ABSTRACT: Forests face governance challenges
Governments “own” about 86 percent of the word’s forests, but recent changes in forest management structure means they effectively control far less than they did just a generation ago. As such, the fate of forests is increasingly determined by concessionary agreements with extractive industries and the whims of market demand for commodities produced on forest lands. Climate change and rapid economic growth are poised to further complicate effective management of forest areas.
Writing in Science, Arun Agrawal and colleagues argue that understanding the factors that lead to effective governance — rather than explicit ownership of forest land — will be critical to addressing future governance of forest resources. In the face of decentralization of forest management, logging concessions in publicly owned forests, and timber certification initiatives, they recommend a greater role for community and market actors in determining and managing forest use. Agrawal and colleagues say the transition will need to involve the many stakeholders with interests in forest resources.
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