Collaborative governance and new challenges to forest agenda in Latin America

In the last two decades, new forms of forest governance have been established based on the interaction of different social actors and their varying points of view on the use and conservation of native forests in Latin America.... [ view full abstract ]

In the last two decades, new forms of forest governance have been established based on the interaction of different social actors and their varying points of view on the use and conservation of native forests in Latin America. The objective of this paper is to present a discussion about the governance arrangements that support the promotion of the sustainable use of native forests and aim to solve collective problems related to the degradation, loss, and illegal exploitation of forest resources. The study has been carried out in two Latin American countries, where the responsible law enforcement agencies (such as the Native Forests Law in Chile and the Public Forest Management Law in Brazil) face these novel challenges. From the theoretical perspective, the study is based on the analysis of institutions and decision-making processes, guided by theories of sociology and environmental economics. As a method, an analytical framework was established that gathers the indicators of good governance of forests, the characteristics of the governance platforms and the scope of forest governance in each country. The sources for the analysis in this study included official documentation, field evidence as well as interviews with actors involved in the forest agenda at various levels (local, national, and international). The study demonstrates that there is no single model of forest governance, but rather that several governance platforms co-exist and respond in varying ways to the current problems, including the mitigation of climate change and maintenance of the economic value of the native forest. The diversity of governance platforms is also reflected in the collaborative capacity of actors involved in the development of legal rules for the use and management of native forests in Latin America.