Forests and Tenure Questions, evidence, outcomes

What goals could and should forest tenure address? Improve forest governance? Conserve forest biodiversity? Advance human rights? Reduce emissions? Strengthen rural economies? Do we strengthen rights? For whom? Do we clarify rights? To which resources?

Lots of evidence: What is it saying? CEE systematic review 2010 The available evidence suggests that some benefits of CFM might be achieved in terms of forest condition. This could potentially indicate a global benefit through an increase in carbon sequestration. CCAFS 2011 We find no clear evidence to suggest one specific tenure type is optimal for protecting forests. WRI/RRI 2014 Legal forest rights for communities and government protection of their rights tend to lower carbon dioxide emissions and deforestation. USAID/LTRM 2014 Tremendous empirical gaps exist in terms of the quantity and quality of the evidence generated.The relationship between tenure regimes and forest condition is sometimes tenuous. There is no clear and robust evidence to suggest that a specific tenure type will ensure forest conservation. Although some prominent examples provide illustrations of the link between tenure security and forest condition, rigorous evaluation data are lacking, and many of the socioeconomic and biophysical factors have not been well captured in quantitative studies. CIFOR 2015 The principal objective of this review is to integrate and summarize empirical research on environmental and livelihood outcomes in community-managed forests, and the biophysical, institutional, and socioeconomic contextual factors associated with those outcomes.

Considerations Positive enabling conditions National level support and infrastructure. Tangible and multiple rights and benefits Rights to trees Supportive rural industries Linked to wider land reform? Well managed PAs Nepal, Mexico (but do these successes still hold?) Brazil IP lands Niger Negative enabling conditions Multiple rights-holders and mechanisms (Philippines) Lack of micro-zoning for individual/family rights Markets reward high-grading or low-grading (Acheson) Elite capture of process (Cameroon) Poorly managed PAs and REDD+ concessions—leakage, conflict, degradation

Action agenda Incorporate lessons learned—due diligence! Test and study property rights to valuable resources within forestland in relation to biophysical indicators around degradation Follow up on REDD+ initiatives and REDD+ studies (example of Mai Ndombe) Consider farm-forest-wildlife intersections including tree crops, gender relations Watch out for "rough policy terrain"