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This paper identifies strategic weaknesses in the devolution policy process in forest management and analyses the reasons behind them. Further, it establishes the relationship of devolution policy outcomes with governance and institutional structures. The field research was undertaken in the Philippines, taking six cases of community based forest management (CBFM) sites in the province of Nueva Vizcaya and Quirino and employing a qualitative technique for data collection and interpretation. The study demonstrates that the devolution policy process has two major interrelated strategic weaknesses: one is inadequate policy articulation and the other is a set of differences between policy and the complex reality of implementation. Drawing upon this analysis of strategic weaknesses in the devolution policy process in the Philippines the paper argues that the level of success of policy outcomes is dependent on the interrelation between the levels of devolution with clear policy articulation on the one hand and quality of governance and institutional structures on the other.

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Natural disasters and pandemics are evolving as major global threats that are posing an enormous challenge to socio-economic and environmental wellbeing. Using a real time analysis of the impressive role played by Community Forest User Groups (CFUGs) in Nepal in responding to the 2015 earthquakes (Earthquake-15) and COVID-19, this paper explores the scopes, capacities, institutional strengths and attributes required for community-based institutions such as CFUGs to become effective in managing and responding natural or other disasters. Our findings suggest that being an autonomous and well-recognized community based institution with trusted social capital (trust, connectedness, norms and network) for collective action together with its scope and mandate to democratically manage and mobilize its physical, financial, natural and human assets, CFUGs have become the most effective institution to provide immediate support to disaster affected communities. While most of other agencies including non-governmental organizations spend a lot of time exploring avenues for immediate response to the disasters, CFUGs have immediate access and infrastructure to support millions of people in rural areas. We argue that this contribution needs to be recognized, and CFUGs can provide a valuable institutional framework for the preparedness, response and recovery from disasters and to build resilience in the future.