Digital Library of the Commons

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Now showing 1 - 9 of 9

Adaptabilidad Institucional: Dinamicas en la Evolucion de los Sistemas Socio-Ccologicos de Uso del Agua en Espana
(2009) Florensa, Meritxell Costeja
"The evolution of institutions is an increasing concern among scholars interested in institutional analysis. This study investigates the processes of institutional adaptation regarding the use of common property resources. The evolution of social-ecological systems (SESs) based on the use of water resources in Spain is the main object of study. In particular, it focuses on the factors that can positively influence the adaptive capacity of SESs to internal and external disturbances. "It is argued that the changes agents that constitue a novelty and are of an intensity not experienced before by the system can have the potential of increasing the vulnerabilty of the SES beyond its resilience. The homogeneity of perceptions and interests among the group of users of the resource, the availability of information and the presence of leadership appear as the combination of factors which exert a greater influence on the adaptive capacity of the system to these changes. The intervention of upper levels in the governance structure can also have a positive effect on the adaptability of the SESs, specially in those SESs in which the presence of leadership, the existence of participative common ground arenas and a certain degree of autonomy of the system have been identified."
Fisheries Co-Management in the Lower Amazon: An Evaluation of the Voluntary Monitoring System
(2006) Almeida, Oriana T.; Amaral, Lucilene; McGrath, David
"During the last 5 years the Brazilian government environmental agency Ibama implemented a co-management system in which communities of the Amazon floodplain have developed management systems to monitor and enforce fishing agreements. The objective of this research is to evaluate the monitoring system for community management, and to compare the costs incurred by participating communities and the federal government. The research involved interviews with 41 Volunteer Environmental Agents (VEAs) trained by IBAMA (out of a total of 144) from 32 communities to examine the management and enforcement activities of the VEAs. Included in the research was an examination of the monitoring systems used by participating communities, the number of patrols taken by VEAs per year, the people involved in each surveillance trip, and the costs of labor, food and materials. IBAMA agents were interviewed to estimate the costs of training and the costs of patrols carried out by the federal agency. Results showed that communities organized on average 3 meetings per year to discuss participation in the voluntary system. Communities also carried out 32 patrols per year consisting of 6 members and lasting approximately 13 hours each. IBAMA undertook 20 8 day trips to visit 32 communities. The VEAs evaluated the monitoring system as successful. They reported only two conflicts per community per year. Monitoring costs for the community included food, gas and opportunity costs of labour, amounting to R$221000/yr for all communities. IBAMA had a total cost of R$120.000. Communities dedicate 326 person days per year to monitoring lake fisheries. The federal government dedicates 5 days per community to monitoring activities. In addition to the lack of financial support by the government, 58% of VEAs also report a lack of support by community members as a key problem of the volunteer system and 25% of VEAs report a lack of support by IBAMA. VEAs further report a reduction in community participation in the volunteer system by 25% in the last five years. The lack of participation by community members shows that there is little incentive for community members to participate in the system. Payment of community labour by the federal government might reduce the risk of failure. The system would still be inexpensive compared to the cost to IBAMAÃ?â??Ã?ÂŽs under the traditional model. For example, if the total community investment were undertaken by the federal government the costs of monitoring the lakes would be R$1,992,895. This figure is 21 times larger then the present estimated cost of community labour (R$ 95,454.55). If the federal government would pay the cost of labour to the community (R$11/day of work), the system could become sustainable. With the reduction in volunteer participation in the monitoring system, only financial support by the federal government will sustain the monitoring system that is essential to the viability of the community management system. "
Decentralisation Sans Representation: Le Charbon de Bois Entre les Collectivites Locales et l'Etat
(2006) Kante, Ahmadou M.
La presente etude porte sur deux villages d'une collectivite locale du Senegal. Elle consiste en une analyse de la problematique de la representation politique locale, a travers la production de charbon de bois dans une foret dont la gestion est devolue aux elus locaux depuis la loi de la decentralisation, en 1996, par le biais des competences transferees. Cette etude montre que si l'on retient comme critere l'obligation des elus de rendre compte aux administres villageois et de repondre a leurs aspirations, en matiere d'exploitation forestiere, l'effet politique de la decentralisation est plutot faible, voire insignifiant, en terme de promotion de la democratie locale. En effet, c'est l'existence d'une institution suffisamment reconnue comme decideur principal qui determine la conscience et/ou les actions--sanctions--de controle des administres vis-a-vis de leurs representants, et nos resultats montrent que cette condition n'est pas encore realisee. "La repartition inappropriee des pouvoirs et ressources entre l'Etat et la collectivite locale explique, dans une certaine mesure, la faible efficacite des elus locaux en matiere forestiere, ainsi que les dysfonctionnements du couple deconcentration/ decentralisation. "En matiere d'exploitation forestiere, les elus locaux ont pose des conditions au demarrage de la campagne qui renseignent sur les pouvoirs qu'ils revendiquent et que les textes actuels ne leur conferent pas. Le poids des interets partisans et le manque de transparence et de repartition claire des roles et responsabilites au sein du conseil rural ont paralyse l'action publique locale. Il y a toujours plus local que le local suppose. Les elus locaux ne sont pas toujours en phase avec les administres villageois. En effet, ils ne percoivent pas ou ne prennent pas toujours en consideration la logique et la diversite des preoccupations de leurs administres, aussi bien entre les villages qu'au sein d'un meme village. "Le rapport se termine par un certain nombre de recommandations dont la mise en application devrait aider a ameliorer la GRN au niveau des communautes rurales, notamment en rendant les conseils ruraux plus responsables vis-a-vis de ceux qui les ont elus."
The Tragedy of the Common Heritage of Mankind
(2008) Shackelford, Scott
"This article develops a framework for property rights over natural resources in the international commons by first building a foundation for discussion. Part I analyzes the historical evolution of sovereignty over the commons from Westphalia to such modern notions as popular sovereignty. This analysis demonstrates that a combination of factors drove this evolution, but foremost among them was technological progress. Part II examines property rights in international law, including how the international law of the sea has developed over time to allow greater private economic development. Part III focuses on how proprietary rights already exist in the commons, and illustrates how these rights can be employed to avoid the tragedy of the commons scenario. In the future, the CHM regime will be further modified by capital exporting nations with advanced extractive industries, as has already occurred in the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), to allow for private exploitation demonstrating the extent to which technological progress impacts sovereignty over the commons. In conclusion, I argue that a modified leasehold system somewhat reminiscent of the Homestead Act could maintain the pillars of the CHM principle while allowing for limited property rights and sustainable economic development in the commons."
Indonesia and the 1997-98 El Nino: Fire Problems and Long-Term Solutions
(1998) Byron, Neil; Shepherd, Gill
"The 1997-98 El Nino is among the strongest recorded and low rainfall in Indonesia set the conditions for widespread fires. At the same time, it is clearer during this particular El Nino than it has been in the past that many fires are being deliberately set. They must be understood in the context of competing land-claims from government and private companies on the one hand, and local people with customary rights to land on the other. The 1997 El Nino is the first in which the resources of Land Satellite imagery and the Internet have been harnessed to demonstrate quite clearly where the fires are taking place, and why."
Le Quota est Mort, Vive le Quota! Ou les Vicissitudes de la Reglementation de l'Exploitation du Charbon de Bois au Senegal
(2006) Dialigue-Ba, El Hadji
"Le present rapport a pour cadre la filiere du charbon de bois au Senegal. Le charbon de bois est principalement produit dans les regions orientale et australe du pays. Pour l'annee 2005, sur les 500,000 quintaux officiels, 256,830 ont ete affectes a la region de Kolda et 243,170 a la region de Tambacounda. La filiere du charbon fait intervenir des acteurs qui se situent a des niveaux differents dans les chaines de production, de commercialisation, de consommation, de reglementation et de controle. Ces acteurs sont, a des degres divers, concernes par le systeme du quota qui constitue la piece maitresse de l'exploitation du charbon de bois au Senegal."
Study on Benefits Accured to the Community by the Revegetation of Uplands in Sinkul, Balikiari, Dholposi, Konkonaat Foundation for Ecological Security (angul) Orissa
(2008) Biswal, Nilendri; Misra, A.; Mukhirjee, B.
"While implementing a project of regenerating degraded forests, one often faces the question of justifying the benefits that would accrue from the initiative. If this project has already been implemented then the issue changes to is, if the existing biomass sufficient to suffice the demand of the community. "This is an attempt at evaluation of Khesara (village forest) which is an exclusive example of common property .The khesara forests are conserved by collective action of peoples institution (e.g. Balikiari-village in orissa has peoples institution in form of Balimal Bana Sanchalan Samiti). It is an attempt to bring out the relationship between Institutions (Van Suraksha Samiti, Village Forest Protection Committee), Agriculture, People and Forests. It seeks to establish link between forest regeneration and increased moisture for improving agriculture. "Further this paper seeks to evaluate the health of the Khesara Forest by qualitative (Biodiversity) and Quantitative means (Biomass). "The paper analyses the impact of revegetation in the uplands of Orissa and the various benefits accrued from them. The various related aspects with respect to cropping pattern before and now, moisture regime of the area, soil erosion before and after. The paper also explores the effect of revegetation on the livelihood of people and also the change in productivity of the land before and after. "The study also analyses the peoples institutions and their role in management of forests as a CPR. An elaboration on the benefit sharing mechanism has been done. "The major potential threats to forest in the place of investigation have been explored. This paper also provides a holistic understanding on the Water Harvesting Structure constructed by the villagers (Shramdan) under the guidance of Foundation of Ecological Security. "An impact assessment of the holistic work has been undertaken on different types of lands in the village with respect to agriculture."
Participation among the Members of Parista Barangay Defense System Multi-Purpose Cooperative in Biotechnology Project
(2008) Dela Cruz, Jeorge M.
"This research looks at the members participation on the mushroom production project of Parista Barangay Defense System Multi Purpose Cooperative (PBDSMPC). It studies the members involvement on the decision- making, taking part in the different activities, interaction, linkages, perception and attitudes of the members. The research was conducted using survey method developed by the researcher. Members of the PBDSMPC are the respondents of the research. Most of the respondents actively participated in different activities and decision making for the cooperatives welfare. Majority of the members also have a positive perception with regards on how things are done and managed. The respondents also have a positive attitude with regards to their membership in the organization."
Persistent Problems of Polycentric Governance as a Tool for Improving UK Energy System Governance
(2017) Melville, Emilia
"The problems and opportunities of transition to sustainable energy systems constitute one of the primary challenges in governance for sustainable development in general and for decarbonisation and climate policy in particular. Drawing on the work of Elinor and Vincent Ostrom and their collaborators on common-pool resource management and polycentric governance, researchers in the field have been calling recently for systematic attention to be paid to polycentric governance of energy systems (see for example Goldthau, 2014). This paper makes a contribution to this research agenda by examining the extent to which the UK’s electricity infrastructure and associated governance system can be characterised as polycentric, and the ways in which it exhibits common problems of polycentric governance. This study finds that the UK electricity system exhibits some, but not all, of the characteristics proposed by McGinnis (2016), building on V. Ostrom’s (1972) framework, and could therefore be seen as proto-polycentric. There are multiple centres of decision making, but some are more powerful than others. There are overlapping jurisdictions in some cases, such as the supply market, and non-overlapping ones in others, such as the monopoly distribution networks. There is some mutual adjustment, but in many cases actors are bound by rules set by higher authorities, rather than more independent and equal relationships. Institutional relationships are in some ways dynamic, but the creation of new institutional arrangements is constrained by the rules. The outcomes of emergent order and scale economies are limited."

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