Improving woodfuel governance in Burkina Faso: The experts' assessment

AREVALO J. 2016. Improving woodfuel governance in Burkina Faso: The experts' assesment. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews Volume 57, May 2016, Pages 1398–1408 doi:10.1016/j.rser.2015.12.178. 

Over 80% of Sub-Saharan population depend on woodfuels as their main energy source, mainly firewood and charcoal. In Burkina Faso, despite the absence of reliable studies, this dependency is expected to continue and even increase in the next decades. With some of the highest annual population increments and lowest indexes of human development in the world, Burkina Faso is also among the most vulnerable countries to climate change. This study examines the challenges of governance, production and use of woodfuels in Burkina Faso on the basis of an extensive literature review and the views elicited through 13 in-depth interviews with local experts. With poverty as the underlying driver, agricultural expansion is identified as the principle driver of deforestation, followed by woodfuel production. Intensification of agriculture, agroforestry practices and promotion of on non-timber forest product businesses are some of the key opportunities recognised. While decentralisation is seen as an opportunity for sustainable resource management, the lack of resources, unclear tenure regime and corruption need to be urgently addressed. An improved management system in the Forest Management Units is also needed to avoid forest degradation. The 20 concrete recommendations made in the study should be further investigated for their consideration in a future wood energy strategy.

ScienceDirect [link]
ResearchGate [link]

Firewood truck bound to Ouagadougou

Understanding bioenergy conflicts: Case of a jatropha project in Kenya’s Tana Delta

Increasing global demand for green energy from developed nations has recently triggered a bioenergy rush which is having effects across continents. Thus, large extensions of land have been recently bought or leased in places like Africa to make way for large-scale plantations for biofuel. The present paper examines a concrete bioenergy conflict in the context of the main renewable energy policies, as well as in consideration of governance initiatives aiming at the sustainability of these developments:

AREVALO J, OCHIENG R, MOLA-YUDEGO B, GRITTEN D. 2014. Understanding bioenergy conflicts: Case of a jatropha project in Kenya’s Tana Delta.  Land Use Policy 41 (2014) 138–148.

Abstract: In recent years, conflicts related to tenure, management and utilization of natural resources, in particular bioenergy conflicts, are becoming increasingly common. Many bioenergy conflicts are related to plan-tation projects seeking to capitalize on the opportunity to profit from a combination of factors, centredon the enabling environment for biofuel plantation establishment found in many developing countries.This study analyses these and other related issues in a conflict in the Tana Delta in Kenya. The conflictis centred on a proposed 65,000 ha Jatropha curcas plantation for biodiesel by the Canadian companyBedford. Ethical Analysis, a conflict management and research tool, was employed to better understandthe underlying conflict causes. Shortcomings in the technical feasibility studies and participatory plan-ning processes were revealed, including a poor understanding of the different interests and values withregard to land tenure and traditional rights. While the adoption of Free, Prior and Informed Consent(FPIC) is proposed, also capacities and the regulatory framework need to be strengthened to improvetransparency, coordination, impact assessment and investment security. The study proposes ways to manage the ongoing conflict and discusses its implications for bioenergy governance.

Keywords: Bioenergy governance, Ethical Analysis, Conflict management

Land Use Policy [link]
ResearchGate [link]

Understanding bioenergy conflicts: case of a jatropha project in Kenya's Tana Delta

Under the theme "Forests, competitiveness and sustainable landscapes", the Third Latin American IUFRO Congress was held in Costa Rica from 12-15 June 2013, gathering around 350 scientists. A poster entitled "Understanding bioenergy conflicts: case of a jatropha project inKenya's Tana Delta"  (Arevalo, J., Ochieng, R., Mola-Yudego, B. & Gritten, D.) was presented, prompting numerous comments and feedback from congress participants. Notwithstanding, Latin America has also experienced -similarly as sub-Saharan Africa- important bioenergy developments, many of which have been associated to deforestation and forest conflicts. A list of all congress contributions as well as the keynote presentations can be found at the congress website.

Core-periphery analysis for the occurrence of forest conflicts

GRITTEN D, MOLA-YUDEGO B, DELGADO-MATAS C, KORTELAINEN J. 2012. A quantitative review of the representation of forest conflicts across the world: resource periphery and emerging patterns. Forest Policy and Economics. doi:10.1016/j.forpol.2012.06.008.

Abstract
The ubiquitous nature of forest conflicts lends themselves to quantitative analysis on a global level which could help facilitate the further development of conflict management tools. The aim of this work is to present a quantitative review of the representation of forest conflicts across the world, developing an analysis of the geographical components of forest conflicts using the contested resource periphery theory as a framework. The analysis was based on a database covering 303 forest conflicts identified in academic literature and reports from international forest organisations and environmental non-governmental organisations (ENGOs). The analysis includes a methodology to geographically define the economic cores at different scales, and the location of the conflicts regarding a core–periphery continuum. The results found that forest conflicts are located in resource peripheries on global levels, but not necessarily on regional or local levels, as the type of conflict adds additional complexity to the analysis. Finally, it was found that international ENGOs targeting the operations of forest industry focus mainly on resource peripheries, which is a reflection of the resource's location, but also target the markets and financiers, usually found at the economic cores. The work provides additional tools for the analysis of the geography of forest conflicts, and the implications of the work not only feeds into the understanding of how conflicts develop, but also helps in verifying the theory of contested resource periphery.

Highlights
► Aim: quantitative review of the representation of forest conflicts across the world. ► Work is based on database of 303 forest conflicts. ► Conflicts are generally located in resource peripheries on global levels. ► On local level validity of resource periphery theory is dependent on conflict type. ► International ENGOs focus a great deal on the resource peripheries.

Keywords
Contested resource periphery; Environmental non-governmental organisations (ENGOs); Categorising forest conflicts; Economic geography



Available from Forest Policy and Economics, at ScienceDirect
ResearchGate link

Media, intensity and impact of Forest Conflicts

GRITTEN D, MOLA-YUDEGO B, DELGADO-MATAS C. 2012. Media coverage of forest conflicts: A reflection of the conflicts’ intensity and impact? Scandinavian Journal of Forest Research. 27(2):143-153.

Abstract

Forest conflicts are ubiquitous, and can potentially be very damaging, underlining the need to develop tools for their management based on an increased understanding. There are numerous differences in the conflicts, of which, media coverage and conflict impact and intensity are the focus of this paper: specifically, the relation between media coverage and conflict intensity and potential impact. The aim of the paper is, firstly, to create a methodology to determine the conflicts’ potential impact and intensity. Secondly, determine if there is correlation between impact and intensity and international media coverage. These aims were achieved through the examination of 14 forest conflicts, involving forest industry, identified through a detailed screening of publications from various sources. The results show that international media had relatively little coverage of the 14 conflicts, with a couple of exceptions, despite the high intensity and potential impact of many of them. There are numerous implications for the work, not just with the creation of the methodologies, but also highlighting various areas of future research.

ResearchGate link

Using Google-based methods to find conflicts

MOLA-YUDEGO B, GRITTEN D, DELGADO-MATAS C. 2012. Quantitative investigation of forest conflicts using different data collection methods. Scandinavian Journal of Forest Research 27(2): 130-142.

Abstract
The present paper focuses on the analysis of forest conflicts across the world, with aim of identifying tools for facilitating the analysis of these conflicts. The data on the conflicts were collected using two methods: a manually constructed conflict database covering 300 documented forest conflicts (identified from academic sources, international organisations and non-governmental organisations) and an automatically generated data-set of the frequency of associations in the Internet between the concept forest conflict and the countries names. For each country, the number of forest conflicts documented was compiled, the type of conflict categorised and the frequency of hits linking the country name to forest conflicts. The analysis performed showed that there was an important qualitative relation between the data retrieved automatically from the Internet and the cases documented manually. Additionally, it was found that the location and type of the forest conflict conditioned their quantitative presence in the Internet. In addition, there were areas with high presence in the Internet but with few references by environmental non-governmental organisations (ENGOs) and the international academic community, such as central Asia. Final maps using this data for performing indices were created and discussed. The results and methods presented successfully establish the linkage between information in the web and occurrence of conflicts, which can be the basis for the creation of future indices of conflictivity to incorporate into the current classification.

This research draws on data provided by the University Research Program for Google Search, a service provided by Google to promote a greater common understanding of the web. The authors wish to thank the organisers and participants of the Nordic conference on Forest Policy Science for their feedback on an earlier version of this paper. Our gratitude is also to Prof. Paavo Pelkonen, for his valuable assistance and contributions to this paper.

Perceptions of climate change among local communities in India

HALDER P, SHARMA R, ALAM A. 2012. Local perceptions of and responses to climate change – experiences from the natural resource dependent communities in India. Regional Environmental Change. DOI 10.1007/s10113-012-0281-x.

Abstract

India is considerably vulnerable in the events of climate change impacts. Vulnerability and adaptive capacity among the population varies quite a lot in a country like India. This paper investigated local communities’ perceptions of and responses to the impacts of climate change on their livelihoods. The study employed village-level participatory qualitative research methods in three geo-cultural zones of the Indian states of Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, and Odisha. It revealed that the local communities in those places had already visualized the impacts of climate change on their livelihoods and surrounding natural resources. Their observations corresponded to the broader scientific projections of the impacts of climate change in India. The study found that the local communities had started to adapt with the changing climate by altering their livelihoods and cultural practices. The study recommends urgent need of identifying the vulnerable communities in India and assessing their vulnerability from different perspectives that climate change might expose in the future. It also recommends implementing the present pro-poor policies of the government in an effective way to improve the socio-economic conditions of the poor and vulnerable communities in the country.

Keywords: Climate change; Community perceptions;Vulnerability;India

Public perception on forestry and policy makers: divergence?

FABRA-CRESPO M, MOLA-YUDEGO B, GRITTEN D, ROJAS-BRIALES E. 2011. Public perception on forestry issues in the Region of Valencia (Eastern Spain): diverging from policy makers? Forest systems. 21(1):99-110.

Abstract

Are the policies designed by decision-makers differing from society's wishes and preferences? The present paper analyzes the divergences between forest policy and public opinion in the Region of Valencia (Comunidad Valenciana) in Eastern Spain. The data is based on an extensive telephone survey of the general public on their perception of forestry issues. The issues studied include attitudes regarding forest fires, silvicultural treatments, the externalities produced by forest owners, and the state forest service's role related to these issues. In total, the answers of 823 respondents were analyzed using classification trees. The results of the analysis showed a large divergence between the desires, preferences and priorities of society, on the one hand, and the policies implemented by the regional government, on the other. The study concludes that communication strategies concerning sustainable forest management need to be further developed by the responsible authorities, with the input of the research community.

[Open access to full manuscript]

Geography, environment and socio-economic factors in forest conflicts

GRITTEN D, and MOLA-YUDEGO B. 2011. Exploration of the relevance of geographical, environmental and socio-economic indicators regarding forest conflict types. International Forestry Review.


Abstract:
The aim of the present paper was to characterise the typology of forest conflicts based on a large sample of cases, and to identify their distribution and concentration patterns across the world, identifying possible correlations between certain socio-economic and environmental factors and conflict type. To achieve this a database was created covering 303 forest conflicts identified in academic literature, and from reports from international forest organisations and environmental non-governmental organisations (ENGOs). The conflicts were located geographically, and subsequently classified into types. The analysis was based on geo-spatial kernel associations and factor analysis. The results of the study show that different conflict types are associated with certain socio-economic and environmental indicators, as well as with geographical location.
This study provides additional tools for developing the understanding of forest conflicts, thereby assisting in their management, this includes facilitating the identification of predictors for a forest conflict occurring. Additionally it can be a basis for further research on the field of forest conflicts, for example examining the levels of conflict intensity found between conflict types.

Spanish
El objetivo de este estudio consiste en caracterizar la tipología de los conflictos forestales, basándose en una muestra amplia de diferentes casos, y en identificar sus pautas de distribución y concentración en todo el mundo, identificando correlaciones posibles entre el tipo de conflicto y ciertos factores socioeconómicos y ambientales. Para lograr este objetivo, se creó una base de datos que cubría 303 conflictos forestales identificados en la literatura académica y en informes publicados por asociaciones forestales internacionales y organizaciones no gubernamentales ambientales (ONGAs). Los conflictos fueron ubicados en términos geográficos y después clasificados en categorías. El análisis fue basado en asociaciones geoespaciales centradas en áreas definidas y en el análisis de factores. Los resultados del estudio demuestran que los diferentes tipos de conflicto son asociados con ciertos indicadores socioeconómicos y ambientales, así como con la ubicación geográfica. El artículo proporciona herramientas adicionales para desarrollar nuestra comprensión de los conflictos forestales y así puede facilitar la gestión de estos conflictos, sobre todo a través de la identificación de los factores que pronostican la posibilidad de un conflicto forestal. Además, el estudio puede servir como base para investigaciones adicionales en el campo de los conflictos forestales, examinando por ejemplo el nivel de intensidad del conflicto encontrado en diferentes tipos de conflicto.

French
Le but du présent article est de caractériser une typologie des conflits forestiers basée sur un large échantillon de cas, et d'identifier leur distribution et leur modéle de concentration dans le monde, en identifiant les corrélations possibles entre certains facteurs socio-économiques et environnementaux et le type du conflit. Une base de données été établie pour parvenir à cela, recouvrant 303 conflits forestiers indentifiés dans la littérature académique et dans les rapports d'organisations de foresterie internationales et d'organisations environnementales non-gouvernementales (ENGOs). Les conflits étaient situés géographiquement, et classifiés ensuite par types. Cette analyse était basée sur des associations kernel géo-spatiales et sur une analyse de facteurs. Les résultats de l'étude montrent que différents types de conflits sont associés à certains indicateurs socio-économiques et environnementaux, ainsi qu'à leur location géographique. Cet étude fournit les outils additionnels pour développer la compréhension des conflits forestiers, en aidant par conséquent leur gestion, ce qui comprend une facilitation de l'identification des prédictions signalant l'imminence d'un conflit forestier. L'article pourrait de plus être une base pour amorcer une recherche plus poussée dans le domaine des conflits forestiers, en examinant par exemple les niveaux d'intensité des conflits entre les différents types de conflits.

The blanket campaign in forest conflicts...

GRITTEN D, MOLA-YUDEGO B. 2010. Blanket strategy: A response of environmental groups to the globalising forest industry. International Journal of the Commons 4(2):729-757

Abstract
Globally, in recent decades, forest industry has come under increased scrutiny, often led by environmental non-government organisations (ENGOs). The present paper analyses the strategies used by the ENGOs in different forest conflicts involving forest industry. The main aim is to determine if there is a relationship between forest industries’ partners (shareholders, financiers and customers) and the location of the ENGOs campaigning against them. Fourteen forest conflicts are used as case studies, representing different geographical regions. A detailed screening of the different actors and relations was performed for each case study based on existing academic literature, publications from relevant ENGOs and companies. The results reveal a strong correlation between the location of the ENGOs involved and the companies’ financial and economic partners. We put forward, and test, a theoretical framework to explain the mechanisms used by the ENGOs to apply pressure on the companies involved in conflicts. The blanket nature of the campaigns by ENGOs illustrates that the movement has globalised in response to the global nature of the industry. The present research contributes to a better understanding of the relationship between forest industry and ENGOs, including the strategies employed by the ENGOs, and in assisting forest industry in its interactions with stakeholders, including ENGOs.

Keywords: Forestry; commons; governance; collective action

[Open access to full manuscript]

UPDATE: This paper ranked number 7 in the most downloaded research papers of January 2011 at the International Journal of the Commons.

Forest conflicts in focus

The location of forest conflicts is a difficult topic. Location can be geographical, but also can refer to the sources of information where the conflict is documented. This paper analyses both locations: on the one hand the geographical patterns and hotspots, and on the other, the focus given by the academic community and the ENGOs to different conflict types. The data is based on a pool of over 300 forest conflicts documented. The full paper can be found at:

MOLA-YUDEGO B, GRITTEN D. 2010. Determining forest conflict hotspots according to academic and environmental groups. Forest Policy and Economics. doi:10.1016/j.forpol.2010.07.004

Abstract

Conflicts regarding natural resource management are ubiquitous. The present paper aims to present ways to analyse the location of forest conflicts, based on systematic screening and location of cases, and examines the focus of academic research as well as ENGOs regarding forest conflicts. A large sample of 300 identified forest conflicts are located, categorised according to conflict type and analysed using kernel associations. The results revealed a high concentration of forest conflicts (hotspots) in richly ecological regions of South-East Asia, Central Africa and several areas of South America. Additional areas in Central Europe and North America were also identified. Concerning the focus areas, there were important differences in the areas covered by the ENGOs and the academic literature, in terms of location, as well as conflict type. Although more cases are possibly needed to get more solid conclusions, the methods and results of this paper can serve as a basis of further research, in order, for example, to identify common socio-economical factors that can be linked with the conflicts.

Keywords: Kernel analysis; Forest conflict areas and types; ENGOs; Academic research; Geostatistics

It is interesting to see the focus on the analysed bioenergy conflicts. Although the research may not be covering all the forest conflicts involving bioenergy (see the paper for details), it seems that they have been to a certain point neglected by the academic community, especially if compared to the efforts made by ENGOs:

Perhaps that is giving us a clue on where to put the focus in future research...

Facilitating resolution of forest conflicts through understanding the complexity of the relationship between forest industry and ENGOs

There has been considerable focus by environmental groups (ENGOs), such as WWF and Greenpeace, and media, on the activities of forest industry both in Finland and abroad. The most recent examples of this include Stora Enso’s operations in China and Brazil as well as Metsä Botnia in Uruguay. The ENGOs often launch campaigns to get the companies to improve various aspects of their operations. The campaigns are often part of conflicts between local communities, indigenous peoples and the forestry company.

This PhD focuses on the relationship between the ENGOs and forest industry in Indonesia, including the role of UPM-Kymmene, as well as investigating areas of the Upper Lapland conflict. Both of these have received extensive coverage in Finnish and international media.

The work has covered different dimensions of the often hostile relationship including:

1. The impact of ENGO campaigns (including by Friends of the Earth Finland) on APRIL, the Indonesian pulp and paper company, as well as on its associates (including UPM-Kymmene).

2. The legitimacy of the actions of both APRIL as well as the ENGOs campaigning against the company.

3. What ENGOs are trying to achieve in their campaigns against forest industry companies such as APRIL and Metsähallitus in Upper Lapland.

These issues lead to the general finding that conflicts, regarding management of forest resources, are often deeply complex. This complexity includes the roles and strategies of the ENGOs and the different interpretations of reality that are a reflection of the interests and values of the parties concerned. This complexity often makes resolution of the conflict increasingly difficult. These findings led to the creation of a tool, Ethical Analysis, that would create an environment making solving the conflict more possible. The tool could be applied in such seemingly complex and intractable conflicts as the Upper Lapland conflict.

Click here to read the full thesis

Change in Governance as Collective Learning Process

The conference was held in Nancy (France), from 21st of June 2009 to 24th of June 2009. Organized by IDDRI, the Center for Philosophy of Law, the AgroParisTech-ENGREF, and the Regional Council of Lorraine, the International Symposium "Change in Governance as Collective Learning Process".

There we presented our preliminary findings in the analysis of frequency of forest conflicts, which we hope to improve and enlarge in the next months.



MOLA-YUDEGO B, GRITTEN D. 2009. Locating the frequency and concentration of forest conflicts: preliminary results based on a systematic compilation of empirical cases. Nancy, France, 21st-24th June, 2009.

Assessing the impact of environmental campaigns

GRITTEN D, KANT P. 2007. Assessing the impact of environmental campaigns against the activities of a pulp and paper company in Indonesia. International Forestry Review 9(4):819-834.

Abstract:
Deforestation in Indonesia and links with the pulp and paper industry has led environmental groups to campaign against the industry's practices. This paper focuses on two environmental campaigns against the activities of an Asian pulp and paper company that were widely perceived to be having a strongly detrimental effect on the rainforests of Sumatra, Indonesia. The analysis is based on interviews and questionnaires of those involved in the campaigns, as well as a review of related published and unpublished documents. The results show that the target company has become more sustainable since the campaigns started, though is still failing on certain issues. These findings are supported by some Environmental Non-Government Organisations (ENGOs), although others strongly believe that the company has made no progress at all and is still involved in illegal and unsustainable practices. Despite the increased awareness of the implications and destructiveness of deforestation in Indonesia, and the increasingly dynamic role taken by international ENGOs to halt the forest loss, deforestation continues apace.