Off-Reserve Forest Conflicts:

Transcription

1 Interna'onal Training and Research Group Off-Reserve Forest Conflicts: Governance Realities on the Ground and future challenges for REDD+ instrument implementation in Southern Forest Ecological Zones of Ghana. International Workshop Governance of Ecosystem Services: Challenges for Sustainable Development 10 11March 2014 in Frankfurt am Main, Germany. Venue: LOEWE Biodiversität und Klima Forschungszentrum (BiK-F) Georg-Voigt-Str Frankfurt am Main. Cosmas Kombat Lambini PhD Researcher Bayreuth Center for Ecology and Environmental Research(BayCEER) Bayreuth University, Germany

2 Outline 1.Background 1.1. Ghana Forest Sector Management in Perspective 1.2.The Research Problem setting 1.3. Research Objectives and hypothesis 2. Research design and Methods 3.Theoretical and Conceptual Approach 4. Preliminary Results 4.1. Forest Conflict Cases 4.2. REDD+ Ex-ante Risk Analysis 5.Discussion and Conclusion

3 Background: Ghana Forest Sector Management in Perspective Ghana s regions and 6 Ecological Zones Created through colonial system (Gazetting) Reserves and off-reserves Naturally regenerated trees on farms, fallow lands, patches of natural forest stands A total of million (highest share of the forest) In the 80s&90s, contributed 80% 2008 and 2009 contributing 20% of revenues

4 Variables Background Key descriptive statistics of Ghana forests. Ghana Rural population (%) 50 Total land area (000ha) 22, 754 Total forest area (000ha) 4,940 Total forest to land area (%) 22 Annual change rate of forest trends/deforestation rate (%) Primary forest area (%) 8 Forest for protection of soil and water (%) 7 Biodiversity conservation (%) 1 National biodiversity index Forest growing stock (000m3) 291, 000 Forest devolution, local participation and clearer forest reforms Medium ODA disbursement for the forest sector (million $) Engagement in REDD+ initiatives High but medium low capacity of technical readiness FLEGT VPA Timeline Governance High Ratified (3 rd phase) Social Forestry Medium Source: FAOSTAT Forestry database 2010; OECD Forest Resources Statistics Database 2012

5 Background:The research problem setting Off-reserves characterised with over exploitations with different property rights Formal institutions with higher control of forest resources Increased illegalities in the off reserve area Forest fringe communities have weak property rights Increasing forest conflicts

6 Background: Research objectives and hypothesis To identify the dynamics and drivers of forest conflicts To establish linkages between forest conflicts and forest ecosystem services supply in off reserves (provisioning i.e bushmeat, firewoods and regulating services i.e. carbon) To assess coping strategies of farmers To catalogue risks of these conflicts in future REDD+ programmes H1. REDD+ instruments are more likely to increase forest conflicts in off-reserves hence lost in supply of ecosystem services.

7 Research design and Methodology: The case study Off- reserves as Unit of Analysis Case study approach Criteria for the selection of the case study area PRA Tools Qualitative approach

8 Theoretical and Conceptual Approach Forest Institutional Property Rights and Glasl s Conflict Theory Unclear Property Rights Differences in the Formal and Informal Law Behaviour of actor A Experienced as impairment by actor B Excludabity and Rivalry C.K. Lambini, T.T. Nguyen / Forest Policy and Economics 38 (2014) Adopted from Glasl s Model (1997)

9 Results: Off-Reserve Forest Conflicts Case Study Types of Forest conflicts in the forest sector 1. Forest land use decision-making 2. Benefit sharing 3. Access to timber and Non-Timber Forest Products (NTFPs) 4. Crop damage compensation payment Complex bundles of rights and interests and have been fields of power struggles Skewed power share among Chiefs, the Forestry Commission, timber companies and community members are embedded in forest conflicts.

10 Results: Off-Reserve Forest Conflicts Case Study Problem tree analysis of the complex conflict

11 Results: Off-Reserve Forest Conflicts Case Study Coping strategies of farmers in compensation conflict

12 Results: Off-Reserve Forest Conflicts Case Study SRAs, BSA Field survey, 2013

13 Results: Off-Reserve Forest Conflicts Case Study Reserve and Off-Reserve Revenue Allocation Stakeholders Percentage of Revenue Allocated Accrued from Stool Lands as outlined by Article 267, Section 6 of the 1992 Republican Constitution of Ghana Percentage of Revenue from Stumpage Fees Allocated Forest Reserves Off-Reserve Forestry Commission OASL (Office of Administration of Stool Lands) District Assemblies Stool Chief (Alienation Holder) Traditional Council TOTAL

14 Results: REDD+ Ex-ante Risk Analysis REDD+ became part of the global climate change agenda at the climate summit in Bali in The instrument is to reward those who control forests for not deforesting or degrading them by estimating a reference (or baseline) level of carbon in forests and then providing payments for any carbon stored above this level. Implementing a REDD+ PES system poses significant challenges (see Pattanayak, Wunder, and Ferraro 2010 and Wunder 2007).

15 Results: REDD+ Ex-ante Risk Analysis Selection of REDD+ national policies for the ex-ante analysis Risks posed by the REDD+ instrument for further modes of governance and forest conflicts and lost of ecosystem services 1. Financial flow and corruption in the formal and informal sector 2. Land and carbon tenure and rights 3. Social standards 4. Environmental standards

16 5.Discussion and Conclusion Forest conflicts is predominant in the forest sector. These conflicts have several impacts on the supply of ecosystem services REDD+ Instrument could further escalate or de (escalate) forest conflicts in off-reserves Identify innovative REDD+ benefit sharing and model for distribution Contribute to forest ecosystem services governance literature

17 Thank you!