Patrimony for Resilience: Evidence from the Forest Agdal in the Moroccan High Atlas Mountains

Auclair, Laurent; Baudot, Patrick; Génin, Didier; Romagny, Bruno; Simenel, Romain

doi:10.5751/es-04429-160424

Cited by 28 publications

(20 citation statements)

References 21 publications

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“…Two cases highlight semi-arid rural forests in Morocco: the forest 'agdal' in the High Atlas mountains (mixed holm oak [Quercus ilex], and three species of juniper forests), a customary community-based forest management practice based on limited access to the forest on a temporal basis (Hammi et al 2010, Auclair et al 2011; and the argan (Argania spinosa) forest, a unique inhabited native forest (south-west Morocco) facing the consequences of the sudden success of argan oil in international markets (Simenel et al 2009, Genin and.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Multiple Dimensions of Rural Forests: Lessons from a Comparative Analysis

Génin¹,

Aumeeruddy‐Thomas²,

Balent³

et al. 2013

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ABSTRACT. Rural forests are characterized by different levels of formal and nonformal appropriation by rural communities who have generally managed, shaped, or rebuilt these forest formations over many generations with refined local knowledge and practices related to their use and perpetuation. Rural forests are therefore social-ecological systems that contribute to ecosystem and landscapes configuration, definition of rural territories, and sustainability of local livelihoods. Although some studies have attempted to explain their specificities, in specific geographical and social contexts, their characteristics are not well defined as they encompass highly diversified situations. This lack of comprehension of the identity of rural forests is at the heart of the lack of dialogue between forestry policies and rural forest development. Our major aim is to identify universal characteristics of rural forests as well as specificities that can differentiate them. Eleven situations of rural forests were analyzed by means of detailed, harmonized monographs, from developing and developed countries, and localized within contrasting ecological environments (humid tropics, dry forests, temperate forests) and socio-economic and public policies contexts. Qualitative data were obtained through a common analytical framework and were encoded with an approach based on the collective appreciation of the group of researchers who developed case studies. These were pooled within a common analysis chart and were processed by means of multivariate analyses. Results were further discussed taking into consideration four major characteristics that emerged from this analysis, and which form the identity of rural forests. These are: 1) specific forest structures and levels of integration in agricultural matrices which are linked historically to overall agroecosystem approaches and practices, 2) a multiscale approach to domestication practices from landscape to individual trees inscribed in continuities between "nature" and "culture", natural processes and human techniques of control and transformation, 3) multiple uses of plant species which vary in relation to the commercial or noncommercial status of their products and a reversible nature of these use patterns accordingly, 4) the imbricate nature of rules of access and control between state and customary levels, and between individual and collective levels, requiring specific formal and informal arrangements. Typologies of rural forests can be drawn along each of these major characteristics and provide a reliable system to analyze and understand the functioning of rural forests. Forestry approaches in rural contexts, hence, need to consider variations along these major lines that form the identity cards of rural forests.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Multiple Dimensions of Rural Forests: Lessons from a Comparative Analysis

Génin¹,

Aumeeruddy‐Thomas²,

Balent³

et al. 2013

E&S

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“…In the case of forests, how does patrimonialization interfere with these characteristics? Some authors have shown that strict endogenous forest patrimonialization may contribute to strengthened socialecological system resilience and adaptability (Auclair et al 2011, Michon 2011. National patrimonial forest management has proved successful in maintaining and reproducing large tracts of high and dense forests over centuries, at least in Europe.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Transmitting this patrimony from one generation to the next, as well as the values, status, and rights attached to it, constitutes the warrant of economic and social sustainability. In this sense, patrimony relates to resilience, as Auclair et al (2011) have discussed in their analysis of Agdal forests in the Moroccan High Atlas Mountains.…”

Section: Forest "Communities" and Their Patrimonies From Local To Glmentioning

confidence: 99%

Forests as Patrimonies? From Theory to Tangible Processes at Various Scales

Michon¹,

Romagny²,

Auclair³

et al. 2012

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ABSTRACT. Among theoretical fields addressing the conceptualization of interrelationships between nature and society, patrimonial approaches remain relatively unexplored. Stressing the multiplication of local dynamics where elements of nature are redefined as "patrimonies" (ranging from local patrimonies to world heritage) by various social groups, this conceptual field tries to qualify these dynamics and their determiners to understand how they allow us to better address contemporary environmental challenges. Through a multidisciplinary approach in social sciences, centered on rural forests, we analyze the multiplication of patrimonial processes in forest development at various scales. First, we elaborate on the concept of patrimony and on patrimonial processes and present the current construction and dynamics of forest patrimonies. A crucial question concerns the links that form between the many spatial-temporal levels where these processes develop. Moreover, these patrimonial processes can be quite divergent, not only across scales from local to global, but also between "endogenous" (or bottom-up) and "exogenous" (or top-down) processes. We present two detailed examples in Morocco and Sumatra, where patrimonial constructions are developing simultaneously at various scales and through various actors who treat the forest in very different ways. Drawing from these examples, we discuss how and why the simultaneous development of different, often overlapping, patrimonial constructions along these scales allows collaboration or, conversely, can lead their holders into conflict. Lastly, we discuss the contribution of patrimonial concepts to resilience thinking and social-ecological systems theory.

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“…These complex interactions between past and present are very close to the patrimonial construction of RFs discussed by Auclair et al (2011). They consider managed forest resources in the Moroccan Atlas as elements of patrimony following Ollagnon's (2000) definition of patrimonial management as an adaptive process in time and space of material and immaterial elements by human communities to develop their identity and autonomy.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Resilience of Sweet Chestnut and Truffle Holm-Oak Rural Forests in Languedoc-Roussillon, France: Roles of Social-Ecological Legacies, Domestication, and Innovations

Aumeeruddy‐Thomas¹,

Therville²,

Lemarchand³

et al. 2012

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The Cévennes sweet chestnut (Castanea sativa Mill.) forest-orchards and the holm-oak (Quercus ilex L.) black truffle (Tuber melanosporum Vittad.) associations of the garrigue in Languedoc-Roussillon have suffered a century of decline because of great reductions of rural populations and lack of understanding of the ecological and social dimensions of these rural forests by sectorial public agencies. Levels of tree and forest domestication alternated during historical periods in parallel with statuses of disorganization and reorganization of local social groups. Social-ecological legacies intrinsically linked to trees, forests, and landscape domestication, as well as knowledge, social, and technical practices have been mobilized and provided a basis for knowledge innovations, new domestications, uses, and new institutional networks related to changes in social set-ups. Collective actions emerging from local needs to revive territories in a modern context, cross-scale and reciprocal exchanges of rural and scientific knowledge, as well as institutional changes are interrelated variables that have enabled innovations and have increased resilience of these rural forests. This paper opens new avenues for future research on the interplay between the effects of social-ecological legacies and innovations on the resilience of social-ecological systems

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Patrimony for Resilience: Evidence from the Forest Agdal in the Moroccan High Atlas Mountains

Cited by 28 publications

References 21 publications

The Multiple Dimensions of Rural Forests: Lessons from a Comparative Analysis

The Multiple Dimensions of Rural Forests: Lessons from a Comparative Analysis

Forests as Patrimonies? From Theory to Tangible Processes at Various Scales

Resilience of Sweet Chestnut and Truffle Holm-Oak Rural Forests in Languedoc-Roussillon, France: Roles of Social-Ecological Legacies, Domestication, and Innovations

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