Forest governance in countries with federal systems of government: lessons for decentralization
Year: 2008
Type: book
Abstract: Lessons for Decentralization Decentralization and Forest GovernanceWorldwide, interest is increasing in decentralized governance and management of forest resources.More than three quarters of developing countries and nations in transition are in the midst of experimenting with decentralization of their governments.Decentralized governance in general and in the forestry sector in particular is thought to lead to better forest management outcomes and therefore to an enhanced contribution of forests to sustainable and equitable livelihoods to a nation's citizens.A large amount of research and discussion has addressed decentralization of the forest sector, mainly focused on countries that still have or had centralized systems of government and on ways in which decentralization can help establish more effective forest administration and governance.This literature and these discussions have not adequately been informed by the fact that 70 to 80 percent of the world's forests are located in countries that have federal systems of government -systems that by definition are decentralized.There has been little effort devoted to understanding the ways in which federal governments organize their decentralized forest governance, the differences between countries and the implications of this experience for others considering alternative decentralization paths.Federal systems of government deal with forest governance in different ways than do centralized systems.In federal governments, decentralization tends to be more pronounced because most federal systems were formed by independent states coming together and signing a constitution that created a federation with a central or federal government and independent state governments.The states conferred specific responsibilities and authorities to the central government, rather than the other way around, and in the process retained all those responsibilities and powers not specifically given to the federal government.States commonly have their own legislative, judiciary, and executive institutions and are legally autonomous entities.Most importantly, because federations are created by a constitution, significant changes in the balance of powers and responsibilities between states and the federal government require a constitutional amendment.In contrast, in non-federal systems, central government may assign responsibilities and authority
Authors: Contreras-Hermosilla A., Gregersen H., White A.
Language: English
Subfield: Global and Planetary Change
Field: Environmental Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
OpenAlex ID: W123659211