Forestland policies and politics in Africa: Recent evidence and new challenges

Ongolo, Symphorien; Gießen, Lukas; Karsenty, Alain; Tchamba, Martin Ngankam; Krott, Max

doi:10.1016/j.forpol.2021.102438

Cited by 8 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 43 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…The process of land law formulation does not take into consideration the other sectors (agriculture, mines, town planning and others). These observations are similar to previous studies in the region (Inogwabini, 2021;Ongolo et al, 2021;Windey and Van Hecken, 2021;Majambu et al, 2019).…”

Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 93%

Climate-Smart Conservation Agriculture, Farm Values and Tenure Security: Implications for Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation in the Congo Basin

Molua

Sonwa²,

Bele³

et al. 2023

Tropical Conservation Science

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background and Research Aims: Agriculture through deforestation is an important threat to biodiversity conservation in the Congo Basin’s tropical forest. The policy challenge is not only to promote adaptation to perceived climate change but also to promote forest conservation. The aim of this study is to provide empirical evidence on the impact of farm-level investments in climate-smart agricultural practices related to conservation agriculture in some Congo Basin countries. The hypothesis is that property rights to land and trees play a fundamental role in governing the patterns of investment, forestland management for conservation, as well as in the profitability of agriculture. Methods: A Simulated Maximum Likelihood Estimation using a Mixed Logit model is used to test farmers’ choice of agricultural system and a farmland value model for each agricultural system which includes determinants of tenure or property rights, climate, soils, and socioeconomic variables such as education and gender. The data was collected from more than 600 farms covering 12 regions and 45 divisions in 3 countries, Cameroon, the Central African Republic and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Results: Farmers choose one of three agricultural systems to maximize farm profit mindful of the current tenure regime and environmental conditions. Conservation agriculture techniques within climate-smart practices show benefits for smallholder farmers through improvements in soil health, soil moisture retention and enhanced crop yields. The rights to access, withdraw, manage, as well as exclude others from land and trees affect both the farmers' choice of system and the profit earned from the chosen system. Conclusion: Farm-level investments improve farm incomes and enhance conservation effort for farmers perceiving climate change. Implications for Conservation: Climate change adaptation through planting of trees improves soil stability, restores ecosystems and creates a safe haven for biodiversity. Secure land tenure promotes better forestland management and reduces land degradation in vulnerable communities.

show abstract

Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 93%

Climate-Smart Conservation Agriculture, Farm Values and Tenure Security: Implications for Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation in the Congo Basin

Molua

Sonwa²,

Bele³

et al. 2023

Tropical Conservation Science

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Taking Africa, for instance, diversity in the region’s culture requires country-specific analysis of institutions. Latin America’s diversity precipitates ‘institutional shopping’ (Wartmann et al 2016 Thirdly, institutions do not operate in isolation—therefore an actor-centred/power dimension is required to better appreciate institutional arrangements (Giessen et al 2014 ; Ongolo et al 2021 ). Therefore, a review of the actor and power dimensions of institutions is required to inform subsequent empirical studies.…”

Section: Review Limitationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

A global systematic review of forest management institutions: towards a new research agenda

et al. 2022

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Context Globally, forest landscapes are rapidly transforming, with the role of institutions as mediators in their use and management constantly appearing in the literature. However, global comparative reviews to enhance comprehension of how forest management institutions (FMIs) are conceptualized, and the varying determinants of compliance, are lacking. And so too, is there knowledge fragmentation on the methodological approaches which have and should be prioritized in the new research agenda on FMIs. Objectives We review the regional variations in the conceptualization of FMIs, analyze the determinants of compliance with FMIs, and assess the methodological gaps applied in the study of FMIs. Methods A systematic review of 197 empirically conducted studies (491 cases) on FMIs was performed, including a directed content analysis. Results First, FMIs literature is growing; multi-case and multi-country studies characterize Europe/North America, Africa and Latin America, over Asia. Second, the structure-process conceptualization of FMIs predominates in Asia and Africa. Third, global south regions report high cases of compliance with informal FMIs, while non-compliance was registered for Europe/North America in the formal domain. Finally, mixed-methods approaches have been least employed in the studies so far; while the use of only qualitative methods increased over time, the adoption of only quantitative approaches witnessed a decrease. Conclusion Future research should empirically ground informality in the institutional set-up of Australia while also valorizing mixed-methods research globally. Crucially, future research should consider multidisciplinary and transdisciplinary approaches to explore the actor and power dimensions of forest management institutions.

show abstract

“…Nevertheless, the use of afforestation to enhance biodiversity remains controversial, as it may actually have the opposite effect. Poorly managed afforestation that does not consider plant diversity may cause an increase in invasive species and a reduction in native populations (Ongolo et al 2021, Gayo 2022.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of silvicultural thinning on stand structure and coarse woody debris in the deciduous Arasbaran forest, Iran

Ghanbari,

Sefidi,

Álvarez-Álvarez

et al. 2023

iForest

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Forest stand structure is influenced by artificial factors such as silvicultural activities, and by natural factors such as wildfires, floods, windstorms, diseases, and insect infestations. The silvicultural treatments used during the transformation of coppice to the coppice-with-standard system are a main source of coarse woody debris (CWD). Even small changes in the amounts and/or types of CWD can threaten forest biodiversity, including plant and bird diversity. In this study, we compared managed and unmanaged forest stands in Northwest Iran to better understand changes in species composition and stand characteristics (with particular reference to CWD) in relation to silvicultural practices. In total, thirty-six 0.5-hectare sampling plots were surveyed (total area: 18 ha). We found significant differences between the cut (active management) and uncut areas (proforestation) in indices of height, number of tree species, canopy cover of live and fallen trees, dead tree density, and relative frequency of dead trees. The sample plots included 22 species of live trees, and the CWD was generated by 16 of these species. The number of stems of live trees in the sample plots was 2,653 (SE = 181), with Carpinus orientalis accounting for the highest mean density of live trees. C. orientalis also provided the highest total frequency of downed logs (70%) in the stands, followed by Quercus macranthera (20%). Q. macranthera accounted for the highest relative frequency of dead trees in the stands. In total, around 42% of the CWD consisted of logs lying on the forest floor, followed by dead trees (39%) and stumps (19%). Most of the CWD was included in decay class (DC) 2 (71.6%), followed by DC1 (16.7%) and DC3 (11.3%). Forest managers must balance the amount of CWD, especially from dead trees, in these stands to conserve the diversity of the material in terms of both decay class and tree species.

show abstract

Forestland policies and politics in Africa: Recent evidence and new challenges

Cited by 8 publications

References 43 publications

Climate-Smart Conservation Agriculture, Farm Values and Tenure Security: Implications for Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation in the Congo Basin

Climate-Smart Conservation Agriculture, Farm Values and Tenure Security: Implications for Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation in the Congo Basin

A global systematic review of forest management institutions: towards a new research agenda

Effects of silvicultural thinning on stand structure and coarse woody debris in the deciduous Arasbaran forest, Iran

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About