Learning from REDD + : a response to Fletcher et al.

Learning from REDD plus : a response to Fletcher et al.Non peer reviewe

Creating an appropriate tenure foundation for REDD+: The record to date and prospects for the future

Attention to tenure is a fundamental step in preparation for REDD+ implementation. Unclear and conflicting tenure has been the main challenge faced by the proponents of subnational REDD+ initiatives, and accordingly, they have expended much effort to remedy the problem. This article assesses how well REDD+ has performed in laying an appropriate tenure foundation. Field research was carried out in two phases (2010-2012 and 2013-2014) in five countries (Brazil, Peru, Cameroon, Tanzania, Indonesia) at 21 subnational initiatives, 141 villages (half targeted for REDD+ interventions), and 3,754 households. Three questions are posed: 1) What was the effect of REDD+ on perceived tenure insecurity of village residents?; 2) What are the main reasons for change in the level of tenure insecurity and security from Phase 1 to Phase 2 perceived by village residents in control and intervention villages?; and 3) How do intervention village residents evaluate the impact of tenure-related interventions on community well-being? Among the notable findings are that: 1) tenure insecurity decreases slightly across the whole sample of villages, but we only find that REDD+ significantly reduces tenure insecurity in Cameroon, while actually increasing insecurity of smallholder agricultural land tenure in Brazil at the household level; 2) among the main reported reasons for increasing tenure insecurity (where it occurs) are problems with outside companies, lack of title, and competition from neighboring villagers; and 3) views on the effect of REDD+ tenure-related interventions on community well-being lean towards the positive, including for interventions that restrain access to forest. Thus, while there is little evidence that REDD+ interventions have worsened smallholder tenure insecurity (as feared by critics), there is also little evidence that the proponents' efforts to address tenure insecurity have produced results. Work on tenure remains an urgent priority for safeguarding local livelihoods as well as for reducing deforestation. This will require increased attention to participatory engagement, improved reward systems, tenure policy reform, integration of national and local efforts, and "business-as-usual" interestsThis research is part of CIFOR’s Global Comparative Study on REDD+ (www.cifor.org/gcs). The funding partners that have supported this research include the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (Norad) [grant numbers QZA-10/0468, QZA-12/0882, QZA-16/0110], the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) [grant numbers 46167, 63560], the European Commission (EC) [grant number DCI-ENV/2011/269-520], the International Climate Initiative (IKI) of the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Building and Nuclear Safety (BMUB) [grant number KI II 7 - 42206-6/75], the United Kingdom Department for International Development (UKAID) [grant number TF069018], and the CGIAR Research Program on Forests, Trees and Agroforestry (CRP-FTA) [grant number TF No. 069018], with financial support from the donors contributing to the CGIAR Fund. David Solis provided a valuable service in reviewing our methods for taking into account attrition of households over time

Balancing carrots and sticks in REDD+: implications for social safeguards

Reducing carbon emissions through avoided deforestation and forest degradation and enhancement of carbon stocks (REDD+) is key to mitigating global climate change. The aim of REDD+ social safeguards is to ensure that REDD+ does not harm, and actually benefits, local people. To be eligible for results-based compensation through REDD+, countries should develop national-level safeguard information systems to monitor and report on the impacts of REDD+. Although safeguards represent a key step for promoting social responsibility in REDD+, they are challenging to operationalize and monitor. We analyzed the impacts of different types of REDD+ interventions (incentives vs. disincentives) on key safeguard-relevant indicators, i.e., tenure security, participation, and subjective well-being, as well as on reported forest clearing. We used household-level data collected in Brazil, Peru, Cameroon, Tanzania, Indonesia, and Vietnam from approximately 4000 households in 130 villages at two points in time (2010-2012 and 2013-2014). Our findings highlight a decrease in perceived tenure security and overall perceived well-being over time for households exposed to disincentives alone, with the addition of incentives helping to alleviate negative effects on well-being. In Brazil, although disincentives were associated with reduced reported forest clearing by smallholders, they were the intervention that most negatively affected perceived well-being, highlighting a clear trade-off between carbon and noncarbon benefits. Globally, although households exposed to REDD+ interventions were generally aware of local REDD+ initiatives, meaningful participation in initiative design and implementation lagged behind. Our analysis contributes to a relatively small literature that seeks to operationalize REDD+ social safeguards empirically and to evaluate the impacts of REDD+ interventions on local people and forests

How do practitioners characterize land tenure security?

Improving land tenure security (LTS) is a significant challenge for sustainable development. The Sustainable Development Goals and other recent global initiatives have renewed and increased the need to improve LTS to address climate change, biodiversity loss, food security, poverty reduction, and other challenges. At the same time, policymakers are increasingly interested in evidence- based policies and decisions, creating urgency for practitioners and researchers to work together. Yet, incongruent characterizations of LTS (identifying the key components of LTS) by practitioners and researchers can limit collaboration and information flows necessary for research and effective policymaking. While there are systematic reviews of how LTS is characterized in the academic literature, no prior study has assessed how practitioners characterize LTS. We address this gap using data from 54 interviews of land tenure practitioners working in 10 countries of global importance for biodiversity and climate change mitigation. Practitioners characterize LTS as complex and multifaceted, and a majority of practitioners refer to de jure terms (e.g., titling) when characterizing it. Notably, in our data just one practitioner characterized LTS in terms of perceptions of the landholder, contrasting the recent emphasis in the academic literature on landholder perceptions in LTS characterizations. Researchers should be aware of incongruence in how LTS is characterized in the academic literature when engaging practitioners.Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/155485/1/csp2186.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/155485/2/csp2186_am.pd

Between danger and opportunity: Indonesian and forests in an era of economic crisis and political change

Policy aiming to improve the conservation and management of tropical forests are often based on the assumption of political economic stability. Yet some of the most important changes in conditions affecting tropical forests can occur when the political and economic climate changes in abrupt, unpredicted, and largely uncontrolled manner. This fact is illustrated through preliminary, largely media-based documentation of changes underway in Indonesia. It is unclear, as yet, whether the effects of the sudden transformation on the forest sector in this country will be largely positive or negativ

An ex-post methodology for measuring poor people's participation in social forestry: an example from Java, Indonesia

One of the key goals of social forestry is to involve the poor as project beneficiaries. It is possible to measure the degree of attainment of this goal by collecting socioeconomic data before and after project implementation. This approach cannot be applied at the many sites where ex-ante data were never gathered. This article proposes a methodology for evaluating the degree of inclusion of the poor in social forestry using ex-post data alone. Longitudinal analysis is approximated through the use of 'slow change' socioeconomic variables and through logistic regression. The methodology is illustrated with data on the Java Social Forestry Program

The Indonesian economic crisis implies immense changes in the forest sector

The economic crisis unfolding in Indonesia since mid-1997 has led to profound socioeconomic and policy changes that are affecting the forest sector and land use in general. In this paper we document some of these changes and speculate about possible consequences for forest conservation and management, drawing largely on media reports and on general knowledge about the effects of macroeconomic change in developing countries. Our observations are preliminary and tentative, because as yet there are few data and research results available on the effects of the crisis. This is the third iteration of this paper. It will be revised and updated approximately every two to three months. The paper is structured as follows. We first describe the background of the economic crisis, and then discuss eight different effects of the economic crisis on the forest sector. These include: direct effects on the timber sector; indirect effects through the agricultural sector, transmigration, poverty and spontaneous migration, mining, and road construction; policy changes; and joint effects of the drought, fires, and the crisis

Dampak krisis dan perubahan politik, 1997-1999

An economic crisis and political changes that have occurred in Indonesia since 1997 have presented grave dangers but also important opportunities for the country. On the one hand, the depreciation of the rupiah against the dollar is part of a drastic economic downturn, but on the other hand, it represents an opportunity for increased competitiveness of Indonesian exports and for increased prosperity for those involved in the export economy. The changeover of regimes from Soeharto to B.J. Habibie led to much political instability, which compounded economic problems, but at the same time it has offered the potential for fundamental policy changes. This article assesses the consequences of these changes -- both negative and positive -- on people living in forested areas, on commercial activity within the forest sector and on the extent of forest itself. Among the findings are that: (1) two-thirds of the people in forested areas have become worse off during the crisis compared with their situation in the year before the crisis; (2) during the crisis small farmers increased clearing of forests for perennial tree crops and decreased attention to food crops in shifting cultivation systems; (3) pulp and paper have replaced plywood as the mainstay source of export revenue in the forest sector, although the origins of this transformation pre-date the crisis and the change cannot be solely explained by the crisis; (4) illegal logging has boomed during the crisis, but also cannot be entirely explained by the crisis; (5) oil palm development has slowed in the crisis period but is poised for future growth; and (6) positive forest policy changes have been introduced but in general fall short of the expectations of the reform community in Indonesia

Resource decline and adaptation through time: fishers in San Miguel Bay, Philippines 1980-1993

This article examines social conditions in a bay experiencing population growth, gear conflict, overfishing, and general resource declince. Sample surveys of fishing households caried out in 1980 and 1993 in nine villages of San Miguel Bay reveal patterns of continuity and change. The key continuity is sustained overall population growth in fishing villages. Among the key forms of change are those which demonstrate a degree of adaptation to resource decline: decreased participation in fishing; greater reliance of fishing households on nonfishing income; increased dependence on remittances of nonhouseholds labor; and dramatic growth in the number of fishing organizations involved in resource management. The findings suggest that resource management policies should be patterned after spontaneous adaptations to resource decline