Decentralization, forests and rural communities : policy outcomes in South and Southeast Asia

Asian societies are entering a new era of decentralized governance of forests. The authority to make decisions on forest management has shifted to lower levels of government and, in some cases, to the local people themselves. But can governments simply `decentralize` authority away from the center, or are there certain core elements necessary to achieve sustainable management and conservation of forests in a decentralized world? This book argues that policy solutions to resource dilemmas faced by forest-accessing rural communities must be flexible, and should allow for local dynamics and innovations to take place. Presenting case studies from Bhutan, India, Indonesia, Nepal, Thailand and Vietnam, this volume investigates how decentralization is affecting local stakeholders and their management of forest resources. Contents......Page 8 Foreword......Page 15 Preface......Page 18 Acknowledgements......Page 20 Forest Policy as a Changing Context in Asia......Page 22 Decentralization and Community-Based Forestry: Learning from Experience......Page 45 The Evolution of Forest-Related Institutions in Bhutan: Adaptations of Local People to the Rising State......Page 69 Integrating Informal with Formal Forest Management Institutions for Sustainable Collective Action in India......Page 94 Decentralization Policy and Revitalization of Local Institutions for Protected Area Co-Management in West Sumatra, Indonesia......Page 129 Evolution, Impacts and Challenges of Community-Based Forestry in Nepal......Page 151 Implications of Leasehold and Community Forestry for Poverty Alleviation......Page 178 Disentangling a Complex Web: Forests, People and Decentralization in Nepal......Page 210 Evolution of Community-Based Management and Forest Health in Northern Thailand: Case Study of Nahai and Huai-Muang Villages in Sopsai Watershed, Thawangpa District, Nan Province......Page 233 Incentives of the Forest Land Allocation Process: Implications for Forest Management in Nam Dong District, Central Vietnam......Page 270 Facilitating Decentralized Policies for Sustainable Governance and Management of Forest Resources in Asia......Page 293 About the Editors and Contributors......Page 312 Index......Page 317

This book argues that policy solutions to resource dilemmas faced by forest-accessing rural communities must be flexible, and must allow for local dynamics and innovations to take place. It also debates the balance that needs to be struck: simply decentralize authority in toto or retain some core elements necessary to achieve sustainable management and conservation of forests. Presenting case studies from Bhutan, India, Indonesia, Nepal, Thailand and Vietnam, this volume investigates how decentralization is affecting local stakeholders and their management of forest resources.

The contributors conclude that the variety of contextual situations in Asia requires an equally diverse set of institutional solutions. They argue that due to a remarkable diversity of challenges, structural variables, support structures and outcomes (as documented in the case studies in the volume), the solutions for sustainable decentralized forest management will be as varied as the contexts themselves.

Within Asian societies, the authority to make decisions on forest management has shifted to lower levels of government and, in some cases, to the local people themselves. This book considers whether governments can decentralize authority away from the centre or whether there are certain core elements necessary to achieve sustainable management and conservation of forests in a decentralised world. The book argues that policy solutions to resource dilemmas faced by forest accessing rural communities must be flexible, and should allow for local dynamics and innovations to take place. Presenting case studies from Bhutan, India, Indonesia, Nepal, Thailand and Vietnam, the book investigates how decentralisation is affecting local stakeholders and their management of forest resources