Published Date March 2016, Vol.64:46–55,doi:10.1016/j.forpol.2016.01.001 Author
Rodrigue Castro Gbedomon a,,
Anne Floquet b,
Roch Mongbo b,
Valère Kolawolé Salako a,
Adandé Belarmain Fandohan c,d,
Achille Ephrem Assogbadjo e,a,
Romain Glèlè Kakaї a,
aLaboratoire de Biomathématiques et d’Estimations Forestières (LABEF), Université d’Abomey-Calavi, 04 BP 1525, Cotonou, Benin
bLaboratoire d’Analyse des Dynamiques Sociales et du Développement (LADYD), Université d’Abomey-Calavi, 02 BP 778 Gbégamey, Cotonou, Benin
cUnité de Foresterie, Agroforesterie et Biogéographie, Ecole de Foresterie et Ingénierie du Bois, Université d'Agriculture de Kétou, BP 43, Kétou, Benin
dAbteilung für Biometrie und Umweltsystemanalyse, Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg, Tennenbacher Str. 4 Freiburg, 79085, Freiburg, Deutschland
eLaboratoire d’Ecologie Appliquée, Université d’Abomey-Calavi, 01 BP 526 Cotonou, Benin
Received 18 June 2015. Revised 1 January 2016. Accepted 4 January 2016. Available online 1 February 2016.
Highlights
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Forest property rights are positively correlated to livelihood of forest dependent communities
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There is also a positive relationship between forest property rights and forest conditions
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Positive ecological outcome is to be related to economic one.
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Without State, technical and financial support could be successfully provided by as NGO
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Dependence upon NGO is a major constraint to the sustainability of the approach
Abstract
Community forestry, promoted as a “win–win” forest management strategy yielded a variety of results that includes both failure and relative success. The willingness of government to hold control over forest resources while transferring only part of property rights to local communities is one of the major constraints. Therefore, there is a need to explore alternative approaches, which enhance the position and accountability of local communities in community forest management. This study evaluated socio-economic and ecological outcomes of community forestry in a context of important property rights conceded to local communities. The study was conducted using focus groups discussions, forest income evaluation and assessment of forest resources and their dynamics. Findings showed that institutional design with important property rights conceded to local communities partially empowered local communities and reduced threats while improving the condition of forest resources. The approach also yielded positive economic outcomes that enabled bordering populations to make up to 25% of their global annual income from the forest. However, the sustainability of this scheme of forest management was mostly limited by the financial dependency on local non-governmental organization, by local institutions and discrepancy in forest benefits sharing among local forest users.
Published Date August 2016, Vol.149:288–296,doi:10.1016/j.envres.2016.01.024
Author
Goro Mouri a,,
Katsuhiro Nakano b
Ikutaro Tsuyama c
Nobuyuki Tanaka c
aEarth Observation Data Integration & Fusion Research Initiative (EDITORIA), The University of Tokyo, Be505, 4-6-1 Komaba, Meguro-ku, Tokyo 153-8505, Japan
bDepartment of Plant Ecology, Forestry and Forest Products Research Institute, Matsunosato 1, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8687, Japan
cHokkaido Research Centre, Forestry and Forest Products Research Institute, 7 Hitsujigaoka, Toyohira-ku, Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan
Received 26 February 2015. Revised 7 January 2016. Accepted 18 January 2016. Available online 3 February 2016.
Abstract
Forest disturbance (or land-cover change) and climatic variability are commonly recognised as two major drivers interactively influencing hydrology in forested watersheds. Future climate changes and corresponding changes in forest type and distribution are expected to generate changes in rainfall runoff that pose a threat to river catchments. It is therefore important to understand how future climate changes will effect average rainfall distribution and temperature and what effect this will have upon forest types across Japan. Recent deforestation of the present-day coniferous forest and expected increases in evergreen forest are shown to influence runoff processes and, therefore, to influence future runoff conditions. We strongly recommend that variations in forest type be considered in future plans to ameliorate projected climate changes. This will help to improve water retention and storage capacities, enhance the flood protection function of forests, and improve human health. We qualitatively assessed future changes in runoff including the effects of variation in forest type across Japan. Four general circulation models (GCMs) were selected from the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 5 (CMIP5) ensemble to provide the driving fields: the Model for Interdisciplinary Research on Climate (MIROC), the Meteorological Research Institute Atmospheric General Circulation Model (MRI-GCM), the Hadley Centre Global Environment Model (HadGEM), and the Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory (GFDL) climate model. The simulations consisted of an ensemble including multiple physics configurations and different reference concentration pathways (RCP2.6, 4.5, and 8.5), the results of which have produced monthly data sets for the whole of Japan. The impacts of future climate changes on forest type in Japan are based on the balance amongst changes in rainfall distribution, temperature and hydrological factors. Methods for assessing the impact of such changes include the Catchment Simulator modelling frameworks based on the Minimal Advanced Treatments of Surface Interaction and Runoff (MATSIRO) model, which was expanded to estimate discharge by incorporating the effects of forest-type transition across the whole of Japan. The results indicated that, by the 2090s, annual runoff will increase above present-day values. Increases in annual variation in runoff by the 2090s was predicted to be around 14.1% when using the MRI-GCM data and 44.4% when using the HadGEM data. Analysis by long-term projection showed the largest increases in runoff in the 2090s were related to the type of forest, such as evergreen. Increased runoff can have negative effects on both society and the environment, including increased flooding events, worsened water quality, habitat destruction and changes to the forest moisture-retaining function. Prediction of the impacts of future climate change on water generation is crucial for effective environmental planning and management.
Published Date August 2008, Vol.18(3):468–478,doi:10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2008.04.006
Globalisation and Environmental Governance: Is Another World Possible?
Author
Preet Pal Singh,
Indian Forest Service (IFS), Government of India, Poonch Forest Division, Forest Complex, Poonch City, Poonch, Jammu and Kashmir 185101, India
Received 11 March 2005. Revised 12 March 2008. Accepted 1 April 2008. Available online 15 July 2008.
Abstract
Emissions from deforestation are significant and account for more than 18% of global annual anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions. With the Bali Action Plan categorically placing reduced emissions from degradation and deforestation (REDD) activities on the agenda of future climate change negotiations, there is now a strong possibility that policy approaches and incentives relating to enhancement of carbon stocks in low biomass forests will be successfully negotiated and accepted as a legitimate greenhouse gas mitigation option in the upcoming post-2012 climate change regime. Using the institutional mechanisms provided by community-based forest management (CBFM), 833.8 Tg carbon can be sequestered by enhancement of forest carbon stocks in low biomass Indian forests. By protection refugia, restoring biodiversity, providing connectivity, mimicking nature in plantations and controlling man-made fires, CBFM as practiced in India can be an effective way of managing forests during times of climate change. Appropriately designed CBFM policy can provide means to sustain and strengthen community livelihoods and at the same time avoid deforestation, restore forest cover and density, provide carbon mitigation and create rural assets. Channeling carbon investment funds into CBFM projects can make both development and conservation economically viable and attractive for the local communities to maintain biodiversity and integrity of nature. However, before actual funding under the Clean Development Mechanism and other international C investment funds is available, policy approaches and positive incentives on issues relating to REDD need to be negotiated and agreed upon by the participating nations to UNFCCC.
Published Dat March 2006, Vol.8(2):206–216, doi:10.1016/j.forpol.2004.08.001 Author
Michel K. Masozera
Janaki R.R. Alavalapati
Susan K. Jacobson
Ram K. Shrestha
Abstract
This study assesses the perceptions of representatives from three stakeholder groups—local communities, a government agency, and an environmental organization—towards the suitability of community-based management (CBM) approach to the Nyungwe Forest Reserve (NFR), Rwanda. A strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) technique in combination with an analytic hierarchy process (AHP) was used to achieve the task. Results show that representatives of local communities perceive positive aspects of CBM outweigh its negative aspects. However, representatives of a government agency and a nongovernmental organization anticipate that weaknesses associated with CBM approach outweigh its strengths. Our analyses show that stakeholder groups view CBM differently, suggesting a need for better understanding about this approach. Implementation of CBM in small scales first along with outreach activities might bring stakeholders together and will ensure conservation and rural community stability.
