Property Rights, Institutions and Forest Resources Management in Developing Countries

Abstract

The objective of this paper is to propose a conceptual framework stimulating the sustainable management of natural resources in Central Africa. Based on the forest resources, we show how good identification and allocation of property rights strengthen the joint management of forest resources. Cameroon is selected as an example, since the country represents one of the most forest-intense areas in Africa. In doing so, we first evaluate the performance of institutions in fostering sustainable forest management. Second we show how good elaboration and allocation of property rights may contribute to improving efficiency in forest management. Using the New Institutional Economic (NIE) theory we provide an outline of the potential relationships between forest management and property rights allocated to stakeholders involved in forest exploitation. Finally we provide two forms of institutional structures that could improve forest management efficiency: public-private partnership and multi-stakeholder management approaches. Public-private partnerships are joint project management processes operated by both private businesses and public entities in order to combine public prescriptive mechanisms with private operational roles. Multi-stakeholder management approach is also a co-management initiative combining public entities, private actors and local population to increase the involvement of local dwellers living in forest areas in the decision process.

Devolution of forest management to local communities and its impacts on livelihoods and deforestation in Berau, Indonesia

“…Finally, the study confirms that devolution in natural resources, particularly property rights, is foundational for understanding resource use [ 77 ]. Sustainable forest resource management requires identifying property rights allocations [ 39 ]. Clear property rights in forests incentivize the efficient use of resources, and strengthening these rights is a long-term development challenge [ 76 , 80 ].…”

“…This perspective has been adopted by Refs. [ [37] , [38] , [39] , [40] , [41] ]. [ 37 ] compared the processes and outcomes of decentralization initiatives directed toward forests in South Asia.…”

“…A comparison between the ability of publicly protected and common-property forest institutions is required to control outside encroachment into frontier forests in Honduras and Nicaragua [ 38 ]. Another study assessed institutional performance in forest management as an institution's capacity to reduce forest degradation (objective function) and an institution's internal functioning mechanisms (operational function) [ 39 ]. This study investigated the roles of local institutions in fostering forest management in Cameroon.…”