Beyond the Traditional: Voluntary Market-Based Initiatives to Promote Land Tenure Security

Abstract

Tropical forests in developing countries are important for the provision of global ecosystem services, but also tend to be characterized by weak formal governance, high dependence on natural resource use, and, hence, rapid depletion of natural resources. Depending on the context, informal institutions may be insufficient as well. Focusing on native forests and the Forest Stewardship Council forest management certification scheme, we examine the role of markets and global supply chains as a mechanism for overcoming institutional failures and legitimizing rights to natural resources by rural communities. We posit that, in the absence of effective local institutions, voluntary certification, under certain conditions, can be a viable mechanism for the fair delineation, monitoring, and enforcement of forest property rights in developing countries.