Metsien hyvä hallinto ja ilmastonmuutokseen sopeutuminen : tapaustutkimuksia neljässä Afrikan maassa

Africa is threatened by climate change. The adaptive capacity of local communities continues to be weakened by ineffective and inefficient livelihood strategies and inappropriate development interventions. One of the greatest challenges for climate change adaptation in Africa is related to the governance of natural resources used by vulnerable poor groups as assets for adaptation. Practical and good governance activities for adaptation in Africa is urgently and much needed to support adaptation actions, interventions and planning. The adaptation role of forests has not been as prominent in the international discourse and actions as their mitigation role. This study therefore focused on the forest as one of the natural resources used for adaptation. The general objective of this research was to assess the extent to which cases of current forest governance practices in four African countries Burkina Faso, The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Ghana and Sudan are supportive to the adaptation of vulnerable societies and ecosystems to impacts of climate change. Qualitative and quantitative analyses from surveys, expert consultations and group discussions were used in analysing the case studies. The entire research was guided by three conceptual sets of thinking forest governance, climate change vulnerability and ecosystem services. Data for the research were collected from selected ongoing forestry activities and programmes. The study mainly dealt with forest management policies and practices that can improve the adaptation of forest ecosystems (Study I) and the adaptive capacity through the management of forest resources by vulnerable farmers (Studies II, III, IV and V). It was found that adaptation is not part of current forest policies, but, instead, policies contain elements of risk management practices, which are also relevant to the adaptation of forest ecosystems. These practices include, among others, the management of forest fires, forest genetic resources, non-timber resources and silvicultural practices. Better livelihood opportunities emerged as the priority for the farmers. These vulnerable farmers had different forms of forest management. They have a wide range of experience and practical knowledge relevant to ensure and achieve livelihood improvement alongside sustainable management and good governance of natural resources. The contributions of traded non-timber forest products to climate change adaptation appear limited for local communities, based on their distribution among the stakeholders in the market chain. Plantation (agro)forestry, if well implemented and managed by communities, has a high potential in reducing socio-ecological vulnerability by increasing the food production and restocking degraded forest lands. Integration of legal arrangements with continuous monitoring, evaluation and improvement may drive this activity to support short, medium and long term expectations related to adaptation processes. The study concludes that effective forest governance initiatives led by vulnerable poor groups represent one practical way to improve the adaptive capacities of socio-ecological systems against the impacts of climate change in Africa.Metsien hyvä hallinto ja ilmastonmuutokseen sopeutuminen: tapaustutkimuksia neljässä Afrikan maassa Afrikkaa uhkaavat ilmastonmuutoksen haitalliset vaikutukset. Paikallisyhteisöjen sopeutumista ilmastonmuutokseen heikentävät tehottomat toimeentulon parantamisstrategiat ja väärin suunnatut kehityshankkeet. Yksi suurimmista haasteista ilmastonmuutokseen sopeutumisessa Afrikassa liittyy siihen, miten haavoittuvimmat yhteiskunnan osat pystyvät hoitamaan ympäristönsä metsä- ja puuvaroja ja käyttämään niitä kestävällä tavalla. Käytännön keinoja metsiin liittyvän hyvän hallinnon saavuttamiseksi tarvitaan Afrikassa kiireellisesti. Yhtenä vaikeutena on se, että maailmanlaajuisessa metsäkeskustelussa paljon enemmän huomiota on kiinnitetty ilmastomuutoksen torjuntaan kuin siihen sopeutumiseen. Käsillä olevassa tutkimuksessa keskityttiin metsiin ja puihin luonnonvarana, jolla on erityistä merkitystä ilmastonmuutokseen sopeutumisen välineenä kuivilla trooppisilla alueilla. Tutkimuksen tavoitteena oli selvittää miten hyvän hallinnon periaatteet metsien hoidossa ja käytössä voivat tukea haavoittuvien ihmisryhmien ja ekosysteemien parempaa sopeutumista ilmastonmuutokseen neljässä esimerkkimaassa Afrikassa. Kohteiksi valitut maat olivat Burkina Faso, Kongon demokraattinen tasavalta, Ghana ja Sudan. Työssä käytettiin kvalitatiivista ja kvantitatiivista analyysiä, ja materiaalina olivat sekä henkilökohtaiset että ryhmissä toteutetut haastattelut. Koko työ pohjautui kolmeen keskeiseen käsitteelliseen kokonaisuuteen: metsien hoitoon ja käyttöön liittyvä hyvä hallinto, ilmastonmuutoksen aiheuttama haavoittuvuus sekä ekosysteemien tuottamat hyödyt ja palvelut. Erityisesti tutkittiin kohdemaissa käynnissä olevia kehityshankkeita. Työ koostuu viidestä osatutkimuksesta, jotka käsittelevät kansallista ja paikallista metsäpolitiikkaa sekä haavoittuviksi luokiteltujen paikallisyhteisöjen omaa osallistumista ilmastonmuutokseen sopeutumista parantavaan metsien hoitoon ja käyttöön. Tutkimuksessa todettiin, että ilmastonmuutokseen sopeutuminen ei suoraan sisältynyt kohdemaiden metsäpolitiikkaan. Näissä maissa todettiin kuitenkin olevan riskien hallinnan valmiuksia, jotka myös auttavat paikallisyhteisöjä ilmastonmuutokseen sopeutumisessa. Näitä valmiuksia olivat esimerkiksi metsäpalojen torjunnan järjestely, puiden geenivarojen suojelu, ei-puuperäisten metsätuotteiden aseman tunnustaminen osana toimeentulostrategiaa sekä metsänhoidollisten toimenpiteiden ohjeistukset. Viljelijäväestön tärkein huolen aihe oli toimeentulon ylläpitäminen ja parantaminen. Paikallisyhteisöillä oli runsaasti perinteistä metsiin liittyvää tietämystä, jota nämä yhteisöt myös sovelsivat metsien kestävään hoitoon ja käyttöön. Tämä tietämys ja jo harjoitettu metsä- ja puuvarojen kestävä hyödyntäminen tarvitsevat kuitenkin tuekseen hyvää hallintoa kaikilla tasoilla. Kaupallistettujen ei-puuperäisten metsätuotteiden, kuten esimerkiksi arabikumin, hedelmien ja luontaisten lääkkeiden merkitys toimeentulolle todettiin odotettua pienemmäksi; kyseinen tarkastelu kattoi koko tuotanto-, jalostus- ja myyntiketjun. Hyvin hoidetut ja paikallisyhteisöjen omassa hallinnassa olevat puuviljelmät ja peltometsät ovat lähestymistapoja, joiden avulla voidaan sekä lisätä ruoantuotantoa että palauttaa jo pilattuja metsäalueita tuottaviksi. Lainsäädännön kehittäminen paikallisyhteisöjen päätöksentekovaltaa lisäävään suuntaan sekä maankäytön muutosten parempi seuranta ovat myös suositeltavia toimenpiteitä. Yleisenä johtopäätöksenä tutkimuksessa todettiin, että metsiin liittyvän hyvän hallinnon kehittämisen avulla voidaan parantaa sekä yhteiskunnan että luonnontalouden sopeutumista ilmastonmuutoksen haitallisiin vaikutuksiin Afrikan kuivilla alueilla

Development of national FPIC guidelines for REDD+ : Experiences from Cameroon

Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation (REDD+) has received significant attention under the UNFCCC and many tropical forest countries are preparing national REDD+ strategies in the hope that REDD+ will form part of the future post-2015 climate regime. In the interim, bilateral and multilateral REDD+ finance has proliferated, with donor countries supporting the preparatory and investment phases of REDD+. At the same time, criticism of REDD+ is building as many caution that the lack of clearly defined benefit sharing mechanisms, carbon, land and forest tenure rights risks harming and marginalising forest communities. In this context, ensuring compliance with strict social safeguards and getting the consent of communities has become central to the development and implementation of REDD+ projects, programs and policy processes. This case study paper draws from Cameroon - a forest country where human rights and environmental justice on the effective participation of local communities in national policy-making remains challenging. The authors share insights from the one year multi-stakeholder process of developing national guidelines for Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) for REDD+ with the goal of informing the future climate change regime under the UNFCCC. The paper provides a realistic picture of the challenges in institutionalizing FPIC as a rights-based approach to participatory natural resource management. Through this process however, REDD+ has acted as an impetus for developing national safeguard standards for decisions affecting land and natural resources and provides the opportunity for local communities to influence the design and implementation of national policy and sub-national initiatives on REDD+

Making the National Adaptation Programme of Action (NAPA) More Responsive to the Livelihood Needs of Tree Planting Farmers, Drawing on Previous Experience in Dryland Sudan

Peer reviewe

REDD plus Policy Approaches in the Congo Basin : A Comparative Analysis of Cameroon and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)

Peer reviewe

Exploring Opportunities for Promoting Synergies between Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation in Forest Carbon Initiatives

There is growing interest in designing and implementing climate change mitigation and adaptation (M + A) in synergy in the forest and land use sectors. However, there is limited knowledge on how the planning and promotion of synergies between M + A can be operationalized in the current efforts to mitigate climate change through forest carbon. This paper contributes to fill this knowledge gap by exploring ways of planning and promoting M + A synergy outcomes in forest carbon initiatives. It examines eight guidelines that are widely used in designing and implementing forest carbon initiatives. Four guiding principles with a number of criteria that are relevant for planning synergy outcomes in forest carbon activities are proposed. The guidelines for developing forest carbon initiatives need to demonstrate that (1) the health of forest ecosystems is maintained or enhanced; (2) the adaptive capacity of forest-dependent communities is ensured; (3) carbon and adaptation benefits are monitored and verified; and (4) adaptation outcomes are anticipated and planned in forest carbon initiatives. The forest carbon project development guidelines can encourage the integration of adaptation in forest carbon initiatives. However, their current efforts guiding projects and programs to deliver biodiversity and environmental benefits, ecosystem services, and socioeconomic benefits are not considered explicitly as efforts towards enhancing adaptation. An approach for incentivizing and motivating project developers, guideline setters, and offset buyers is imperative in order to enable existing guidelines to make clear contributions to adaptation goals. We highlight and discuss potential ways of incentivizing and motivating the explicit planning and promotion of adaptation outcomes in forest carbon initiatives.Peer reviewe

Smallholders' Tree Planting Activity in the Ziro Province, Southern Burkina Faso : Impacts on Livelihood and Policy Implications

Climate variability and change significantly affect smallholder farmers' food security and livelihoods in sub-Saharan Africa. Tree planting is one of the measures promoted by development programs to mitigate and adapt to climate change. Tree planting is also believed to positively contribute to livelihoods. This paper examines factors influencing smallholders' tree planting activities in four villages in the Ziro province, Southern Burkina Faso. Furthermore, it analyses the challenges encountered and willingness to continue tree planting under current tenure arrangements. The data was obtained through key informants, household interviews, focus group discussions, and field observations. Results indicate that the majority of farmers interviewed planted Mangifera indica (50%), Anacardium occidentale (32%) and Moringa oleifera (30%). In a number of trees planted, Eucalyptus camaldulensis, Mangifera indica and Anacardium occidentale dominated. Tree planters were mainly farmers who held large and old farm areas, were literate and relatively wealthy, had favorable attitudes toward tree planting, and with considerable years of participation in a farmers' group. The main reasons for planting trees included income generation from the sale of tree products, access to markets and local support for tree planting. Preference for agriculture, tenure insecurity and lack of sufficient land were the main reasons cited for not planting trees. Farm households that were relatively poor, had smaller workforces and smaller farm sizes were not willing to continue tree planting. To effectively engage farmers in tree planting and to make it more attractive, policies are needed that address tenure insecurity for migrants, enable better access to markets, and support fair pricing structures for wood and other tree resources.Peer reviewe

Shaping forest safety nets with markets : adaptation to climate change under changing roles of tropical forests in Congo Basin

This study examined the roles of markets in non-timber forest products and services that usually serve as safety nets for forest communities. Forests are considered ‘‘safety nets’’ in that people draw on available natural resources to meet emergency shortfalls and to keep them from being worse off in times of need. Markets should complement rather than substitute forests’ roles for adaptation to climate change: although markets may increase the value of a commodity, wholesalers and retailers reap most of the benefits, and the distribution of market revenue leaves local people with returns much lower than the worth of the commodity