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The decentralization of control over the vast forests of the world is moving at a rapid pace with both positive and negative ramifications for people and forests themselves. This new book, by leading researchers from the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR), presents the latest research into decentralization in the forests of Asia and the Pacific, unraveling the complex issues at stake.

Fresh research from a host of Asia-Pacific countries including India, Nepal, China, Korea, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Philippines and Vietnam among others, presents the authors’ rich and varied experience with decentralization and provides important lessons for other regions. The book begins with historical and geographical overview chapters, proceeding to more in-depth coverage in the region’s countries. Research findings stress rights, roles and responsibilities, on the one hand, and institutions including organization, capacity building, infrastructure and legal aspects, on the other. With these overarching themes in mind, the authors take on many controversial topics, examining inclusiveness in decision-making, justice and equity, criminal activity such as illegal logging and corruption, land use including rehabilitation and tenure, policy-practice gaps, community forestry, implications for household economies and environmental impacts such as fire. Several authors also address practical challenges related to financing and reinvestment in sustainable forest management under decentralized governance. Particular efforts have been made to examine decentralization at various scales from local to national and to address gender issues, which have previously been largely ignored in the decentralization discussions.

The result is a unique examination of decentralization issues in forestry with clear lessons for policy, forest management, research, development and conservation in forested areas across the globe from the tropics to temperature regions.
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Forest biodiversity monitoring programs, by evaluating the performance of existing management regimes and helping to identify opportunities for improved practice, represent an essential ingredient in the development of more sustainable management systems. Nevertheless many costly monitoring efforts are often little more than "tick the box" exercises that do little more than erode the credibility of science. The purpose of this book is to identify the key elements of a robust and pragmatic framework for how monitoring and evaluation programs can make a more meaningful contribution to the development of an ecologically sustainable system of forest use. To be meaningful monitoring programs need to be purposeful and grounded in clear objectives, effective in providing reliable assessments of the links between management activities and changes in forest biodiversity, and realistic in light of real-world financial, logistical and social constraints. Science can make a substantial contribution to achieving these aims but a key component of success lies in overcoming the organizational insularity that currently exists between researchers, managers and bureaucrats.

The first part of the book lays out the importance of biodiversity monitoring in achieving responsible management, and sheds light on the key obstacles and challenges that have thus far confounded attempts to integrate meaningful monitoring programs into forest management systems. The second part presents an operational framework for developing improved forest biodiversity monitoring systems. These proposals address the challenges central to the scoping, design and implementation stages of a forest biodiversity monitoring program, including the definition of program goals and objectives, the indicator selection process, and data collection, analysis and interpretation. The book is not intended to provide a "how-to manual" of technical issues but rather to encourage a broader appreciation of the purpose and overall design of an effective monitoring program, with a particular emphasis on designing monitoring programs that are successful in the context of real-world challenges and constraints. The book ends with a section on integrating biodiversity information into the bigger picture and how to frame and evaluate trade-offs in multiple use forests.
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Forests and forest lands around the world are a source of livelihoods for hundreds of millions of people. Contests over control and use of these forest resources are increasingly acute, and nowhere are they more intense than in South Asia. Although state forest administration is recorded in the earliest historical texts of the region, since the colonial period forest departments have extended and intensified scientific forest management in order to generate greater flows of timber and revenue, constructing policy in terms of colonial and later national development rather than as serving the public good. The impact on the use local people make of the forest for their livelihoods has been so negative that persistent civil unrest has ensued in many areas.

In recent decades participatory approaches to forest management have been introduced around the world. This book assesses their implementation in the highly politicized environments of India and Nepal. The authors critically examine the policy, implementation processes, and causal factors affecting livelihood impacts. Considering narratives and field practice, with data from over sixty study villages and over one thousand household interviews, the book demonstrates why particular field outcomes have occurred and why policy reform often proves so difficult.

Research findings on which the book is based are already influencing policy in India and Nepal, and the research and analysis have great relevance to forestry management in a wide range of countries. ... Read more

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Recent innovations in Sustainable Forest Management and Ecosystem Approaches are resulting in forests increasingly being managed as part of the broader social-ecological systems in which they exist. Forests in Landscapes reviews changes that have occurred in forest management in recent decades. Case studies from Europe, Canada, the United States, Russia, Australia, the Congo and Central America provide a wealth of international examples of innovative practices. Cross-cutting chapters examine the political ecology and economics of forest management, and review the information needs and the use and misuse of criteria and indicators to achieve broad societal goals for forests. A concluding chapter draws out the key lessons of changes in forest management in recent decades and sets out some thoughts for the future.

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* Examines the costs, benefits and impacts of the privatization of state owned forests
* Provides evidence-based lessons and guidance for policymakers and the forest industry from top international experts
* International cases studies from a range of developed and developing countries


Private sector delivery of state services is increasingly common worldwide and state forest plantation management is no exception. Increasingly governments are transferring rights and responsibilities to the private sector for state-owned plantations. Some claim that this road will achieve sustainable forest management, greater contributions to local livelihoods and poverty reduction. Others disagree.
This book examines the evidence and explores the many issues raised by these changing relationships between the state, the private sector and local livelihoods. Experiences from around the world are described through seven case studies from Australia, China, Chile, India, New Zealand, South Africa and the United Kingdom, and key lessons and clear guidance are provided on how governments can best achieve a balance between private and public involvement while continuing to deliver key social goods and services expected by all citizens. ... Read more

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Forest degradation as a result of logging, shifting cultivation, agriculture and urban development is a major issue throughout the tropics. It leads to loss in soil fertility, water resources and biodiversity, as well as contributing to climate change. Efforts are therefore required to try to minimize further degradation and restore tropical forests in a sustainable way.

This is the first research-based book to examine this problem in East Africa. The specific focus is on the forests of Ethiopia, Tanzania and Uganda, but the lessons learned are shown to be applicable to neighboring countries and others in the tropics. A wide range of forest types is covered, from dry Miombo forest and afromontane forests, to forest-savanna mosaics and wet forest types. Current management practices are assessed and examples of good practice presented. The role of local people is also emphasized. The authors describe improved management and restoration through silviculture, plantation forestry and agroforestry, leading to improvements in timber production, biodiversity conservation and the livelihoods of local people. ... Read more

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* Examines the huge global and local impacts of decentralization on forests, biodiversity, conservation, and the livelihoods of people
* In-depth case studies covering Europe/U.K., North and South America, Asia, Australia, and Africa
* Research supported by the major international forestry and conservation organizations including CIFOR, IUCN, WWF, UNFF, ITTO, FAO, USFS, World Bank, and ProForest

Decentralization is sweeping the world and having dramatic and far-reaching impacts on resource management and livelihoods, particularly in forestry. This book is the most up-to-date examination of the themes, experiences and lessons learned from decentralization worldwide. Drawing on research and support from all of the major international forestry and conservation organizations, the book provides a balanced account that covers the impact of decentralization on resource management worldwide and provides comparative global insights with wide implications for policy, management, conservation, and resource use and planning. This is state-of-the-art coverage of the critical issue of decentralization, vital for practitioners, academics, and policymakers across forestry and the full spectrum of natural resource management. ... Read more

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The destruction of the tropical forest is one of the major problems of our time. Vast areas are rapidly becoming wastelands which support only a few tough weeds, perhaps some cattle, and the farms allowed to the poor.
This book provides a vision of hope: in Latin America. Africa. And South East Asia, growing numbers of people are developing techniques specifically designed to promote the wise use and preservation of remaining forest lands. However, these grassroots strategies are often ignored in favour of grandiose schemes which inevitably fail. This pattern must be broken now or the tropical forests will be lost forever.

Published in association with the Smithsonian Institution. ... Read more

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The devolution of control over the world's forests from national or state and provincial level governments to local control is an ongoing global trend that deeply affects all aspects of forest management, conservation of biodiversity, control over resources, wealth distribution and livelihoods. This powerful new book from leading experts provides an in-depth account of how trends towards increased local governance are shifting control over natural resource management from the state to local societies, and the implications of this control for social justice and the environment.

The book is based on ten years of work by a team of researchers in Malinau, Indonesian Borneo, one of the world's richest forest areas. The first part of the book lays the theoretical framework and larger context in which changes in state and society relations have occurred and examines the theory of “state-in-society”, and the implications of this theory for decentralization's impact on power struggles between the state and society. Part two covers in detail how the devolution process has occurred in Malinau, the policy context, struggles and conflicts and how Malinau has organized itself. The third part of the book looks at the broader issues of property relations, conflict, local governance and political participation associated with decentralization. Importantly, it draws out the salient points for other international contexts including the important determination that cultural alliances, especially among ethnic minorities, are taking on greater prominence and ethnic minorities are finding new ways to influence forest policy in the world's richest forests.

Published with CIFOR. ... Read more

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*How to create policies in line with the political and market realities of one of the world's major natural resources
*Explains the process and criteria for policy that resolves forest problems and ensures equitable and sustainable use for all those involved
*The most authoritative study to date, based on extensive worldwide research
*Essential reading for forest managers in all contexts
*Foreword by Jag Maini

Forestry issues vary from place to place but the pattern of forest problems is common to most countries – loss of natural forests, centralized control, inequitable access, lack of information and resources, and ossified institutions. Policy is at the root of most of the problems.
This volume offers a thorough analysis of the issues and the options, and the factors that determine different outcomes. It goes on to provide clear and practical advice on how to formulate, manage and implement policies appropriate to different contexts -- policies that result in real improvements in the governance, use and economic benefits that can flow from forests to those who depend upon them. ... Read more

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Behind the headlines about the loss of tropical forests in Latin America lies a complex and fascinating story of the social pressures which cause it. Trees, People and Power looks at the various groups, interests and conflicts involved, and explores the repercussions for forestry, the environment and the livelihoods of the rural and urban poor.

Until the social and political dimensions of deforestation and forest protection schemes are understood, measures to prevent or slow deforestation are likely to involve technical interventions which will prove ineffective in the long run, and may well result in further impoverishment and environmental degradation. Peter Utting takes a critical look at the experience of forest protection and tree planting in a number of countries and considers how social and political factors affect the feasability of such schemes. Many environmental projects and programmes have failed to balance concerns for the environment with those of human welfare. Until they do, it is unrealistic to expect any significant progress towards sustainable development. ... Read more

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Deforestation is frequently a topic of discussion in the environmental arena. But it is not just the number of trees that matters; the quality of the forest is also important. Even where the forest area is stable or increasing, there are often rapid changes in its character. Natural forests are being replaced by plantations or by intensively managed forests. Around the world, forests are becoming younger and less diverse, in both species and structure; this has important impacts for biodiversity and also affects many human values.

In this groundbreaking book, forest quality is discussed as a useful new concept in forest conservation and management. Three main assessment criteria are used: authenticity, environmental benefits, and social and economic benefits. A methodology and protocol for collecting and analyzing data is described, and the approach needed with each indicator is outlined in detail. The authors advocate a landscape approach to assessment, as meeting conservation goals also means addressing human needs, and balancing the trade-offs involved is only possible at a landscape scale. A series of case studies demonstrates assessment throughout Europe, Africa, Asia, and Latin America, showing how this new method can be used in many ways to help forest conservation management. ... Read more

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Tropical rain forest is being cleared so rapidly and on such a scale that it is a major global environmental problem, threatening the survival of half of the world's plant and animal species and contributing to global climate change through the greenhouse effect. But, despite widespread concern for over twenty years, only limited progress has been made in controlling deforestation and improving forest management in the humid tropics. In this book, Alan Grainger offers afresh analysis of the causes of deforestation and presents an integrated strategy for controlling it. His strategy embraces agriculture, forestry and conservation and stresses the need for changes in government policies if land use is to be made more sustainable and the underlying causes of the problem are to be addressed.

Controlling Tropical Deforestation is essential reading for policy makers, agronomists, foresters, conservationists and development professionals. To general readers and students on introductory courses at schools and universities it also offers the first concise but comprehensive overview of the causes, scale and consequences of deforestation. ... Read more

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The depletion of the tropical rain forests has attracted considerable attention in recent times, and the serious consequences for the global biosphere are widely acknowledged. Yet deforestation continues apace, and in some areas (for example, southeast Asia) the very existence of the forests is seriously threatened. Contrary to popular belief, evidence suggests that local economic and living conditions are more significant in this than timber exploitation for exports to the Northern countries.

Tropical Deforestation: A Socio-Economic Approach offers a new perspective on the economic imperatives which encourage indigenous populations to encroach upon their own forests, and shows how action against deforestation must form part of a wider movement to improve both the living conditions of the local inhabitants and the durability of their national economies.

Part One offers an overview of the processes surrounding deforestation, and an assessment of the current situation. Part Two analyses the land-use issues, and explains the socioeconomic imperatives in the affected regions. In an absorbing conclusion. Part Three guides the reader through a series of hypothetical policy scenarios, using a specially adapted economic computer model, to predict which combinations of policies and trade arrangements might bring about a more beneficial state of affairs. ... Read more

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Winner of the International Studies Association's Harold and Margaret Sprout Award 2008 for the best book on international environmental problems.

In this timely book, David Humphreys, author of Forest Politics, extends his analysis of the main political developments in forest governance over the last decade including recent 2005 and 2006 negotiations at the UN. Humphreys shows how the unwillingness of many governments and businesses to grapple with the causes of deforestation has rendered the UN largely ineffective in protecting the public goods value of forests. As a result the crisis of deforestation has deepened. He tracks all the main intergovernmental forest processes and follows the creation of novel mechanisms to address forest certification and illegal logging, but argues that they alone cannot solve the problem. He concludes by suggesting some policy innovations to address one of the most pressing environmental problems of our age.
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The dry forests and woodlands of Sub-Saharan Africa are major ecosystems, with a broad range of strong economic and cultural incentives for keeping them intact. However, few people are aware of their importance, compared to tropical rainforests, despite them being home to more than half of the continent's population.

This unique book brings together scientific knowledge on this topic from East, West, and Southern Africa and describes the relationships between forests, woodlands, people and their livelihoods. Dry forest is defined as vegetation dominated by woody plants, primarily trees, the canopy of which covers more than 10% of the ground surface, occurring in climates with a dry season of three months or more. This broad definition–wider than those used by many authors–incorporates vegetation types commonly termed woodland, shrubland, thicket, savanna, wooded grassland, as well as dry forest in its strict sense.

The book provides a comparative analysis of management experiences from the different geographic regions, emphasizing the need to balance the utilization of dry forests and woodland products between current and future human needs. Further, the book explores the techniques and strategies that can be deployed to improve the management of African dry forests and woodlands for the benefit of all, but more importantly, the communities that live off these vegetation formations. Thus, the book lays a foundation for improving the management of dry forests and woodlands for the wide range of products and services they provide. ... Read more

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Much of the world's tropical timber is still supplied from natural forest, but under current systems of management the forests are rapidly becoming exhausted. Unless management practices change to become genuinely sustainable, neither the forests nor the essential contribution of the timber industry to many economies will survive.

Duncan Poore reviews the extent to which natural forests are already being sustainably managed for timber production, and looks at how these practices can be enlarged. He places management for timber in the wider context of tropical forest conservation and outlines a strategy for further action. Thoroughly researched and accessibly written, this book will be useful for everyone working or interested in the subject of tropical forests. ... Read more

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Clawson is concerned here not so much with what forest policy should be, but more with the criteria by which it should be determined. He lists such questions as how much land to devote to forests, how much timber to harvest and the best means of harvesting it, and the compatibility or incompatibility of forest uses as the issues to be dealt with in formulating forest policy. ... Read more