The effectiveness of decentralisation reforms in the Philippines’s forestry sector

Published Date
November 2008, Vol.39(6):2122–2131, doi:10.1016/j.geoforum.2008.07.003

Placing Splintering Urbanism

Author 

• Kulbhushan Balooni ^a,,
 
• Juan M. Pulhin ^b
 
• Makoto Inoue ^c

• aIndian Institute of Management Kozhikode, IIMK Campus PO, Kozhikode 673 570, Kerala, India
• bCollege of Forestry and Natural Resources, University of the Philippines Los Banos, College, Laguna 4031, Philippines
• cGraduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, 1-1-1 Yayaoi, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8657, Japan

Received 18 October 2006. Revised 20 July 2008. Available online 30 August 2008.

Abstract

Decentralisation reforms and political conditions in the Philippines present an ideal environment for forest management by recognising the land entitlements of upland and indigenous communities and promoting the involvement of local government units. By assessing whether current conditions – policies, institutions, and programmes – are conducive to effective decentralisation, this study examines the present state of decentralisation in the forestry sector of the Philippines. By analysing case studies conducted in Nueva Vizcaya Province, it also attempts to answer a broader question: when is decentralisation a success and when is it a failure? A number of uncertainties are revealed, along with various issues that hamper decentralisation, and that are interrelated and reinforce one another in much the same way as they have done over the past decade. The study highlights the need for caution when increasing the involvement of government at different levels, as it affects the pace of decentralisation reforms. It also shows that a mix of site-specific interventions and community endeavours that focus on securing local livelihoods has led to some success. This is a strategy that helps decentralisation reforms.

Keywords

Community-based forest management

Decentralised forest management

Local government units

Local livelihoods

People’s organisations

The Philippines

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Fig. 1.

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  Corresponding author.
  
  

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