Rights to large areas of forest have been granted to communities and indigenous peoples in Latin America, offering these groups an opportunity to participate in REDD+ initiatives. However, tenure is not always secure, and security of tenure alone is insufficient to guarantee positive outcomes for both forests and livelihoods. The question of carbon tenure rights has only just begun to be addressed, and even less attention has been given to liabilities. REDD+ initiatives provide an opportunity to consolidate indigenous territories but present a risk to those without secure land rights. REDD+ initiatives should be informed by a clear understanding of the successes and failures of community forest management. REDD+ initiatives should recognise local diversity and not impose blueprints.
Tag: deforestation
Recognising community rights: the potential and challenges of forest tenure reform
What constitutes a useful measure of protected area effectiveness? A case study of management inputs and protected area impacts in Madagascar
Protected areas are one of the key tools for conserving biodiversity and recent studies have highlighted the positive impact they can have in avoiding habitat conversion. However, the relationship to management actions on the ground is far less studied and we currently do not know which management actions are the most crucial for success. To investigate this, we studied the effectiveness of the protected area network of Madagascar. We estimated the impact of individual protected areas in avoiding deforestation, accounting for confounding factors (elevation, slope, distance to urban centers and infrastructure, and distance to forest edge). We then investigated whether Protected Area Management Effectiveness scores, and their different facets, explained the variation observed. We found that the majority of the analyzed protected areas in Madagascar do reduce deforestation. Protected areas with higher management scores did not perform better in terms of avoiding deforestation. We discuss potential explanations for these results, and how they might influence the validity of current methods for estimating different facets of protected area effectiveness under different deforestation scenarios.
Public policies to reduce inappropriate tropical deforestation
This paper explains the ways in which, and the extent to which, public policy measures might be used to reduce inappropriate tropical deforestation.Inappropriate deforestation is a signifanct problem: 1. deforestation generally causes negative externalities that generate cost to society not reflected in exixting prices and has long term consequences that individual producers rarely consider. 2. The relativie importance of the negative externalities tends to grow over time if an increasing proportion of deforestation occurs in areas that have only marginal value for agriculture but that sequester large amount of carbon, have fragile soils, or are high in biodiversity. The process of deforestation must be analysed at two levels: agents and causes. How certain causes can be manipulated to influence the behaviour of agents, so as to lessen the rate of inappropriate deforestation is discussed.
Analysis of the drivers of deforestation and degradation in Sabah
This chapter analyzes the drivers, patterns, and impacts of deforestation and forest degradation in Sabah, Malaysia. It identifies major direct causes such as logging, agricultural expansion (especially oil palm), infrastructure development, and forest fires, as well as underlying drivers including economic development, governance structures, and global market forces. The chapter highlights how land-use change has transformed Sabah’s forest landscapes, producing both economic benefits and significant environmental and social costs, including biodiversity loss, greenhouse gas emissions, and threats to local livelihoods. It also reviews mitigation strategies such as sustainable forest management, forest certification, REDD+, and multi-stakeholder partnerships, emphasizing the need for integrated, equitable, and evidence-based forest governance.
Forest and climate change in Malaysia – An overview
This chapter provides a comprehensive overview of forest and climate change dynamics in Malaysia, with particular focus on Sabah and Sarawak. It examines historical and recent trends in forest cover, highlighting the impacts of agricultural expansion, logging, and infrastructure development on deforestation and forest degradation. The chapter outlines Malaysia’s forest governance system, emphasizing decentralized state-level authority and the implementation of sustainable forest management (SFM) policies. It also reviews national and subnational climate change strategies, including REDD+, forest monitoring systems, and carbon mitigation commitments. While Malaysia retains significant forest cover, the chapter underscores ongoing challenges in governance coordination, Indigenous rights, and balancing development with conservation.
The political economy of deforestation and degradation in Sabah – The processes behind the drivers
This chapter examines the political economy underlying deforestation and forest degradation in Sabah, Malaysia. It analyzes how historical legacies, development policies, political dynamics, and global market forces interact to shape forest use and governance. The chapter highlights the role of logging regimes, agricultural expansion, patronage networks, and economic globalization in driving forest loss, while also exploring how policy reforms such as sustainable forest management have shifted practices over time. It emphasizes that deforestation is not only an environmental issue but also a product of complex political, economic, and institutional processes that require integrated, equitable, and long-term governance solutions.
Governance of forest and land use in Sabah – Effectiveness, efficiency, and equity
This chapter assesses forest and land-use governance in Sabah, Malaysia, through the lenses of effectiveness, efficiency, and equity. It examines how policies such as sustainable forest management (SFM), REDD+, certification schemes, and conservation initiatives have contributed to reducing deforestation and supporting climate mitigation. While a comprehensive legal and institutional framework exists, implementation outcomes are mixed due to economic pressures, political dynamics, and competing development priorities. The chapter highlights persistent challenges, including weak coordination, high implementation costs, and inequitable land tenure systems that marginalize Indigenous communities. It concludes that achieving sustainable and just forest governance requires stronger policy coherence, inclusive participation, and recognition of customary rights.
Forest Governance and Social Forestry in Sabah, Malaysia: Context, actors and institutions
This book presents an overview on the context affecting forest and climate change policies in Sabah with special emphasis on sustainable forest management and social forestry. Written by a team of academics, university and CSO researchers and local government practitioners, it adds to understanding the complexity of forest and land use governance in Sabah, Malaysia specifically. The different chapters discuss how forest governance and climate change policies are structured, deforestation and forest degradation in Sabah and the involvement of local and indigenous peoples in managing land and forest. The final chapter provides a reflection and concludes on how effective, efficient and equitable the governance of forest and land use in Sabah has been.
Policy options related to roads in tropical forests
Economic theory and empirical evidence suggest that building or improving roads near forests encourage forest clearing for land speculation, agriculture and other activities. Policies used to mitigate the dangers of forest road projects have failed in many countries. Practically all countries now require environmental impact assessments for large road projects near forests but these are often of poor quality and lead to a few protective measures. On the other hand, it is neither feasible nor desirable to prohibit all new road projects near tropical forests as for many rural people who live near forests improving their access to markets and services is among their greatest aspirations and highest priorities. The paper provides a possible set of appropriate policy recommendations related to roads in tropical forests. These are: (1) avoid road construction projects where costs do not justify the economic benefits; (2) include cost recovery provisions in road projects; (3) focus road investments in areas that already have substantial population and/or high quality soils; (4) establish performance bonds for forest concessions which companies will forfeit if farmers encroach on concession lands; (5) respect the territorial rights of indigenous people; and (6) open project documents to public scrutiny.