5,911 research outputs found
Does REDD+ Ensure Sectoral Coordination and Stakeholder Participation? A Comparative Analysis of REDD+ National Governance Structures in Countries of Asia-Pacific Region
No full textReducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation in developing countries (REDD+) requires harmonizing different policy sectors and interests that have impacts on forests. However, these elements have not been well-operationalized in environmental policy-making processes of most developing countries. Drawing on five cases—Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Papua New Guinea, and Vietnam, this article aims to determine whether emerging governance arrangements help REDD+ development by delivering participatory mechanisms for policy coordination. Building upon literature on environmental governance and stakeholder participation, the article examines national governance structures for REDD+ and identifies who participates where, and what decision-making powers they have. Despite structural differences between the countries, our analysis illustrates that REDD+ potentially encourages a new form of environmental governance promoting a cross-sectoral approach and stakeholder participation. Cohesiveness of the structures within a broader governance system is key to defining the capacity of REDD+ governance. The result also poses a question as to the inclusiveness of the state actors involved in order to tackle the different pressure on forests. Considering structural inequalities, the analysis further suggests a need of policy support for those who are affected by REDD+ to ensure that their voices could be heard in decision-making processes.Full Tex
Development of draft quality-of-governance standards for climate change mitigation and beyond: groundtruthing of developed verifiers in REDD+ pilot area, Nepal
No full textGovernance has been identified as central aspect of sustainable forest management. While all participants within the forest policy arena would agree with this observation, it has been less easy to determine how best to evaluate forest governance. Building on the work of the 1992 UN Statement of Forest Principles, and using a hierarchical framework of principles, criteria and indicators (PC&I), Dr Cadman has developed a consistent approach to evaluating forest governance at the global, regional, national and local levels. Tim and Tek applied their work to a range of global policy mechanisms, including REDD+, and has been used by the forest sector in developing countries (Nepal) to develop on-the-ground standards for evaluating REDD+ effectiveness and governance quality
The governance of REDD+: an institutional analysis in the Asia Pacific region and beyond
No full textThis paper explores the changing nature of North/South relations in contemporary climate change governance. Focusing on the United Nations Collaborative Programme to Reduce Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+), the paper presents a theoretical framework, through which stakeholder perceptions of REDD+ governance quality and institutional legitimacy can be evaluated. This is tested by means of a small-n survey of state and non-state participants from both the developed and developing countries, including the Asia-Pacific region. The survey results reveal generally higher ratings for REDD+ amongst Southern participants than in the North. A number of caveats are placed on the interpretation of data, and some conclusions drawn regarding contemporary climate governance and the emergence of a possible 'South/North Divide', challenging traditional notions of global power politics.Full Tex
Do dolphins benefit from nonlinear mathematics when processing their sonar returns?
No full textAn interview with author Tim Leighton about the paper
Opportunities for linking young surveyors across professional surveying member organisations and FIG
No full textDesigning REDD+ Schemes When Forest Users Are Not Forest Landowners: Evidence from a Survey-Based Experiment in Kenya Working Paper, No. 15/2012, ISSN: 2036-2919.
No full textThis study contributes to the debate on Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+) and the relationship between land tenure and forest conservation. We investigate policies that create alternative livelihood options for people around REDD+ forests who are forest users but not forest landowners by implementing a survey-based experiment in Kenya. We compare the effectiveness of different REDD+ payment schemes given rising opportunity costs of forest use. This study shows that policies that target the local drivers of deforestation, are conditional on environmental outcomes, and account for changing opportunity costs can significantly improve environmental outcomes compared to conventional policies
Tim Di Muzio on 'Sabotage'
No full textIn a series of essays published in 2013 and 2014 on capitaspower.com, political economist Tim Di Muzio explored the concept of ‘sabotage’ as it applies to capitalist power. I recently rediscovered these essays and was so impressed by them that I have reposted them here as a single piece.
About the author: Tim Di Muzio is a researcher at the University of Wollongong. He is the author of numerous books, including Debt as power, Carbon capitalism, and The 1% and the Rest of us
Incentives and Disincentives for Reducing Emissions under REDD+ in Indonesia
No full textThis chapter explores the fiscal incentives and disincentives that contribute either positively or negatively to reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD+) in Indonesia. Indonesia is an important participant in the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change programme on REDD+. The programme is funded through financial contributions from developed to developing countries, which can eventually be part of a country’s nationally determined contribution to reducing emissions, either domestically, or via international emissions trading. Our study finds that there are a number of formal charges, fees and taxes that apply on forest-related activities in Indonesia, which are stipulated within regulations promulgated by various government departments. A range of informal subnational charges also apply to forest-related activities, which has often provided a monetary incentive for local government, especially forest-rich districts, to exploit their timber resources. However, this has been proven as a disincentive for REDD+ implementation in Indonesia. We also find that there is a need for improved financial governance in future fiscal policy reform, which should include the removal of perverse incentives for forest conversion, the equitable and accountable distribution of financial incentives, the prevention of corruption and fraud, and the strengthening of economic benefits for smallholders. We recommend that in implementing the REDD+, the Government of Indonesia should consider providing incentives for the nonexploitation of forests by businesses engaged in the provision of environmental services as well as carbon transactions. This could take the form of private investments, private–public partnerships or civil society engagement in forestry and land use change, and may include incentives such as payment for ecosystem services and for forest ecosystem restoration.No Full Tex
Quality-of-governance standards for carbon emissions trading: developing REDD+ governance through a multi-stage, multi-level and multi-stakeholder approach
No full textGovernance is an important concept for addressing social problems and opportunities but needs to be properly understood. Governance refers to the whole of public and private interactions to solve problems and to create opportunities in modern society and can be defined as the dynamic interplay between civil society, business and the public sector.
For the emergence of a global carbon market it is necessary to develop common govern-ance and regulatory structures. Ensuring good governance is particularly important for the development of a financial mechanism for REDD+. Transparent and effective national forest governance is needed to encourage investments in REDD+, to ensure that REDD+ delivers real and long-term emissions reductions, to promote accountability and transpar-ency, to develop credible monitoring and reporting on REDD+ safeguards and to change behaviour and solve the problems underlying deforestation and forest degradation.
Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) have recognised the importance of good governance for REDD+. 'Transparent and effective national forest governance structures' is one of the social and environmental safeguards adopted in the Cancun Agreements in 2010. However, development, operationalisation, and institutionalisation of a forest governance definition may need to be country-driven and respond to specific country conditions, priorities, requirements and opportunities.
Despite specificities of national forest governance definitions and monitoring systems, any governance system as a viable system shares some key elements. Quality of governance can be assessed through a normative hierarchical framework of principles, criteria and indicators (PC&I) for evaluating quality of governance in the arena of sustainable development. Such a comprehensive analytical framework also provides the basis for the development of a standard that can guide governments in ensuring the required support and promotion of transparent and effective national forest governance structures.
REDD+ can benefit from independent standards of good governance that can be applied for certification of governance within proposed REDD+ activities. Such standards would provide markets with better quality assurance, i.e. that the proposed REDD+ activities can be implemented and that the projected climate benefits are credible. Independent good governance standards would provide consistency in the evaluation of governance across REDD+ projects and policies that are under development. The success of REDD+ will depend on governance arrangements that are broadly representative of interests (i.e. inclu-sive), verifiably responsible (i.e. transparent and accountable), effective in terms of decision-making processes and capable of implementing programs that deliver emission reductions at scale.
Existing REDD+ programmes, policies, procedures and standards include some strong language and requirements on 'meaningful' stakeholder participation, but these are counter-balanced elsewhere by language that does not mandate consultation. The degree to which civil society and other non-state actors, such as indigenous people, are able to participate meaningfully is complex and varies between countries. While some initiatives include 'participatory governance assessments'(PGAs), which are currently being trialled, existing standards have not been developed through genuine multi-stakeholder processes, in the sense of stakeholders providing the contents of the standards as active participants throughout all stages of the process. Due to their highly generic character, existing standards also lack the details for their operationalisation in a local and national context. Locally-specific quality-of-governance standards have the advantage that they make it easier for all participants to determine what they require for REDD+ policies and projects before they are developed.
IGES, Griffith University and the University of Southern Queensland launched the Action Research Project to Develop a National Quality-of-governance Standard for REDD+ and the Forest Sector in Nepal, which is presented in this discussion paper. Rather than making the stakeholders the subject of 'participatory' governance assessments, the Project has tested a unique approach to develop a voluntary standard specifically for REDD+ quality-of-governance through a multi-stakeholder, multi-level and multi-stage process. The action research has facilitated a genuine multi-stakeholder process in the context of the existing community forest management regime of Nepal as the initial target country. Participating stakeholders have elaborated broadly accepted generic principles, criteria and indicators of good governance into a standard that makes sense to them. The multi-stakeholder, multi-level and multi-tier approach has ensured that all major stakeholder groups have had the opportunity to identify what they felt is needed to ensure good governance. Particular emphasis was placed on facilitating the involvement of marginalised groups who seldom have the opportunity to participate in such processes. The approach creates governance standards that are likely to have a high degree of local ownership and relevance.
The process of developing a voluntary national quality-of-governance standard in Nepal through online surveys, key informant interviews and multi-stakeholder forums and field consultation, has provided an innovative and field-tested approach to standards development. The active involvement and participation of a diverse range of stakeholders demonstrated that many key groups and individuals were able to experience the value of developing such a standard in a collaborative environment, which fostered meaningful
participation, and resulted in productive deliberation around a whole series of core governance challenges including inclusiveness, equality, transparency, accountability, decision-making and implementation.
A draft of the quality-of-governance standard for the forest sector in Nepal has been completed. Its content is based on direct input and consensus from a diverse range of stakeholders represented in the surveys, interviews and workshop. An informal advisory group, which was formed at the workshop, has taken up the task of overseeing the development of the draft standard
1996-1997 Tim Gautreaux
No full textTim Gautreaux is the author of three novels and two earlier short story collections. His work has appeared in The New Yorker, The Best American Short Stories, The Atlantic, Harper’s, and GQ. After teaching for thirty years at Southeastern Louisiana University, he now lives, with his wife, in Chattanooga, Tennessee. (Photo credit: Randy Bergeron)https://egrove.olemiss.edu/grisham_res/1023/thumbnail.jp
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