We examine social-environmental justice in forest governance by asking who is problematized as drivers of deforestation and forest degradation. We adapt Bacchi’s “What is the problem represented to be” approach to the community forest (CAF) model in Burkina Faso and the Payment for Forest Environmental Services (PFES) in Vietnam and examine the implementation of these policies in specific sites through disaggregated focus group discussions (men, women, youth, ethnic minorities). We delve into the discursive, lived and subjectification effects of the policies’ problematizations, highlighting tensions and contestations relating to forest access and benefits. For both countries, what is left unproblematized in the implicit policy focus on the local is a “communal fix” of indigeneity tied to idealized and collective governance of fixed areas of land and exclusionary processes for those that do not fit the ideal. We argue that market-oriented approach in policies such as CAF and PFES absent of the wider underpinnings of the political and historical forest will only exacerbate social-environmental injustices.
Tag: community forestry
Community perceptions of social justice in benefit distribution mechanisms of forestry carbon projects in Uganda
This chapter analyses community perceptions of fairness in benefit distribution mechanisms of carbon projects implemented in Uganda’s state and private forests. Using an environmental justice framework, the chapter interrogates the distributive and procedural (in)justices inherent in the distribution of benefits derived from forest management activities. Fair distribution of benefits and costs is important in conservation programs for both moral and practical reasons. Data was collected through mixed methods in six rural villages located in Western Uganda, in which incentive-based policy innovations, i.e., the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) and Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+) were piloted. Findings reveal that both monetary and nonmonetary benefits were more likely to accrue to community members who participated in the pilot projects, with a risk of exacerbating inequality. Participants preferred that individuals who invest more effort in project activities should receive monetary benefits, while egalitarian principle (equal access to all) was preferred for nonmonetary benefits. Community members expressed the need to participate in decision making. To achieve inclusive and socially just conservation programs, conservationists ought to engage all affected persons before and during program implementation.
Panduan Survei Pelaksanaan Program Reformasi Tenurial Hutan di Indonesia
Kegiatan Global Comparative Study (GCS) Tenure didorong oleh perkembangan reformasi tenurial di Afrika, Asia, dan Amerika Latin yang telah memberikan ruang pengakuan hukum untuk masyarakat lokal sekitar hutan. Melalui pendekatan komparatif global dan metodologi yang terstandarisasi untuk semua negara lokasi penelitian, program ini menganalisis berbagai faktor yang mempengaruhi keberhasilan dan kegagalan program tenurial hutan di masing-masing negara. Panduan survei terhadap pelaksanaan reformasi tenurial hutan di Indonesia merupakan salah satu perangkat kegiatan kajian yang disusun untuk mendukung keberhasilan implementasi program. Kami mengucapkan terimakasih kepada GEF (Global Environment Facility) atas dukungan pendanaan program GCS Tenure dan program penelitian PIM (Policies, Institution, and Markets) atas dukungan untuk penyusunan perangkat survei khusus untuk konteks di Indonesia.
Distribution of forest types and changes in their classification
The second largest block of dense moist forest after the Amazon, Central Africa’s forests are an exceptional reservoir of carbon and biodiversity for the countries they cover and the planet as a whole. These forests provide a livelihood to 60 million people and help to feed 40 million more in nearby towns and cities. They play an essential social and cultural role in the lives of indigenous peoples and local communities. The ecological, economic, social and cultural importance of Central Africa’s forests places them at the heart of international discussions aimed at preserving these unique ecosystems, which are vital to the health of the planet.
The rights of local and indigenous peoples in the light of forest and conservation policies
The subject of the rights of local and indigenous peoples is at the heart of the international forest resource management agenda, now more than ever (Sikor and Stahl 2011). These groups claim a set of inherent rights to enjoy land and forest tenure, to practice their cultures and to speak on the management of the natural resources around their biotopes. In response to these demands and pressure from both the grassroots and the non-governmental organizations (NGOs) that claim to represent them, the international community and many governments have put in place a range of legal mechanisms that recognize and promote the rights and duties of these vulnerable social groups in relation to biodiversity. The natural resource conservation approach – focused on promoting and respecting the rights of these groups – is, of course, one response to local stakeholders’ demands for environmental justice (Campese et al. 2009).
Ecosystems Services from Community Forestry: Prospects and Challenges for Improving Local Livelihoods in Nepal
Nepal’s community forestry is touted as a development success, especially in relation to how local community groups can be empowered by the state to conserve and manage communal forest areas for local livelihoods improvements. However, this success is limited in relation to the production and supply of conventional forest products or a narrow range of ecosystem services (ES). The concept of ES has recently landed in Nepal’s policy domain and an evolving body of research has also highlighted the potential of applying ES in community forestry for augmenting livelihoods improvements, climate change adaptation and mitigation, and biodiversity conservation. Yet, there is still a lack of evidence on the degree to which community forest user groups are expanding their forest management practices by including additional range of ES. Drawing on 14 case studies of community forests from across the country, as well as a recent review of literature and analysis of secondary data, this chapter assesses the potential of an ecosystem centred approach to community forest management for local community livelihoods in Nepal. We identify a variety of emerging initiatives towards ES-based management of community forests, demonstrating the need for a strategic shift away from the narrowly focused, subsistence-oriented forest management to a more holistic management of forest ES. We also identify priority challenges that need to be tackled in facilitating this shift to achieve the sustainable production of ES for livelihoods improvements and its contribution towards climate change mitigation and sustainable development goals.
Examining support for the rights of Indigenous Peoples and local communities in the context of REDD+ in Indonesia
Summary
- This flyer presents findings on research examining ten criteria regarding the level of support for Indigenous People and local community (IPLC) rights in the context of REDD+ in Indonesia.
- Indonesia has been involved in REDD+ from the outset and has developed various instruments to support its implementation, including a safeguards information system (SIS) that includes social safeguards recognizing the rights of IPLCs.
- IPLC rights are mentioned in different implementing regulations in piecemeal fashion, e.g., aspects of free, prior and informed consent in regulations on access to information or protection of human rights. In contrast, rights to land and forest tenure are much more comprehensive, e.g., through schemes under the Social Forestry programme.
- The implementation of safeguards for REDD+ and other forest-based initiatives must engage customary (adat) communities and respect their rights, knowledge and participation, as highlighted in Indonesia’s updated nationally determined contribution (NDC).
Using Q-methodology to bridge different understandings on community forest management: lessons from the Peruvian Amazon
Community forest management (CFM) is promoted as a strategy to reach multiple development outcomes including the sustainable use of forest resources, forest conservation, poverty alleviation, and social equity through the devolution of rights to forest-dependent communities. Developing effective and equitable strategies to promote CFM requires consensus on its goals and the approaches for reaching those goals. Finding common ground among diverse actors involved in the promotion of CFM can be a challenge when their multifaceted expectations and beliefs are not explicitly enunciated or consciously expressed, obscuring contradictions, conflicting objectives, or even shared agendas. An initial step to reaching consensus would be to clarify the range of perspectives that exist to identify common ground and areas of divergent opinion. We report on an initiative applying Q-methodology as a means of identifying differing perspectives on CFM through interviews with 34 informants representing 6 stakeholder groups involved in the promotion of CFM in the Peruvian Amazon: Indigenous leaders, government policymakers, technicians from non-governmental organizations (NGOs), university professors, forestry students, and representatives of donor agencies. We found four different perspectives on what CFM should do: balance conservation with community rights, encourage capacity and enterprise development, technical oversight to protect forests on behalf of Indigenous communities, and support for grassroots Indigenous autonomy. These perspectives revealed differences in how conservation should be achieved and where balance between technical requirements, Indigenous environmental management, and stewardship practices should be favored. Despite different viewpoints, the perspectives also revealed shared understanding of CFM as a mechanism that could emphasize both supporting community rights and conservation goals. This example illustrates how Q-methodology can generate information on the range of perceptions underlying broad strategies such as the promotion of CFM that can facilitate dialogue around shared pathways and agendas.
Examining support for the rights of Indigenous Peoples and local communities in the context of REDD+ in the Democratic Republic of Congo
Summary
- Safeguards interpretation processes depend on country-specific understandings and implementation of relevant laws and recognized rights, including adherence to international agreements on the rights of Indigenous Peoples and local communities (IPs and LCs) and different political and economic priorities.
- This flyer presents the results of a review of legal documents and interviews with specialists in the Democratic Republic of Congo to understand the level of support for the rights of IPs and LCs in law and policy in the context of REDD+.
- Government and international actors see more inclusive participation in the REDD+ process as a key achievement, yet Indigenous and civil society actors remain skeptical about inclusion in decision making; legislative efforts should strengthen the inclusion of all stakeholders.
- Significant progress on land rights is expected with the recent adoption of the law on the Promotion and Protection of the Rights of the Indigenous Pygmy Peoples and the ongoing land reform process.
- The implementation and monitoring of safeguards for REDD+ and other forest-based initiatives must involve IPs and LCs, respecting their rights, knowledge and participation, as outlined in the DRC’s Nationally Determined Contribution.
Revisiting Baru Pelepat
This chapter by Yuliani et al. begins with a brief description of the Adaptive Collaborative Management process that occurred in the early 2000s in the village of Baru Pelepat in Jambi province, Indonesia – a process facilitated by these authors. After a brief introduction to the community itself, Yuliani et al. launch into a description of the bottom-up process that resulted in local communities getting legal rights to manage a special forest area near their community, an area that had been part of Indonesia’s forest estate. After explaining their methods, they provide the results of a land use land cover change study, which clarifies the condition of that forest, as well as the surrounding countryside, as it has changed over the previous two decades. Building on their long-term involvement in the community, they examine decision-making, inclusivity and conflict management in the community; and then show how important decisions were made, based on ongoing community monitoring. The roles of gender, economics, biodiversity and collective action are further discussed. The chapter concludes with a discussion of the critical role of learning, in both the successes the community experienced and the skills that remain.