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Changing governance of the world's forests
Arun Agrawal1, Ashwini Chhatre, Rebecca Hardin
1School of Natural Resources and Environment, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA. arunagra@umich.edu
Science (New York, N.Y.)
|June 17, 2008
Summary
Effective forest governance relies less on formal ownership and more on community and market actors. Future challenges from climate change and competing demands necessitate adaptive strategies for sustainable forest management.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Science
- Forestry
- Governance Studies
Background:
- Contemporary forest governance features decentralization, logging concessions, and timber certification.
- Forest ownership is often governmental, but governance effectiveness is diverging from formal ownership structures.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze key features of current forest governance.
- To identify future challenges to forest governance effectiveness.
- To propose necessary adaptations for future forest governance.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of contemporary forest governance trends.
- Identification of factors influencing governance effectiveness.
- Projection of future challenges based on current trends and external pressures.
Main Results:
- Forest governance effectiveness is increasingly independent of formal government ownership.
- Decentralization, concessions, and certification are major governance features, primarily in temperate zones.
- Climate change and competing demands for resources present significant future governance challenges.
Conclusions:
- Future forest governance must adapt beyond traditional ownership models.
- Increased involvement of community and market actors is crucial for effective governance.
- Addressing climate change impacts and resource competition requires a focus on governance effectiveness factors.
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