Suchergebnisse

The debates over sustainable development put environmental issues squarely on the policy agendas of nations around the world. Throughout, the fate of the forest occupied center stage, and domestic and international pressure induced many developing nations to reform their forest policy, which frequently culminated in new forest legislation. Yet the process that generated those new forest laws has not received much attention and a number of questions remain unanswered. What factors determine whether governments reform forest laws in the first place? What conditions influence the direction of reform? What role does expert advice play in the process? This paper applies a political economy framework that focuses on the interplay between international structure, domestic structure and ideas to answer those questions. It argues that this approach offers the best tools for analyzing the actors and interests involved in the policy process and their power resources. Among the most significant findings are that the World Bank is not as influential in the end as is commonly perceived. Moreover, in democratic developing countries organizations that focus almost exclusively on cultivating their relationship with state ministries to influence forest policy reform usually see their efforts flounder because the legislature, especially legislative committees, is a more significant policy making arena than had been considered here before.

Having analysed the decentralisation policies of the Bolivian government and the recent transfer of responsibilities to the municipalities with regard to forest management, four case studies are described: Ascension de Guarayos, Rurrenabaque, Villa Tunari y San Ignacio de Velasco. The results show that although decentralisation has opened new possibilities for previously marginalised groups, those groups have not taken sufficient advantage of it. The studies also reveal that small-scale forest industries have not taken advantage of potentially better access to forest resources offered by the municipalities, due to institutional, technical and organisational impediments. The ability of municipal governments to deal with forest issues continues to be limited despite their interest in sustainable forest management. It is unlikely that in the near future the municipalities will contribute to the reduction of deforestation, better permitting procedures or the development of small-scale forest industries.

This paper evaluates Bolivian's recent experience of giving municipal government a role in forest management. It first provides background information on Bolivia's decentralisation policies, including the 1994 Popular Participatiion Law and the 1996 forestry law. It then presents case studies of four specific municipalities: Ascencion de Guarayos, Rurrenabaque, Villa Tunari, and San Ignacio de Velasco. It concludes that decentralisation has created new opportunities for marginal groups, but they have not always been able to take advantage of those opportunities. Municipal forest reserves could provide small-scale loggers with greater access to forest resources, yet institutional, technical, and organisational constraints impede their full implementation. Local government municipalities are interested in forest issues but their capacity to address them remains limited. While they show sign of interest in sustainable forest management, they are unlikely in the short term to make major progress on reducing deforestation, regulating concession management, or improving small timber management

This case study analyses origins and causes of decentralisation in Bolivia, how the process has affected tropical forest management, and initial impacts of decentralisation on distribution of benefits from forests. Impact of the Popular Participation Law of 1994, which bolstered municipal governments in general, and the Forestry Law of 1996, which gave municipal governments a key role in forest policy is stressed. The study focuses on 40 municipalities in the lowlands with substantial forest resources or important protected areas. It suggests that decentralisation will give groups with the most direct contact with natural resources greater power to decide how to manage them. Decentralisation offers new opportunities for poor rural people in heavily forested municipalities to increase their access to resources, political power, or income. Major obstacles include difficulties in identifying appropriate public forests and weak municipal capacity etc. Most politically and economically important groups have adopted a 'green discourse' promoting the environment and natural resource conservation. However, their rhetoric is not matched by their actions, which concern access to existing resources and short-term gains. Many municipal governments have initiated forest management, wilderness conservation, agroforestry, and land use planning activities but these are often under funded, poorly staffed or ill conceived. Efforts to reduce forest clearing and degradation remain good intentions and symbolic actions. In a few cases, municipal governments have led efforts to create protected areas to meet their own local needs but their position on indigenous territorial rights largely depends on the extent of indigenous peoples' political power. Where indigenous people play a strong role in municipal governments, decentralisation has strengthened their territorial claims; otherwise, their claims have been weakened. Local governments require external assistance to strengthen their support for and capacity to promote sustainable resource management. They need a favourable policy context and clear mechanisms for exercising their legal rights and responsibilities but national and departmental government agencies have largely failed to supply them.