Ecological Patterns and the Property Status of Minor Forest Products in East Kalimantan, Indonesia

Abstract

"Why are some forest products in Borneo held by villages as common property while others are owned more privately? We argue that these differences in property status reflect differences in the natural characteristics of tropical forest resources, specifically ecological patterns of spatial distribution (dispersed vs. concentrated) and temporal availability (predictable vs. unpredictable). Typical forest products are dispersed and unpredictable, and are owned as common property, while those exceptional resources that are concentrated and predictable tend to be privately owned. However, we also recognize that people's adaptations to particular, local circumstances can lead to property arrangements not explicable in terms of resource characteristics."