Since the reform of Indonesia’s Forestry Law in 1999, newly empowered forest- dependent communities have been allowed to negotiate directly with logging companies for access to financial and social benefits. Fieldwork undertaken in May and June 2003 attempted to assess the impacts of this decentralization reform on communities in the subdistrict of Sekatak in Bulungan, East Kalimantan. Results suggest that the process of negotiations influenced the benefits that accrued to these communities. It seems that the most important factors were increased collective action and co-operation among the communities situated in and sharing forest areas, prior experience of dealing and conflicts with logging companies, plus strong and relatively transparent local leadership. Taken together these factors enabled communities to obtain benefits at the higher end of the scale for the area as a whole and provided a mechanism by which to deal with problems as they arose. These results suggest that in the absence of other means by which to protect the interests of local communities and to enforce the law, local capacities for collective action may be a potential and effective substitute for future development.
Tag: community action
Simple rules for catalyzing collective action in natural resource management contexts
This booklet is designed to help people interested in working with small groups (usually communities or groups within communities) to reach their goals. It has been written, building first on the global literature on community based management of forests and other natural resources; secondly, on a base of experience catalyzing collective action within communities in more than 30 communities in 11 countries, using the approach called “Adaptive Collaborative Management” (ACM); and thirdly, through experience trying to catalyze collective action in two communities in Sumatra. It assumes an interest in equity, justice, and respect, as well as effective action.
Are community aspirations being accommodated in development plans?: a lesson from collective action in Jambi
The brief describes development planning consultations, locally known as musrenbang, conducted in stages through different levels of governance: village, sub-district and district. The brief then documents lessons from experience catalyzing collective action among local community goups (in particular women’s groups) to engage in this development process and to help articulate the women’s aspirations in such a way that they could be heard by district decision makers. While some progress was made, such as women’s improved presence in different forums and their capacity to speak and propose distinct proposals for development, some challenges such as elite capture remain.
Linking collective action to non-timber forest product market for improved local livelihoods: challenges and opportunities
The paper draws on findings from research in South Sulawesi and Jambi Provinces, Indonesia, looking at the role of collective action in helping two local community groups enhance their bargaining power vis a vis other market players (such as collectors, small- and large-scale industries) and promote an increased demand for non-timber forest products. The first group has traditionally collected rattan (Calamus sp) from surrounding forests and was struggling to sell their products at a better price amid market uncertainties and the lack of supportive government policies. The second one was involved in the propagation of another high-value rattan species, widely known as Dragon Blood (Daemonorops sp), in anticipation of an increased market demand for this product. The paper describes challenges and opportunities for the country’s forestry decentralization and marketing of forest products, and the role of collective action in improving groups’ access to government resources and markets. It also discusses the research team’s part in facilitating the groups and highlights the strengths of participatory action research approach in fostering collective action among local stakeholders.
Linking social movements: how international networks can better support community action about forests
International networks in community forestry face challenges in linking with local social movements. We examine four efforts of international networks to overcome these challenges and better link with local people in Peru, Brazil, India and Kenya. The examples demonstrate that the networks created effective links by making funds available for meetings and local data collection; providing international analyses that helped people understand their own situation better; sharing strategies for media, policy and letter campaigns; helping to disseminate information about local people’s priorities, providing independent assessments and building local people’s confidence. Efforts to improve communications technologies required a better understanding of local conditions. Networks will be more relevant to local movements to the extent that they are regularly active at the local level, can respond flexibly to local needs and small-scale events, and work with an array of national partners. The effectiveness of networks in carrying out these tasks may require a careful balance between linking to versus working at the local level.
Planification d’une action communautaire pour une production durable de bois-énergie dans les comtés de Baringo et de Kitui au Kenya
Principaux enseignements
- Les plans d’action communautaire (CAP, pour Community action plans en anglais) offrent une solution peu onéreuse pour promouvoir la production durable de charbon de bois. Pour un montant d’environ 13 USD par personne et par jour, pouvant varier selon le lieu, les administrations des comtés pourraient intégrer des réunions CAP à leurs activités.
- Les formations de formateurs (ToT, pour Training of Trainers en anglais) sont une autre démarche efficace et peu coûteuse de diffusion des connaissances sur la production durable du charbon de bois. Le renforcement des capacités des formateurs au sein des communautés sur le mécanisme CAP permettrait aux associations de producteurs de charbon d’organiser ces réunions en puisant dans leurs revenus.
- La diversification des produits du bois-énergie permettrait de réduire la pression sur les forêts et les arbres, par exemple en récupérant la poussière de charbon sur les sites de production, avec des branches et des brindilles pour fabriquer des briquettes.
- Pour respecter les mesures prises en faveur d’une production durable de bois-énergie, le Kenya Forest Service et les administrations des comtés peuvent coopérer avec les associations de producteurs de charbon pour renforcer les capacités institutionnelles et organisationnelles.
Community action planning for sustainable woodfuel production in Baringo and Kitui counties, Kenya
Key lessons
- Community action plans (CAPs) offer a low-cost option to promote sustainable charcoal production. At a cost of around 13 USD per person per day, depending on the location, county governments could integrate CAP meetings into their activities.
- Training of Trainers (ToT) is another cost-effective approach to scaling knowledge on sustainable charcoal production. Building capacity among community trainers on the CAP process would enable charcoal producer associations (CPAs) to manage CAP meetings using their revenues from charcoal trade.
- Diversification of woodfuel products could reduce pressure on forests and trees, such as through the recovery of charcoal dust at processing sites and the use of tree branches and twigs for briquette production.
- To ensure that policy requirements for sustainable woodfuel production are met, the Kenya Forest Service and county governments can collaborate with CPAs to strengthen organizational and institutional capacities.