Title
Linking forest tenure reform, environmental compliance, and incentives: Lessons from redd+ initiatives in the brazilian amazon
Date Issued
01 March 2014
Access level
metadata only access
Resource Type
journal article
Author(s)
Duchelle A.E.
Cromberg M.
Gebara M.F.
Guerra R.
Melo T.
Larson A.
Börner J.
Sills E.
Bauch S.
May P.
Selaya G.
Sunderlin W.D.
Center for International Forestry Research
Norwegian University of Life Sciences
Publisher(s)
Elsevier Ltd.
Abstract
Pervasive tenure insecurity in developing countries is a key challenge for REDD+. Brazil, a leader in REDD+, has advanced efforts to link forest tenure reform and environmental compliance. We describe how these policies have shaped sub-national interventions with detailed data on land tenure and livelihoods in four REDD+ pilot sites in the Brazilian Amazon. Despite different local contexts, REDD+ proponents have converged on a similar strategy of collaborating with government agencies to clarify tenure and pave the way for a mix of regulatory enforcement and incentive-based REDD+ mechanisms. This polycentric governance model holds promise for effective and equitable REDD+ implementation. © 2013 Elsevier Ltd.
Start page
53
End page
67
Volume
55
Language
English
OCDE Knowledge area
Forestal
Ciencias del medio ambiente
Subjects
Scopus EID
2-s2.0-84890858395
Source
World Development
ISSN of the container
0305750X
Sponsor(s)
Financial support for this research was provided by NORAD , AUSAID , DFID , and PROFOR . We thank our Brazilian REDD+ proponent partners for their willingness to share information and review publications, and our host institutions, CPDA/UFRRJ and REDES, for project administration and research authorizations. We are grateful to the members of our field teams for their contribution in carrying out the research, and to the men and women of participating communities in Acre, the Transamazon, São Félix do Xingu, and Cotriguaçu for sharing their time and insights. Claudio de Sassi, Made Agustavia, and Mrigesh Kshatriya assisted with data cleaning. Guest editors from the University of Wisconsin–Madison Land Tenure Center (through the USAID TransLinks project No. EPP-A-00-06-00014-00) and three anonymous reviewers provided helpful feedback on earlier drafts of this manuscript.
The Central Xingu REDD+ Pilot Program includes land use zoning, improved enforcement and compliance with environmental legislation, sustainable finance and management for indigenous and protected areas, sustainable production alternatives for all stakeholders, restoration of degraded lands, and enhanced participation of vulnerable groups in REDD+ decision-making ( Table 1 ). A first focus of the pilot program is financial and technical support for CAR implementation with small, medium, and large landowners to remove the municipality from the federal blacklist. Based on the lack of state resources and institutional capacity for CAR implementation, TNC is supporting this process through a portion of a US$19 million grant from the Amazon Fund, which has been distributed among 12 Amazonian municipalities, along with financial resources from USAID and the Vale Fund. TNC is promoting CAR implementation throughout São Félix do Xingu through a project called “Being Legal is Being Green,” which promotes environmentally-legal cattle ranching and ensures political partnerships among key partners. It also seeks restoration of Areas of Permanent Preservation, along with maintenance of 80% forest cover on private lands, and includes training for government agents and farmers. Its main accomplishments to date have been the creation of a 1:25,000 digital cartographic base for a region of approximately 8 million ha to be used as a basis for CAR implementation and completion of CARs in most of the area that required regularization. As of July 2012, 85% of rural properties in São Félix had registered CARs, and in 2011, deforestation was reduced by 85% of the 2005–2008 average; the only factor that prevents the municipality from being removed from the federal blacklist is extremely high deforestation within the APA Triunfo do Xingu ( OESP, 2012 ). In addition to the regulatory components, the Central Xingu REDD+ Program includes technical assistance and promotion of alternative livelihoods as incentive-based strategies, but proponents are still deciding whether or not to include PES.
The first stage of the Northwest Mato Grosso REDD+ Pilot Project is known as the “Cotriguaçu Forever Green Project,” which intends to promote a new trajectory of social and economic development in the municipality based on the conservation and sustainable management of natural resources ( ICV, 2011 ; Table 1 ). One initial project activity is CAR implementation, supported by TNC’s Amazon Fund project, which has also financed the environmental licensing activities in São Félix do Xingu. The CAR process is also being used in Cotriguaçu as a mechanism to remove the municipality from the federal blacklist, and proponents have targeted residents of land reform settlement projects for initial implementation. In collaboration with INCRA, proponents will systematically map individual property boundaries and assess the environmental situation on each; they expect to register 90% of the individual properties in the settlement areas. The proponents have acknowledged that land conflicts within the settlement projects are a significant obstacle to land tenure regularization, which is why they have entered into partnership with INCRA and plan to create community agreements to ensure local commitment for CAR implementation ( ICV, 2011 ). Regulatory mechanisms include strengthening of municipal environmental governance for environmental compliance of the municipality’s rural settlements and one indigenous area. Inclusion in the CAR system will be a pre-requisite for producers to access incentives of the REDD+ project, including promotion of sustainable forest management and support for best practices for cattle and milk production. PES, while not included in the first stage of the project, may be included later on.
Sources of information:
Directorio de Producción Científica
Scopus