scholarly journals The REDD+ Readiness Stage in Myanmar: Stakeholder Perspectives in Bago Region and Shan State

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Thi Thi Han
Keyword(s):  
Political Ecology ◽  
Land Tenure ◽  
Financial Incentives ◽  
Central Government ◽  
Meaning Making ◽  
Forest Degradation ◽  
Forest Governance ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
The Government

<p>REDD+ (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation) is a UN initiative, originally introduced in 2005. The initiative seeks to decrease losses to remaining global forests and other carbon stocks by providing financial incentives to various stakeholder groups in developing countries. The initiative has been controversial, with a wide range of different perspectives on the programme and its implications for forest governance and climate change mitigation. Nonetheless, international and local actors are optimistic about REDD+ as a means to reduce carbon emissions. The Government of Myanmar introduced the initiative to the country in 2011. Myanmar is currently in the readiness phase of REDD+ and, because there are issues surrounding its implication for forest governance, this thesis explores how this phase is playing out in the country. The overarching research objective of this thesis is to explore how Myanmar is approaching the readiness phase of REDD+, and how different stakeholders engage with the readiness activities.  This study adopts a post-structuralist political ecology approach for two reasons. Firstly, it enabled a broad and nuanced exploration of political, social, economic and cultural factors that shape readiness activities, and forest management in Myanmar. As Myanmar is democratising and liberalising its economy, the country’s unique political and economic situation provides context on how these factors shape the initial stage of the REDD+ implementation process. Secondly, post-structuralist political ecology examines meaning making and thus sheds light on how individuals perceive the REDD+ initiative in Myanmar.  The findings from 11 semi-structured interviews and participant-observations show that people are optimistic and enthusiastic about REDD+ implementation but perceive and understand the initiative differently. There are many challenges to introducing REDD+ in Myanmar. This study highlights some issues including stakeholders’ awareness, poor coordination among stakeholders – especially between government agencies – and general issues of transparency. One of the central findings that has pervaded all themes discussed is a lack of transparency in relation to governance arrangements, land tenure, and relationships between stakeholders. If REDD+ is to progress successfully beyond the readiness phase in Myanmar, significant changes need to be made by the central government to ensure clear lines of communication and transparency of information.</p>

scholarly journals The REDD+ Readiness Stage in Myanmar: Stakeholder Perspectives in Bago Region and Shan State

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Thi Thi Han
Keyword(s):  
Political Ecology ◽  
Land Tenure ◽  
Financial Incentives ◽  
Central Government ◽  
Meaning Making ◽  
Forest Degradation ◽  
Forest Governance ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
The Government

<p>REDD+ (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation) is a UN initiative, originally introduced in 2005. The initiative seeks to decrease losses to remaining global forests and other carbon stocks by providing financial incentives to various stakeholder groups in developing countries. The initiative has been controversial, with a wide range of different perspectives on the programme and its implications for forest governance and climate change mitigation. Nonetheless, international and local actors are optimistic about REDD+ as a means to reduce carbon emissions. The Government of Myanmar introduced the initiative to the country in 2011. Myanmar is currently in the readiness phase of REDD+ and, because there are issues surrounding its implication for forest governance, this thesis explores how this phase is playing out in the country. The overarching research objective of this thesis is to explore how Myanmar is approaching the readiness phase of REDD+, and how different stakeholders engage with the readiness activities.  This study adopts a post-structuralist political ecology approach for two reasons. Firstly, it enabled a broad and nuanced exploration of political, social, economic and cultural factors that shape readiness activities, and forest management in Myanmar. As Myanmar is democratising and liberalising its economy, the country’s unique political and economic situation provides context on how these factors shape the initial stage of the REDD+ implementation process. Secondly, post-structuralist political ecology examines meaning making and thus sheds light on how individuals perceive the REDD+ initiative in Myanmar.  The findings from 11 semi-structured interviews and participant-observations show that people are optimistic and enthusiastic about REDD+ implementation but perceive and understand the initiative differently. There are many challenges to introducing REDD+ in Myanmar. This study highlights some issues including stakeholders’ awareness, poor coordination among stakeholders – especially between government agencies – and general issues of transparency. One of the central findings that has pervaded all themes discussed is a lack of transparency in relation to governance arrangements, land tenure, and relationships between stakeholders. If REDD+ is to progress successfully beyond the readiness phase in Myanmar, significant changes need to be made by the central government to ensure clear lines of communication and transparency of information.</p>

scholarly journals REDD+ Conflict: Understanding the Pathways between Forest Projects and Social Conflict

Forests ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (6) ◽  
pp. 748
Author(s):  
Rowan Alumasa Alusiola ◽  
Janpeter Schilling ◽  
Paul Klär
Keyword(s):  
Political Ecology ◽  
Land Tenure ◽  
Forest Degradation ◽  
Local Communities ◽  
Forest Governance ◽  
Community Members ◽  
Research Gap ◽  
New Forest ◽  
Key Events ◽  
And Control

A growing body of literature analyses the conflict implications of REDD+ (Reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation in developing countries). However, the way these conflicts unfold is little understood. We address this research gap through the following question: What are the pathways that connect REDD+ projects and conflicts between local communities and other actors? We review 242 scientific articles, selecting eight that allow us to trace how the conflict pathways unfolded. We draw on a political ecology perspective and conceptualize ‘conflict pathway’ as an interaction of key events and drivers leading to conflict. We find six main conflict drivers: (1) injustices and restrictions over (full) access and control of forest resources; (2) creation of new forest governance structures that change relationships between stakeholders and the forest; (3) exclusion of community members from comprehensive project participation; (4) high project expectations that are not met; (5) changes in land tenure policy due to migrants, and (6) the aggravation of historic land tenure conflicts. Evictions from forests, acts of violence, and lawsuits are among the events contributing to the conflict pathways. To prevent them, the rights, livelihoods, and benefits of local communities need to be placed at the centre of the REDD+ projects.

scholarly journals Is REDD+ Redefining Forest Governance in Nepal?

2013 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 74-87 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dil B Khatri
Keyword(s):  
Institutional Design ◽  
Forest Degradation ◽  
Civil Society Organizations ◽  
Forest Governance ◽  
Theoretical Frameworks ◽  
Policy Debates ◽  
Funding Mechanisms ◽  
The Government ◽  
Institutional Linkages ◽  
Institutional Architecture

In this paper, I argue that the Reducing Emission from Deforestation and Forest Degradation and enhancing forest carbon stocks in developing countries (REDD)+ readiness process in Nepal has reconfigured forest governance in subtle ways and posed risks of its recentralization. Powerful actors, especially the government, consultants and donor entities, have influenced the REDD+ process and policy debates, and have jointly marginalized local communities and civil society organizations (CSOs). This paper reveals that Nepal’s REDD+ architecture is primarily shaped by imperatives and ambiguities in the international negotiations and funding mechanisms. Building on the theoretical frameworks of institutional interplay, cross-scale institutional linkages, and institutional design, this paper analyses how interplay and interactions of national institutions and stakeholders influence the REDD+ readiness process, its emerging institutional architecture, and decentralized forest governance. The analysis has been informed by evidence from the author's own research and engagement in REDD+ policy processes in Nepal. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/jfl.v10i1.8602   Journal of Forestry and Livelihood Vol.10(1) 2012 74-87

Guardians of the Forests: How Should an Indigenous Community in Eastern Bolivia Defend Their Land and Forests under Increasing Political and Economic Pressures?

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-14
Author(s):  
Yifan He ◽  
Juan Pablo Baldiviezo ◽  
Arun Agrawal ◽  
Vicente Candaguira ◽  
Ivette Perfecto
Keyword(s):  
Forest Management ◽  
Latin American ◽  
Land Tenure ◽  
Indigenous Communities ◽  
Indigenous Community ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Agricultural Commodity ◽  
Governance Capacity ◽  
The Government

Many indigenous communities across Latin America depend on forests for livelihood. In eastern Bolivia, indigenous communities face increasing challenges in forest management due to insecure land tenure, lack of capacity, and state policies that favor extractivism and export-oriented agriculture. This case study examines the dilemma of forest management in the Guarayos Indigenous Territory, with a particular focus on the influence of conflictive policies under Evo Morales administration. Using a combination of literature reviews, semi-structured interviews, and land use/land cover analysis, we investigated the drivers behind the challenges that the Guarayos indigenous community is facing in the forest and land governance and explore potential solutions. We found that deforestation within the Guarayos Indigenous Territory from 2000 to 2017 was primarily driven by agricultural commodity production. Despite its promises on protecting nature and the indigenous peoples, the government weakened the Guarayos indigenous people’s governance capacity through failure of forest law enforcement, prioritization of extractivism and export-oriented agriculture, and support for land titling of external entities. We presented these findings through a case narrative featuring the president of Guarayos indigenous government as the decision-maker. This case study provides an illustrative example of the challenges and management strategies in indigenous land and forest governance in the Latin American context. A Spanish version of this case study is available at https://www.learngala.com/cases/bolivia-forests-esp.

scholarly journals Extent of Utilization of Various Government Tribal Development Schemes by Primitive Tribes Living in Biodiversity Zone of Nilgiri District in Tamil Nadu

2021 ◽  
pp. 250-258
Author(s):  
Foumy N. Rafeeq ◽  
R. Rajasekaran
Keyword(s):  
State Government ◽  
Tamil Nadu ◽  
Cultural Landscapes ◽  
Central Government ◽  
Biosphere Reserve ◽  
Structured Interview ◽  
Natural Ecosystems ◽  
Large Area ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
The Government

Biodiversity hotspots have set up to protect at least 10 per cent of world's ecological regions in order to conserve biodiversity and safeguard many facilities provided by natural ecosystems. Biosphere Reserves are representative areas of natural and cultural landscapes that span a large area of agricultural, marine, or coastal ecosystems, or a combination of them, as well as representative bio-geographic domains or kingdoms. The Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve has richness and diversity, to protect it, the district has been declared as “Organic district” on July 2019. It is also the home to a wide range of human cultural diversity and especially the primitive and vulnerable tribes live in these areas. They are the designated tribal settlers identified by the government and these have their own religious believes, culture and traditions which is extremely different from others customs. They are called as "Adivasi" or "Aboriginals". So as to improve their life style and lead a better life like others, central government along with state government had bought several development schemes and plans under Ministry of tribal affairs. The Tribal Development Plan (TDP) was developed to proactively solve tribal issues and provide culturally compatible solutions, specifically considering indigenous people. The main objective of this study is the adoption level of government tribal development schemes and plans among the primitive tribes living in the biodiversity zone of Nilgiri biosphere. Thus the vulnerable and primitive tribal societies of like Toda, Kota, Kurumba, Paniya, Kattu naickan and Irular of Nilgiri district have been chosen for the investigation with the sample size of 120, in which 20 from each tribes have been chosen. Pre-tested and well-structured interview schedule have been made and thereby undergone survey. Thus it provided an overall picture about the level of adoption about various government tribal development schemes for their betterment and upliftment in among Nilgiri tribes.

scholarly journals Accessing nature: The battle of the Hurunui River

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Amanda Thomas
Keyword(s):  
Political Ecology ◽  
Central Government ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Diverse Range ◽  
Feminist Political Ecology ◽  
Political Processes ◽  
Management Regime ◽  
Freshwater Bodies ◽  
Appointed Officials

<p>People understand their relationship, and that of broader society, with nature in a diverse range of ways. Yet the expression of such diversity is often constrained in decision making processes, and in western contexts, neoliberalised understandings of nature are often privileged. Feminist political ecology provides a nuanced approach to exploring how meanings of nature are made and remade, and how some meanings come to be dominant. An emergent body of political ecology has begun to draw on radical democratic theory to shed light on how this privilege is created and perpetuated in political processes in ways that channel certain outcomes. In extending this engagement between theories, this research explores how different understandings of nature compete in formal and informal political spaces through the case study of a new water management regime. For more than a decade, debate has raged about whether or not to dam the Hurunui River for irrigation. Such debate about the future of freshwater bodies has characterised politics in the Canterbury region through which the Hurunui flows. Canterbury has seen rapid agricultural intensification that has been enabled by the enclosure of freshwater. However, enclosure has been contested, and this contestation came to a head when, in early 2010, the national government intervened and dramatically reregulated freshwater in the region; elections for the regional council were suspended, access to judicial reconsideration of decisions about the environment were severely narrowed, and processes underway to protect freshwater bodies were interrupted. Promising better environmental democracy, central government, and the appointed officials replacing the elected councillors, endorsed a new freshwater management initiative based on devolved collaboration and consensus building. In response to conflict over the Hurunui River, the catchment was the first area in which this initiative was tested, a process that became the case study for this project. Through a feminist poststructural approach, I conducted and analysed 42 semi-structured interviews with those involved with Hurunui politics, and was a participant observer at 12 meetings of the new collaborative committee for the catchment. I argue that there were multiple processes that worked to channel particular understandings of nature, and facilitate the enclosure of freshwater for economic advantage. This channelling occurred in three key ways. Firstly, reregulation in Canterbury removed many democratic rights, limiting opportunities for participation in water politics. Secondly, the devolved collaborative and consensus based water committee was constrained by targets and discourses that determined that more water needed to be enclosed to serve a neoliberal growth agenda. Thirdly, community was privileged as a scale of democracy. As a result, narrow constructions of community belonging and performance remained unexplored, and these constructions inhibited public debate and limited possibilities to articulate and explore difference. I argue that such everyday experiences of power and constrained agency constitute an important dynamic of nature politics. There were, however, hopeful aspects of the new regime. An emphasis on dialogue led to transformative social learning, particularly about Ngāi Tahu, the Māori iwi (tribe) with traditional authority over the region, and the ways the iwi negotiated and enacted a relational ethics with the river. This study argues that considerations of power must be at the forefront of democratic design and uneven power relations need to be engaged with in such a way that multiple understandings of nature and society can be articulated and seen to be legitimate. Such an approach provides possibilities for political space in which to reimagine environmental futures and contest the dominance of neoliberal natures.</p>

Reforming the government budgeting system in Malta

2019 ◽  
Vol 31 (4) ◽  
pp. 518-538 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lauren Ellul ◽  
Ron Hodges
Keyword(s):  
Central Government ◽  
Civil Servants ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Documentary Sources ◽  
Economic Forces ◽  
The Government ◽  
Using Data

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to analyse the pre-adoption phase of budgetary reform. Perspectives on the introduction and use of performance information in budgeting are obtained through interviews with current and former senior politicians and civil servants in Malta. Institutional theories are used to analyse the pressures that are perceived as promoting or inhibiting reforms. Design/methodology/approach The research followed a qualitative approach, using data gathered from documentary sources and empirical evidence collected from semi-structured interviews. Documentary sources were used to provide knowledge, obtaining an understanding of budgeting processes in the Maltese central government. Two categories of interviewee are identified in the analysis: political interviewees, consisting of 7 politicians; and administrative interviewees consisting of 13 senior civil servants. Findings The authors find that the current line-item budgeting system is deeply embedded into government practices. Malta’s membership of the European Union and its adoption of the Euro support coercive pressures for reductions in fiscal deficits. Normative pressures appear to be significant and may have a longer-term impact in promoting budgeting reform. Originality/value This paper contributes to existing performance-based budgeting literature by studying the pre-adoption phase which has rarely been the focus of previous studies. The study delves into the interaction between institutional and economic forces, an aspect which has been inadequately studied. The access to current and former Prime Ministers and other Ministers of State in this study is unusual. As such, the researchers have been able to obtain the perceptions of political decision makers in a way that might be more difficult to do in larger countries.

scholarly journals Forest Moratorium Policy, Deforestation and Forest Degradation in Papua Province

2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 7
Author(s):  
R Aditya Yudhanegara
Keyword(s):  
Local Government ◽  
Policy Implementation ◽  
Degradation Rate ◽  
Central Government ◽  
Average Rate ◽  
Monitoring And Evaluation ◽  
Forest Degradation ◽  
Steady Rate ◽  
The Republic ◽  
The Government

On May 20, 2011, the government of the Republic of Indonesia enacted Presidential Instruction (Inpres) number 10 of 2011 as the start of the forest moratorium policy. This policy aimed to reduce the rate of deforestation and forest degradation through a moratorium on the issuance of new permits. However, the effectiveness of this policy in achieving these goals is still being debated. This study shows that the forest moratorium policy has successfully reduced the extent of the concession area, as well as the average deforestation and forest degradation rate in Papua Province. However, the concession extent was not directly proportional to the rate of deforestation and forest degradation in the concession area, and the decline of the average rate of deforestation and forest degradation was not accompanied by a steady rate during the enactment of the policy. This study also reveals that policy implementation at the provincial level was hampered by the communication factor, the resources factor, and the disposition factor. We recommend that, besides limiting the concession area, the government should improve the licensing governance by strengthening the monitoring and evaluation, as well as the mechanism of business-work-plan approval. Also, the central government should improve coordination with the local government to overcome factors hampering the implementation of the moratorium policy.

scholarly journals Climate change and forest governance: towards a sustainable forest management of the half mile forest strip and adjacent communities in Kilimanjaro Region, Tanzania

2018 ◽  
pp. 114-125
Author(s):  
Edina Augustino ◽  
Gileard Minja
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Sustainable Forest Management ◽  
Group Discussion ◽  
Climate Change Impacts ◽  
Forest Degradation ◽  
Forest Governance ◽  
Forest Sector ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Kilimanjaro Region ◽  
Impacts Of Climate Change

The study focused on the influence of climate change on forest governance at the Half Mile Forest Strip (HMFS) and adjacent villages in the Kilimanjaro region, Tanzania. Specifically, the study identified the impacts of climate change on the HMFS and adjacent communities, and examined the people's perceptions on climate change in relation to forest governance. Further, the study examined the role of local institutions on forest governance and climate change resilience and adaptation strategies with associated policy interventions. The study adopted a mixed research designs whereby both qualitative and quantitative data were collected through different methods such as direct field observation, using semi-structured interviews, household surveys and focus group discussion. Data were analyzed using statistical package for social sciences (SPSS) software and excel programs. Findings revealed that climate change has affected the forest ecosystems, agriculture and water resources in the adjacent villages. Using the Pearson's product moment correlation coefficient, it was revealed that there was a negative correlation between the impacts of climate change and the current forest condition. Forest governance was perceived as a control mechanism for forest degradation whereby restrictions on the use of forest resource, afforestation, and reforestation were undertaken as measures to mitigate climate change impacts and build resilience in the forest sector and to adjacent communities.

scholarly journals Perceptions, Attitudes and Behaviour around Climate Change Risks on Livelihood Activities: A Case Study of a Community in Takeo Province, Cambodia

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Ratanakvisal Chean
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Rural Communities ◽  
Participant Observation ◽  
Current Theory ◽  
Adaptation Strategies ◽  
Mitigation Strategies ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Climate Change Risks ◽  
The Government

<p>This thesis investigates the Takeo community’s perception of climate change risks and their response strategies. It examines risks occurring in the regions and their impacts on the community. The thesis also explores how the perception of risks frames the community’s adaptation and mitigation strategies as well as how those perceptions influence climate change policies. This research draws on a range of risk perception theories. Employing a qualitative approach, this study uses semi-structured interviews, document analysis and participant observation as its research methods. Interviews were conducted individually with agricultural practitioners, mothers, community leaders, a local government officer and a government official from the Ministry of Environment.   The thesis found that the Takeo’s community has a good perception of the issue and its impacts on their community. Droughts are the major concern for the majority of respondents, because these have become more severe and have the most direct impact on farmers’ lives, livelihoods and food security. The study reflects the view maintained by past and current theory, that individual perceptions of risks vary, and the perception of risk is influenced by media and peers. This study adds that farmers’ direct experience of climate change affects their consideration of such risks as an issue of great personal concern.   Perception of climate change influences the community’s responses. Farmers employ a wide range of adaptation strategies such as increasing water storage and improving agricultural techniques. However, adaptation approaches are not enough to provide a long-term solution to the fast changing climate, because the community has limited knowledge of adaptation strategies, resources, and limited support from the government. The community, thus, needs to improve its water management by building more dams and sufficient irrigation that can store enough water for consumption and agriculture in the prolonged dry season. The government should provide more support and services to poor rural communities that rely on agriculture.</p>

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