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Vol. 2 No. 1 (2018): APRIL

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Transforming forest landscape conflicts: the promises and perils of global forest management initiatives such as REDD+

https://doi.org/10.24259/fs.v2i1.3203
Seth Kane
Henry M. Jackson School of International Studies, University of Washington
Ahmad Dhiaulhaq
Australian National University
http://orcid.org/0000-0001-6420-9936
Lok Mani Sapkota
RECOFTC- The Center for People and Forests
http://orcid.org/0000-0002-4954-0126
David Gritten
RECOFTC- The Center for People and Forests
http://orcid.org/0000-0003-4348-8088

Corresponding Author(s) : Lok Mani Sapkota

lok.sapkota@recoftc.org

Forest and Society, Vol. 2 No. 1 (2018): APRIL

Abstract

Implementation of Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+) is designed to relieve pressure on tropical forests, however, many are concerned that it is a threat to the rights of forest communities. These potential risks need serious attention as earlier studies have shown that the Asia-Pacific region is a forest conflict hotspot, with many economic, environmental and social implications at global (e.g. climate change) to local levels (e.g. poverty). Drawing on an analysis of nine case studies from four countries (Cambodia, Myanmar, Nepal and Vietnam) this paper examines why and how REDD+ can be a driver for forest conflict and how it also has the potential to simultaneously transform these conflicts. The analytical framework, “sources of impairment”, applied in the study was developed to increase understanding and facilitate the resolution of forest landscape conflicts in a sustainable manner (i.e. transformation). The main findings are that REDD+ can be a source of conflict in the study sites, but also had transformative potential when good practices were followed. For example, in some sites, the REDD+ projects were sources of impairment for forest communities by restricting access to forest resources. However, the research also identified REDD+ projects that enabled the participation of traditionally marginalized groups and built local forest management capacities, leading to strengthened tenure for some forest communities. Similarly, in some countries REDD+ has served as a mechanism to pilot Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC), which will likely have significant impacts in mitigating conflicts by addressing the sources at local to national levels. Based on these findings, there are many reasons to be optimistic that REDD+ can address the underlying causes of forest landscape conflicts, especially when linked with other governance initiatives such as Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade – Voluntary Participation Agreements (FLEGT-VPA). 

Keywords

forest landscape conflict transformation forest governance REDD FLEGT VPA FPIC
Kane, S., Dhiaulhaq, A., Sapkota, L. M., & Gritten, D. (2018). Transforming forest landscape conflicts: the promises and perils of global forest management initiatives such as REDD+. Forest and Society, 2(1), 1-17. https://doi.org/10.24259/fs.v2i1.3203
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Author Biographies

Ahmad Dhiaulhaq, Australian National University
Ahmad Dhiaulhaq is currently a PhD student at the Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University. He holds a master’s degree in Environment (M.Env) from the University of Melbourne. Prior to his PhD study, Ahmad worked as a forest conflict researcher at RECOFTC–The Center for People and Forests, based in Bangkok, Thailand. In the last few years his research has focused on forest and land conflict transformation, including an analysis of the application of mediation in transforming forest and land conflicts in Indonesia, Thailand and Cambodia, and an analysis of the existing and future conflicts under REDD+ implementation.
David Gritten, RECOFTC- The Center for People and Forests
Dr. (D.Sc. Agriculture and Forestry), Advisor to the DEBEG project. Project Manager at the Center for People and Forest (RECOFTC). His expertise is on Social sciences, forest governance, and forest conflicts
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