The Property Rights Index (PRIF) can be used worldwide to compare different forest governance systems

Abstract

The bundle of forest landowners’ rights largely varies from one jurisdiction to another. On a global scale, the diversity of forest regime and property rights systems is such that finding similarities for governance analysis purposes is a challenging task. This paper built on the Property Rights Index for Forestry (PRIF). We show that PRIF is a reliable index for various governance arrangements, from forests privately owned in Europe, in the Amazon area (Brazil), in Misiones province (Argentina) and in Quebec (Canada) to community-managed Nepalese forests. The PRIF enables us to compare accurately and efficiently the forests regime incident to different types of forest ownership on three continents with an integrative and standardised approach. Despite having a few limitations, the PRIF is a promising indicator to assess governance of the natural resources in various socioeconomic and legal contexts.