers amidst stories of incomplete projects, overestimations and alleged misappropriation of funds by the local mayor.

Effects of decentralized forest management (DFM) on deforestation and poverty in low‐ and middle‐income countries: a systematic review

The authors conducted a systematic review of studies on the impact of decentralized forest management (DFM) on deforestation and poverty in developing countries. The review is motivated by debates over whether the pursuits of conservation and poverty reduction in developing countries tend to conflict or whether they might be complementary. A search for rigorous evaluation studies identified eleven quantitative and nine associated qualitative evaluation studies on DFM. The methodological rigor of these studies varied widely, meaning that the evidence base for the impact of DFM policies is limited in both quantity and quality. Given the evidence available, the authors found little reason for optimism about the potential for current DFM approaches to achieve both conservation and poverty reduction benefits jointly. They call for the production of much better impact studies, employing randomized field experiments when possible, to assess whether the apparent incompatibility of conservation and poverty reduction might be overcome through programming innovations.

Rights, Rewards, and Resources: Lessons from Community Forestry in South Asia

AbstractLarge-scale experiments with the decentralization of forest management in South Asia have changed the relationship between forests, public institutions that manage forests, and rural househ...

O PROCESSO DE DESCENTRALIZAÇÃO DA GESTÃO FLORESTAL BRASILEIRA A PARTIR DA LEI DE GESTÃO DE FLORESTAS PÚBLICAS - LEI 11.284/06

As florestas brasileiras contribuem com a geração de 6 milhões de empregos. Os governos reconhecem a importância delas, porém admitem a existência de conflitos entre interesses econômicos e conservacionistas. Assim, alguns autores aceitam a descentralização como instrumento para a prática da governança florestal. O objetivo do trabalho foi descrever a forma como vem ocorrendo o processo de descentralização da gestão dos recursos florestais no país, especialmente após a Lei 11.284/06. No Brasil, há uma descentralização territorial instituída pela própria Constituição. A descentralização se fundamenta na transferência de autoridade e responsabilidade de questões públicas do governo central para governos locais. Na gestão florestal, esse processo se inicia com a Lei de Gestão de Florestas Públicas - nº 11.284/06 -, que transfere a competência na área florestal do Governo Federal aos órgãos estaduais de meio ambiente. A norma estabeleceu que o IBAMA deve estruturar formas de atuação conjunta com os órgãos locais. Conclui-se que o processo de descentralização é necessário, não só por atribuir aos estados autonomia para conduzirem suas políticas florestais, mas também por aproximar a sociedade da realidade florestal do país. A Lei de Gestão de Florestas Públicas buscou acabar com as ambiguidades quanto às competências para legislar sobre as florestas. AbstractThe process of decentralization of Brazilian forest management from Public Forests Management Law - Law 11.284/06. The Brazilian forests contribute to generate 6 million jobs; governments recognize the importance of the forests, however, they admit the existence of conflicts between economic interests and conservationists. In this way, some authors accept decentralization as a tool for forest governance practice. This research aimed to describe the process of decentralization of forest resources management in Brazil, mainly after Law 11.284/06. In Brazil there is a territorial decentralization established by the Constitution. Decentralization is based on transference of authority and responsibility, for public affairs, from the central government to local governments. The decentralization of forest management started with the Law of Public Forest Management - No. 11.284/06, which transferred jurisdiction in forest area from the Federal Government to states environmental agencies. The law established that IBAMA should design ways of working together to the local bodies. We conclude that the process of decentralization is necessary, not only for the states autonomy in order to conduct their forestry policies, but also to get society closer to country’s forest reality. The Public Forest Management Law sought to finish the ambiguities towards the powers to legislate on forests.Keywords: Forest sector; decentralization; governance.

PROTOCOL: Effects of Payment for Environmental Services and Decentralized Forest Management on Deforestation and Poverty in Low‐ and Middle‐Income Countries: a Systematic Review

PROTOCOL: Effects of Payment for Environmental Services and Decentralized Forest Management on Deforestation and Poverty in Low‐ and Middle‐Income Countries: a Systematic Review

Decentralization and Community Forest Management in Burkina Faso: Constraints and Challenges

SUMMARY Since the 1980s, developing countries have invested increasing efforts in decentralization initiatives intended to achieve development goals, improve governance and enhance popular participation in the management of natural resources, notably forests. However, better understanding of the issues pertaining to, and the challenges facing, the decentralization of forest management is paramount for the success of such initiatives. This study examines the issues and constraints related to implementation of a decentralizing, participatory forest management program in the Centre-west region of Burkina Faso. For this purpose, information was gathered through a literature review and focus group discussions involving government authorities at various levels, local Forest Management Groups (FMGs), technical support staff and the regional association of fuel wood wholesalers. The acquired data show that Forest Management Units (FMUs) established by the State are not clearly demarcated, and in some cases fall w...

Ambiguities of Forest Management Decentralization in Ghana

Abstract This article examines the outcomes of forest management decentralization in Ghana. It has been demonstrated that despite claims that Ghana has adopted forest management decentralization policy, actual forest management powers and rights over forest resources are still retained by the central government. The government is only interested in using the decentralization policy to reduce expenditure and extend its control over forest resources. Nevertheless, it has employed policy ambiguities to hide its true intentions from international donors. In order to contain international donor demands for equity in the distribution of natural resource revenue, a small stream of forest revenue is paid to a few unelected traditional rulers and district assembly officials, who are actually within the executive's patronage networks. In the absence of any meaningful reward system and secure rights over forest resources, community forestry committees are not functioning properly.

State, forest and community: challenges of democratically decentralizing forest management in the Centre‐West Region of Burkina Faso

AbstractThis study examines challenges associated with early stages of decentralizing the administration and management of forest resources in the Centre‐West Region of Burkina Faso. It is based on fieldwork using rapid rural appraisal, focus group discussions and interviews with key stakeholders, methodology to explore the strengths and weaknesses of participatory forest management, and the main issues and challenges involved in these processes. The study found that a shift of administrative authority to the local level will not guarantee transparency and good governance in the forest sector unless measures are taken to remove challenging obstacles. The central government is still reluctant to decentralize a revenue‐generating sector such as forestry and the involvement of civil society remains weak. Decentralization also results in a plethora of conflicts at the local level as new responsibilities and opportunities arise with the devolution of new powers to the community. Decentralization of forest management will probably remain a work in progress for the foreseeable future. Thus, we recommend the introduction or reinforcement of participatory development programs through local dialogue with various stakeholders and an investigation of new policy and institutional arrangements that may promote equitable forest management. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment.