Browsing by Author "Larson, Anne"

Now showing 1 - 14 of 14

Decentralisation and Devolution in Nicaragua's North Atlantic Autonomous Region: Natural Resources and Indigenous Peoples' Rights
(2012) Larson, Anne; Lewis-Mendoza, Jadder
"A number of governments, particularly in Latin America, have begun to recognise the rights of indigenous peoples and traditional communities to the lands on which they live. Recognition has often taken the form of constitutional provisions or laws that grant use rights in perpetuity or provide land titles. These provisions usually establish rights for multiple communities over a large territory, at a scale that may be ideal for promoting broader, ecosystem management approaches. At the same time, however, indigenous communities often do not have existing territorial governance structures at these scales. Nicaragua’s North Atlantic Autonomous Region provides a rich setting in which to study issues of multilevel natural resource governance. In addition to the devolution policies that have created official indigenous territories, the central government has decentralised important powers over natural resources to the regional autonomous authority, while municipal authorities still exist but have been marginalised. At the same time, however, the community scale is the one at which local people have traditionally managed resources. This paper examines these issues in light of efforts to establish democratic governance institutions at the territory level and argues that communities continue to lose out under multilevel governance regimes without concerted efforts to level the playing field. The findings are based on several years of research in the region, emerging research on newly titled territories and a six month training and dialogue with territory leaders, organised by a consortium of international and local NGOs."
Enhancing Forest Tenure Reforms through More Responsive Regulations
(2012) Larson, Anne; Pulhin, Juan M.
"Forest tenure reforms have offered new opportunities for communities to obtain formal rights to forests and forest benefits, but at the same time a variety of limitations are placed on livelihood options. This article draws on several case studies of reforms in Africa, Asia and Latin America to analyse the regulations accompanying reforms. It identifies three types of regulations, namely rules that limit areas available to local communities; rules that delineate conservation areas and impose related limits on use; and bureaucratic requirements for permits and management plans, which restrict the commercial use and marketing of valuable forest products. It discusses problems with these regulations, and proposes a simple framework for identifying ways to promote regulations that work for forest conservation but are more responsive to the needs of communities and forests."
Exclusion and Inclusion in Latin American Forestry: Whither Decentralization?
(2006) Larson, Anne; Pacheco, Pablo; Toni, Fabiano; Vallejo, Mario
"Forestry decentralization offers new opportunities for participation in decision-making regarding natural resources and for greater local resource control. Yet previous research has found that decentralizations, at least in the way that they are implemented, may also have detrimental effects on forest-dependent peoples. Far more needs to be done to understand how decentralization affects livelihoods through changes in governance institutions. This effort requires a comprehensive understanding of both the national context and specific local dynamics. This paper represents a synthesis of the findings of research on forestry decentralizations in Bolivia, Brazil, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua. It has two principal goals: to propose a theoretical framework to conceptualize more effectively the relationship among decentralization, governance and livelihoods; and to assess the current state of forestry decentralizations in Latin America, with particular attention to the role of sub-national governments and the effects on 'marginalized' forest-dependent groups. "With regard to current trends in decentralization, the research finds both gains and losses for sub-national governments, often within the same country. The greatest gains in terms of decentralized decision-making over forests have come primarily through contractual arrangements between sub-national governments and forestry institutes and through certain land tenure policies. With regard to marginalized groups, however, the research found that forestry in general is not a sector in which small producers are able to improve their welfare without specific policies operating in their favor, and for decentralization to have a positive effect, it has to come hand in hand with other measures- particularly those that address structural inequities, such as property rights and access to financial resources and technologies. That is, forestry decentralizations do not necessarily benefit these groups and appear to do so only when this is a specific policy goal."
Forest Governance, Decentralization and REDD+ in Latin America
(2010) Petkova, Elena; Larson, Anne; Pacheco, Pablo
"Forests and their governance have received increased attention in recent years. One factor that has stimulated this renewed interest is the appreciation of deforestation as a significant contributor to greenhouse gas emissions. The emerging REDD+ mechanism (reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation) under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) is being designed with the goal of using financial incentives to enhance the role of forests in curbing climate change."
Forest Tenure Reform: New Resource Rights for Forest-based Communities?
(2012) Larson, Anne; Dahal, Ganga Ram
"This introductory article is organised as follows. The following section introduces the research project, methods and types of reform studied. Section 3 reviews key aspects of the international context that led to reforms. Section 4 presents the cases included in the research, country by country, with a short introduction to the two additional cases. Section 5 briefly discusses some of the central research findings before closing with an introduction to each of the articles in this special section."
Formalizing Indigenous Commons: The Role of 'Authority' in the Formation of Territories in Nicaragua, Bolivia and the Philippines
(2011) Larson, Anne; Cronkleton, Peter
"Indigenous peoples have sometimes sought the formalization of their customary territories to demand the enforcement of their borders, which have often not been respected by outsiders or the state. The process of formalization, however, generates new conflicts. This article explores how the recognition of indigenous forest commons is connected to questions about authority. For communal properties in particular, issues of ‘authority’ are central to shaping how decisions are made, whose opinion or knowledge is taken into account and how access to land and natural resources is determined in practice. The process of constituting collective territories is intimately related to the constitution of authority, as it involves not only the negotiation of physical boundaries but also the recognition of a particular entity to represent the collective. Though an entity that holds leadership powers may already exist, it is likely to be endowed with new decision-making powers and responsibilities; and in many cases a new entity will have to be created. This is not a ‘local’ process but rather emerges at the intersection of relations between the community, or territory, and the state. Similarly, given that ‘authority’ implies legitimacy, such legitimacy will have to be produced. Drawing on a comparison of cases of two indigenous territories in Nicaragua and Bolivia and an ancestral domain in the Philippines, this article shows how authority emerges from often conflictive processes of constructing the commons and shapes community rights to--and powers over--forests and forest resources."
From Agrarian to Forest Tenure Reforms in Latin America: Assessing Their Impacts for Local People and Forests
(2008) Pacheco, Pablo; Barry, Deborah; Cronkleton, Peter; Larson, Anne; Monterroso, Iliana
"This paper assesses a new wave of land reform underway in Latin America, which we have labeled a 'forest reform.' This forest reform is aimed at harmonizing development and conservation concerns, while taking into account the demands of indigenous peoples, extractive communities and smallholders regarding secure land tenure rights and improved institutional, market and legal conditions for sustainable forest management. While the shift from agrarian to forest tenure reform is an important step for enhancing the livelihoods and cultures of forest-based people, these reforms fall short of achieving their expected goals due to shortcomings in national policy frameworks, combined with restrictive market, and other institutional conditions that tend to be biased against smallholders and community forestry. Recognition of existing --or the granting of new-- tenure rights to these actors, renewed efforts for adapting local institutions to evolving contexts and the development or strengthening of economic and social coalitions with other forest actors are all crucial factors for overcoming the almost insurmountable barriers for smallholders and communities to improving livelihoods and prospering from the sustainable management of their forests. Reconciling these efforts with conservation principles and implementing realistic policies based on a more nuanced understanding of the strengths and constraints faced by community level stakeholders, as well as of market conditions they interact with, constitute the principal tasks for the state to deepen forest reforms."
Indigenous Peoples, Representation and Citizenship in Guatemalan Forestry
(2006) Larson, Anne
"Though decision-making is still largely centralized, Guatemalan municipal governments can now play a key role in local forest management, and, with some exceptions, these authorities have been the principle local institutions empowered to participate in natural resource authority. Whereas some theorists argue that such elected authorities are the most likely to be representative and downwardly accountable, others have raised serious concerns regarding the ability of these political institutions to represent the interests of minority and/or historically excluded or oppressed groups. In particular, Latin American indigenous movements are fighting for new conceptions of democracy and practices of representation that recognize collective rights and respect for customary law and authority. This paper explores the extent to which elected municipal versus traditional indigenous authorities represent the interests and needs of indigenous communities with regard to forest management. It first traces the historical context of relations between indigenous people and the state in the region, then presents the findings from case studies in two Guatemalan municipalities. It finds that both authorities have some strengths as well as important weaknesses, thus supporting arguments for hybrid solutions and the conscious reinvention of both liberal democracy and tradition in the interest of inclusive citizenship."
Indigenous Peoples, Representation and Citizenship in Guatemalan Forestry
(2008) Larson, Anne
"Forestry decision-making is still largely centralised in Guatemala. Nevertheless, elected municipal governments can now play a key role in local forest management. These local governments, with some exceptions, are the principal local institutions empowered to participate in natural resource authority. Some theorists argue that such elected local officials are the most likely to be representative and downwardly accountable. But do these political institutions have the ability to represent the interests of minority and historically excluded or oppressed groups? Latin American indigenous movements are fighting for new conceptions of democracy and practices of representation that recognise collective rights and respect for customary law and authority. How does this approach weigh against elected local government? This article compares how elected municipal governments versus traditional indigenous authorities represent the interests of indigenous communities in forest management. It traces the historical context of relations between indigenous people and the state in the region, and then presents the findings from case studies in two Guatemalan municipalities. The article finds that both authorities have some strengths as well as important weaknesses, thus supporting arguments for the reinvention of both liberal democracy and tradition in the interest of inclusive citizenship."
Indigenous Peoples, Representation and Citizenship in Guatemalan Forestry
(2007) Larson, Anne
"Forestry decision-making is still largely centralized in Guatemala. Nevertheless, elected municipal governments can now play a key role in local forest management. These local governments, with some exceptions, are the principal local institutions empowered to participate in natural resource authority. Some theorists argue that such elected local authorities are the most likely to be representative and downwardly accountable. But, do these political institutions have the ability to represent the interests of minority and historically excluded or oppressed groups? Latin American indigenous movements are fighting for new conceptions of democracy and practices of representation that recognize collective rights and respect for customary law and authority. How does this approach compare with elected local government? This paper compares how elected municipal governments versus traditional indigenous authorities represent the interests of indigenous communities in forest management. It traces the historical context of relations between indigenous people and the state in the region, and then presents the findings from case studies in two Guatemalan municipalities. The paper finds that both authorities have some strengths as well as important weaknesses, thus supporting arguments for the conscious reinvention of both liberal democracy and tradition in the interest of inclusive citizenship."
Land Tenure Rights and Access to Forests in Nicaragua's North Atlantic Autonomous Region: Making the Rules of the Game
(2008) Larson, Anne
"Nicaraguan indigenous groups won property rights to their historic territories with the enactment of the Communal Lands Law in 2003. The law establishes mechanisms and institutions for land demarcation and titling, the extent and limits of third party rights, and procedures for natural resource exploitation designed to guarantee community consent. It also formally recognizes each communitys right to choose its own authorities and establishes mechanisms for their certification. This paper is based on research examining the extent to which new tenure rights have, in practice, resulted in increased access to forest benefits in two indigenous territories in Nicaragua's North Atlantic Autonomous Region (RAAN). The article explores concepts of rights, property, access and authority in the process of constructing the 'rules of the game' in the formalization of community property rights. The recognition of traditional lands is a highly political process that shapes the nature of rights through the act of formalization. It is forcing institutional changes at the community level in order to fit the model being imposed by the regional government. Based on conflicting priorities, actors at different scales pursue different configurations of territory that shape control over land and natural resources and over political power. The article argues that what is fundamentally at stake is the nature of the authority that will enforce the rules."
Participation and Decentralized Forest Management: Social Effects of Local Government Initiatives
(2004) Larson, Anne; Zeledon, Virginia
"This article is based on research undertaken in eight Nicaraguan municipalities (Bonanza, Chichigalpa, Dipilto, El Castillo, EstelaÃ?Â, Mozonte, Siuna and Tola), as well as an analysis of several laws and institutions at the national level. The case studies involved in-depth interviews with local and central government officials, local resource users and NGO and project officials. The municipalities were chosen to include those representing the three most important forestry contexts in the country: deforested areas (3), pine forests (2) and broad-leaf forests (3), as well as municipalities both with and without protected areas. In particular we selected municipalities that had clearly taken some kind of initiatives in the forestry sector, whether these were beneficial or not for forests or local people. Based on these case studies, this article examines the types of local forestry initiatives being promoted, the effects on resource users and the role of local participation in municipal government decisions. Though the research is preliminary, the results suggest a clear correlation between effective participation and the absence of corruption or elite capture by logging companies, but participation alone does not guarantee positive results for resource users. One of the most important factors found to adversely affect these local actors is a dominant ideology of conservation that sees resource users as the problem in deforestation. The research suggests that the main initiatives providing direct, positive benefits for local resource managers were those that took the resource users themselves as their starting point for intervention. The next section of this paper discusses the theoretical benefits of decentralization and some of the problems found with its implementation in practice. The ensuing section briefly presents the legal and institutional framework of forestry in Nicaragua. The following section presents the findings from the case studies. This is followed by the conclusions."
Reducing REDD Risks: Affirmative Policy on an Uneven Playing Field
(2012) Ribot, Jesse C.; Larson, Anne
"In spite of reforms since the end of the colonial period and more-recent discourses of participation and democracy, the forestry policy environment rarely supports the needs or aspirations of rural communities. Even when policies appear fair, the rural poor face severe biases in implementation. In addition, the poor must compete on an uneven playing field of class, ethnic and other social inequities and economic hurdles. With the development of the global forest (carbon) conservation strategy such as Reduced Emissions from Degradation and Deforestation (REDD), which is ushering in accelerated forest commodification, poor people living in forests risk further marginalisation, exclusion and rights abuses. This article examines how forestry policy and implementation maintain double standards on this uneven playing field in a manner that continues to exclude the rural poor from the natural wealth around them. Poverty is not just about being left out of economic growth. It is produced by the very policies that enable some to profit--today from timber, firewood and charcoal, tomorrow from carbon. For REDD interventions to support poverty alleviation, forestry policies must be radically reworked to counterbalance widespread regressive policies and structural asymmetries. To make forestry policy emancipatory, strong social protections or safeguards are still needed that require REDD and other interventions to support and work through local democratic institutions. Otherwise these policies will continue their regressive trends."
Tenure Rights and Beyond: Community Access to Forest Resources in Latin America
(2005) Larson, Anne; Cronkleton, Peter; Barry, Deborah; Pacheco, Pablo
"This occasional paper is the result of research carried out from 2006 to 2008 on the effects of new tenure rights for forest-based communities in Latin America on access to forest resources and benefits. Focused on seven different regions in four countries, the paper examines changes in statutory rights, the implementation of those rights in practice, and the extent to which they have led to tangible new benefits from forests, particularly to new sources of income. The research sites included several types of conservation and settlement communities in the Brazilian Amazon, an indigenous territory and agro-extractive communities in Bolivia, indigenous territories in Nicaragua and community forest concessions and highland communal forests in Guatemala. Though the granting of tenure rights signifies an important achievement for many communities, new statutory rights do not automatically turn into rights in practice. Virtually all of the cases--even those in which benefits have been significant--encountered substantial challenges along the road from rights to benefits: conflicts with other resource claimants; the failure of the state to define the tenure right appropriately or defend it effectively; problems with local authorities and governance institutions; the superposition of new models over existing institutions; obstacles to community engagement with markets; and the lack of systems to support forest resource management. The bundle of rights granted is sometimes overwhelmed by an accompanying bundle of responsibilities, or limited by restrictions on use, and may include an important ongoing decision-making role for certain state authorities. Institutional arrangements are also shaped by a variety of local authorities, some of which have been created or given substantial new powers in the reform process but lack experience and clear accountability relations. The state often appears more concerned with establishing management regulations than with defending community rights; for their part, communities and their organizations are forced to waste time and resources defending their rights from outside interests, rather than using these to strengthen local governance and forest management capacity. Policy frameworks have generally failed to establish an enabling environment for endogenous, community-based management opportunities. The gains that have been won and the potential of these processes demonstrate the value of promoting efforts to overcome these obstacles."