Adaptive collaborative management of community forests in Asia ...
Adaptive collaborative management of community forests in Asia ...
Adaptive collaborative management of community forests in Asia ...
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Chapter 1: Introduction: People, Forests and the Need for Adaptation • 5<br />
human be<strong>in</strong>gs. Whereas systems <strong>management</strong> <strong>in</strong>volves <strong>management</strong> <strong>of</strong><br />
complex <strong>in</strong>teractions by actors with differ<strong>in</strong>g, even oppos<strong>in</strong>g objectives,<br />
what is called for is decision-mak<strong>in</strong>g based on negotiation around these<br />
differ<strong>in</strong>g objectives. L<strong>in</strong>ear th<strong>in</strong>k<strong>in</strong>g based on supposedly clear objectives<br />
doesn’t work 1 because real-world forest <strong>management</strong> <strong>in</strong>volves s<strong>of</strong>t systems,<br />
with compet<strong>in</strong>g societal objectives. Collaboration becomes essential.<br />
In recent years, an enormous amount <strong>of</strong> literature has been produced<br />
on the broad subject <strong>of</strong> collaboration <strong>in</strong> natural resource <strong>management</strong>.<br />
Collaborative <strong>management</strong> <strong>of</strong> protected areas has been one major area<br />
<strong>of</strong> concern (Borr<strong>in</strong>i-Feyerabend 1997); <strong>collaborative</strong> <strong>management</strong> <strong>of</strong><br />
<strong>forests</strong> has been another (Fisher 1995). Associated with this research is<br />
work on pluralist approaches to natural resources <strong>management</strong> <strong>in</strong> general,<br />
and forest <strong>management</strong> <strong>in</strong> particular (Anderson et al. 1998). There are<br />
differ<strong>in</strong>g views on who should be <strong>in</strong>volved <strong>in</strong> <strong>collaborative</strong> arrangements<br />
for forest <strong>management</strong>. One view holds that the ma<strong>in</strong> partners should<br />
be local communities (however def<strong>in</strong>ed) and the state authorities legally<br />
responsible for <strong>forests</strong>. In <strong>Asia</strong> these forest authorities usually have legal<br />
authority over most <strong>forests</strong>, despite the traditional claims <strong>of</strong> the people who<br />
live <strong>in</strong> and near <strong>forests</strong>. This type <strong>of</strong> <strong>collaborative</strong> <strong>management</strong> is reflected<br />
<strong>in</strong> the Indian model <strong>of</strong> jo<strong>in</strong>t forest <strong>management</strong> and the approaches to<br />
<strong>community</strong> forestry evident <strong>in</strong> forest <strong>management</strong> programmes <strong>in</strong> Nepal<br />
and the Philipp<strong>in</strong>es.<br />
Increas<strong>in</strong>gly, such <strong>community</strong>-based approaches are be<strong>in</strong>g seen as too<br />
narrow and it is recognised that the constituencies <strong>in</strong>terested <strong>in</strong> forest<br />
<strong>management</strong> are more diverse. Stakeholders may <strong>in</strong>clude both nonlocal<br />
groups with direct economic <strong>in</strong>terests <strong>in</strong> <strong>forests</strong> (such as logg<strong>in</strong>g companies<br />
and nontimber forest products merchants) and those with less immediate<br />
<strong>in</strong>terests, such as conservationists and the wider population that depends<br />
on <strong>forests</strong>’ environmental services (clean air and water). Although multiple<br />
<strong>in</strong>terests are fundamental to contemporary forest <strong>management</strong>, there are<br />
good reasons for concern that calls for pluralism and the national <strong>in</strong>terest<br />
can become excuses for disempower<strong>in</strong>g marg<strong>in</strong>alised stakeholders, <strong>in</strong>clud<strong>in</strong>g<br />
local communities whose rights have long been ignored (Fisher 2003a).<br />
Perversely, calls for pluralism risk re<strong>in</strong>forc<strong>in</strong>g (or <strong>in</strong> some cases, return<strong>in</strong>g<br />
to) the status quo, <strong>in</strong> which <strong>forests</strong> are controlled by state authorities and<br />
powerful economic <strong>in</strong>terests.<br />
Calls for pluralist forest <strong>management</strong> have raised questions about the need<br />
to develop processes and fora that permit stakeholder negotiation and, at