Governance
Can Legality Verification Rescue Global Forest Governance? Analyzing the Potential of Public and Private Policy Intersection to Ameliorate Forest Challenges in Southeast AsiabackgroundThis review paper looks at the emergence of legality verification of forest timber products and its usefulness in addressing forest degradation. Legality verification, in the context of timber imports as discussed in this paper, is the process of supply chain tracking to ensure that all timber is legally harvested. Available with subscription or purchase |
Explaining Success on the Commons: Community Forest Governance in the Indian HimalayabackgroundThis study describes how a range of causal influences shape forest conditions in diverse ecological and institutional settings in the Indian Himalaya. Open access copy available |
Restauración de Bosques en territorios indígenas de Chiapas: modelos ecológicos y estrategias de acción (Restoration of forests in Indigenous territories of Chiapas: ecological models and action strategies)EspañolAntecedentesLos bosques montanos del sur de México se han fragmentado severamente y su estructura y composición florística se han visto alteradas debido a la agricultura tradicional y al crecimiento demográfico. En extensas áreas de Chiapas, la restauración forestal no solo es una necesidad urgente, sino que también representa una opción viable para la recuperación de productos y servicios que podrían ser utilizados en el futuro de manera sustentable. Open access copy available |
Contextual Analysis of Agroforestry Adoption in the Buffer Zone of Podocarpus National Park, EcuadorBackgroundPromoting sustainable agriculture and community development has been an important strategy both to alleviate resource pressures on Ecuador’s Podocarpus National Park (PNP) and surrounding forested areas in its buffer zone, and to aid local communities. However, many contextual factors drive neighboring rural and agricultural communities to put pressure on PNP and the surrounding landscape. Available with subscription or purchase |
Addressing Forest Degradation and Timber Deficits in GhanabackgroundThis report combines the efforts of several studies to present suggestions for best practices in Ghanaian tree plantation systems in the context of the country’s 1996 Forest Development Master Plan, which aimed to reforest 10,000 hectares per year for 20 years. Both public and private plantation systems are discussed, including the country’s Modified Taungya System (MTS)which encourages small-scale plantations. The report presents information on planting schemes, policies, stakeholders, and worker income. Open access copy available |
Emerging Threats and Opportunities for Large-Scale Ecological Restoration in the Atlantic Forest of BrazilbackgroundThis article presents a policy model known as the Atlantic Forest Restoration Pact (AFRP) and discusses the vital role the Brazilian Forest Act and other legislation has played in preventing deforestation and encouraging reforestation. Available with subscription or purchase |
Forest Management Practices in the Bayano Region of Panama: Cultural VariationsbackgroundThis paper examines differences in forest exploitation between indigenous groups and colonists along an agricultural frontier in Panama and focuses on differences in forest use, economic base, and management practices. Research Goals & MethodsThe author compares total annual income, timber harvest volume and tree planting efforts per household in 5 indigenous villages and 3 colonist villages. Available with subscription or purchase |
What Role Should Government Regulation Play in Ecological Restoration? Ongoing Debate in São Paulo State, BrazilbackgroundThis article addresses the degree of detail that should be present in legislation dealing with reforestation and restoration, and if there is a relationship between technical content/scope of regulation and success of projects. The relationship between law and reforestation is also discussed. In São Paulo state, legislation establishes precise reforestation requirements, such as the use of a minimum of 80 species of native trees and the presence of specific proportions of functional groups. This is the only existing legislation known by the authors with this degree of technical detail. Open access copy available |
Farm Forestry: An Alternative to Government-Driven Reforestation in the PhilippinesBackgroundThis study reviews literature and various case studies about growing trees at the farm level by rural farmers. In the Philippines, millions of dollars have gone to employ people to plant trees as part of reforestation programs while only about 10% of those planted areas are successful. The authors assert that paying people to plant trees is unsustainable and often hindered by the lack of prompt release of funding. Available with subscription or purchase |
Community Based Forest Management in Cambodia and LaosbackgroundThis working document provides a comparison of community-based forest management (CBFM) in Cambodia and Laos. Some foundational factors distinguish the two countries, including governmental structure, population, ethnicities, and terrain. However, in both countries, a majority of the population lives in rural subsistence communities, with livelihoods often strongly dependent on forest use. Open access copy available |
