Multi-level governance of forest resources (Editorial to the special feature)

Mwangi, Esther; Wardell, Andrew

doi:10.18352/bmgn-lchr.374

Cited by 17 publications

(19 citation statements)

References 28 publications

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“…Furthermore, increasing numbers and heterogeneity of actors holding different bundles of rights and powers, may exaggerate problems of excludability and subtractability characteristic of common pool resource management dilemmas (Mwangi and Wardell 2012). Growing attention to polycentric schemes in the commons literature may better capture these dynamics in situations featuring multiple levels of governance but also multiple centers of power (Andersson and Ostrom 2008).…”

Section: Conceptual Framework: Polycentric Governancementioning

confidence: 99%

Conflict or synergy? Understanding interaction between municipalities and village commons (regole) in polycentric governance of mountain areas in the Veneto Region, Italy

et al. 2016

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A particular challenge for mountainous areas in Italy is the definition of suitable governance models for local resources. Several solutions have been proposed over time, resulting in the co-existence of a number of decision-making centers. A crucial role is played by municipalities, but, in recent years, village commons -regola (singular) / regole (plural) in the local language -have been re-constituted as institutions with local power. In this dynamic context, little is known on how municipalities and regole interact. This paper aims at improving the understanding of local governance of mountain areas in the Veneto Region, from the viewpoint of municipalities, which represent the political, legal and administrative authority. The analysis is grounded in the polycentric governance literature, especially crucial in drawing attention to level and extent of cooperation, trustworthiness, mutual learning and effort for adaptation. Tensions, conflicts and conflict-resolution mechanisms were also assessed. We carried out a survey of 14 municipalities containing regole within their administrative jurisdictions. The results of our work provide evidence that this relationship is mostly a synergistic one. Municipalities showed adaptive capacity in mirroring values and views of the regole and proved willing to share responsibilities. Their decisions were formulated whilst taking into account the need for creating the appropriate linkages with local communities. Where conflicts or discontent have emerged, they have been mostly resolved, or considered as reflecting a need for greater coordination. This outcome can be looked upon as a local polycentric governance innovation that so far has only partially received policy support at the regional level. We conclude that municipalities will continue to play a central role in regulation of local-level socio-economic dynamics, remaining the institutional reference point for mountainous areas in the Veneto Region.Keywords: Commons, common property, municipality, polycentric governance, forest management Acknowledgement: This paper was prepared thanks to the funds provided by the UE 7th FP INTEGRAL project "Future-oriented integrated management of European forest landscapes" -Grant Agreement no. 282887. We would further like to acknowledge the contributions of two anonymous reviewers.

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Section: Conceptual Framework: Polycentric Governancementioning

confidence: 99%

Conflict or synergy? Understanding interaction between municipalities and village commons (regole) in polycentric governance of mountain areas in the Veneto Region, Italy

et al. 2016

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“…A second related literature has focused on 'cross-scale' and 'multi-level' governance, providing useful insights on the role of governance at scales above the local, including the regional, national and international (see e.g. Armitage 2008;Brondizio et al 2009;García López 2012;Mwangi and Wardell 2012;Gruby and Basurto 2014).…”

Section: Theorymentioning

confidence: 99%

Evaluating the utility of common-pool resource theory for understanding forest governance and outcomes in Indonesia between 1965 and 2012

Fleischman¹,

Loken²,

García-López³

et al. 2014

Int J Commons

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While Common Pool Resource (CPR) theory has been widely applied to forestry, there are few examples of using the theory to study largescale governance. In this paper we test the applicability of CPR theory to understanding forest governance and outcomes in Indonesia between 1965 and 2012. Indonesia contains one of the world's largest tropical forests, and experienced rapid deforestation during this time frame, with forest cover dropping from close to 85% to less than 50%. Using a mixture of within case comparison and process tracing methods, we identify key variables that influenced the levels of deforestation during two time periods: before 1998, when governance was dominated by the dictatorship of President Suharto, Evaluating the utility of common-pool resource theory 305 and after 1998, when democratic governance and political decentralization were initiated, and deforestation rates fell and then rose again. Our results point to the value of CPR theory in identifying important variables that influence sustainability at large scales, however they also illustrate important limitations of CPR theory for the study of forests with large spatial extent and large numbers of users. The presence and absence of key variables from CPR theory did emerge as important causes of deforestation. However, some variables, such as strong leadership and local rule-making, appeared to work in the opposite direction as predicted by CPR theory. In addition, key variables that may have influenced deforestation rates are not well captured in CPR theory. These include the intention of the governance system, the presence of clientelistic politics, the influences of international politics and markets, and the influence of top-down governance. Given that CPR theory does not fully explain the case at hand, its applicability, as is, to large-scale commons should be treated with some caution.

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“…The linkages between forest users and local governments are important for ensuring both democratic accountability and the continuity of REDD+ activities through the institutions of elected local governments (Mwangi and Wardell 2012). At the same time, the small scale operations of a large number of forest-dependent groups and local governments beg a number of obvious questions: how will these smaller units deliberate with one another and aggregate their forest emissions?…”

Section: Nested Governance For Effective Redd+: Institutional and Polmentioning

confidence: 99%

Nested governance for effective REDD+: Institutional and political arguments

Kashwan

Holahan

2014

Int J Commons

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Abstract:Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation and Forest Enhancement (REDD+) has become a central focus of global climate change mitigation efforts. Even though the international demand for forest-based carbon sequestration is the key driver of REDD+, forest protection strategies must be implemented on the ground. This cross-scale nature of REDD+ explains why scholars and policy makers increasingly favor nested governance arrangements over either fully centralized or fully decentralized REDD+ governance. The focus of the literature on nested REDD+ governance has mostly been on monitoring, reporting, and verification of carbon emission reductions across sub-national, national, and international levels. We build on Ostrom's principle of 'nested enterprises' to argue that REDD+ must be designed to systematically and formally link national policy reforms with the organization and execution of sub-national (regional and local) forest conservation efforts led by forest users. We also contribute new insights on the political dimensions of nestedness in REDD+, with important roles for intercommunity forestry associations and forest rights movements.

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Multi-level governance of forest resources (Editorial to the special feature)

Cited by 17 publications

References 28 publications

Conflict or synergy? Understanding interaction between municipalities and village commons (regole) in polycentric governance of mountain areas in the Veneto Region, Italy

Conflict or synergy? Understanding interaction between municipalities and village commons (regole) in polycentric governance of mountain areas in the Veneto Region, Italy

Evaluating the utility of common-pool resource theory for understanding forest governance and outcomes in Indonesia between 1965 and 2012

Nested governance for effective REDD+: Institutional and political arguments

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