from local forests to the global forest: resilience and involution of local forest systems in the...

From local forests to the global forest

Resilience and involution of local forest systems in the globalization era

Geneviève MichonFor the POPULAR Group

Local forests as socio-ecological systems• Forest systems related to “rural” population (forest

“nomads”, shifting cultivators, settled farmers, horticulturists, shepherds, cattle farmers) – Based on local values and knowledge– Regulated through local rights systems (on collective lands or

individual farm-related plots)– An integral part of the economy and livelihood of domestic units – The support of local social relationship systems, territories and

identities– Carried-out at a small-scale level, with adaptive management

• Have shaped large tracks of forest landscapes all over the planet

West Java, Indonesia

Local forests: in the humid tropics

India

Cameroon

Ethiopia

Indonesian Borneo

Laos

Local forests: in semi-arid areas and Mediterranean regions

Morocco

Spain

West Timor

Ethiopia

Burkina

Local forests: in temperate countries

Central France

Local forestsfrom Wilderness to Humanity

• A specific balance between “Nature” and “Culture”• Material processes and practices (targeting trees,

ecosystem, landscape) + Immaterial dimensions (knowledge, rights and social relationship)

• “Domestication” ? – Reflects local forests' specificity and qualities – Emphasizes the link between these forests and the domestic

units who manage them (families, lineages, tribes)

Revisiting domestication, the material processes: forging new trees

Grafting selected varieties

Planting wildings and varieties

Increasing production through working on the tree form

Western Chestnut

Argan (Argana spinosa) tree in Morocco

the visible processes

the invisible processes

Tree for oil production:

different shapes for different nut

quality

Tree for goats: private

Tree for goats: communal

Hedges

Controlling root sprouts

Revisiting domestication, the material processes :

Engineering the ecosystem

Manipulating global forest development

Ffilling natural or induced gaps

Manipulating regeneration

Revisiting domestication, the material processes : creating landscapes

developing infrastructures

introducing rights

Creating diversity

Revisiting domestication, the immaterial processes: belonging to the domesticity

Economy: support of livelihood

Patrimony: transgenerational intentions

Symbolism: linking to religion and beliefs

TerritoryPolitical dimension

Identity

Local forests in common policy frameworks • Forest policies: do not really acknowledge local forests

– Production forests? (not intensive timber production areas)– Conservation forests? (not biodiversity sanctuaries: too much humanity)– Social forest? (reluctance for full local rights, authority and legitimacy

recognition)

• Agricultural policies: care for single tree productions (chestnut, argan oil)

• Conservation policies: reluctant to modernization• Territory development policies: the most favorable for local

forests (in Europe)

« Sustainable Development »: a more favorable framework?

New opportunities, new initiatives

• Participation, devolution: Social forestry, Community forestry…• Local product certification (G.I.)



• Participation, devolution: Social, Community forestry…• Local product certification (G.I.)• Biodiversity or ethnic products



• Participation, devolution: Social, Community forestry…• Local product certification (G.I.)• Biodiversity or ethnic products • Environmental services

• Also: New management referentials: Capital vs. Patrimony

Forest = capital, assets?

• Forest: capital-rent (relation to market economy and economic development ): marketing forest products, conservation concessions, ……. REDD

• Other types of assets: livelihood assets

• Not only monetary, but still in terms of capital

Human Capital

The Poor

Sustainable Livelihoods Framework

Social Capital

Natural Capital

Physical Capital

Financial Capital

Forest = Heritage, Patrimony• Heritage, « Patrimony »: social

development, intergenerational dimension, responsibility, non-market values, consolidation of identity, territory, transmission

Family, lineage, tribe

StateRegion

World

Forest Sector

Patrimonial Economy

Tropical Rainforest: piling up conflicting patrimonial claimsTropical Rainforest: piling up conflicting patrimonial claims

Local, Customary patrimonies (family, lineage, tribes…)

National Domain

Historical situation: Local + State

negation, or destruction of local patrimonies for the construction of the State Forest Domain

Tropical Rainforest: piling up conflicting patrimonial claimsTropical Rainforest: piling up conflicting patrimonial claims

World Heritage

(biodiversity, carbon)

BUT: reconstruction of unified « local

patrimonies » as part of « the World

rainforest heritage »

Globalization of sustainable development norms, policies and projects

New situation: Local + International,less State

Local, self-organized claims

Claims organized by external agents

Priority: protecting the heritage

Patrimonial claims and forest valorizationPatrimonial claims and forest valorizationScaling-up or down?Scaling-up or down?

• A local, multipurpose domestic forest• Patrimony of local families, lineages and

tribes• But also State Domain

The argan forest in Morocco


• Development or argan oil as an international commodity through EXTERNAL actors (development agencies, NGOs, private entrepreneurs)

• At different levels– “Indigenous Community”– Nation– International

The argan oil: « Making a living out of patrimonial valorization »


• Benefits captured at external levels • More dissociation (economic, social,

environmental), sustainability questioned• Transmission questioned

• resilience???

The argan oil: « Making a living out of patrimonial valorization »

The chestnut forest in Corsica: « Making a living out of patrimonial valorization »• An abandoned forest• Rehabilitation

– Carried out of local initiative of local actors– Through collective action– With a strong political dimension (identity)

• Redefining the knowledge base– Revisiting « tradition »: modernization

• Redefining rights – Privatizing land rights but creating new solidarities

Patrimonial claims and forest product valorisationPatrimonial claims and forest product valorisation

Scaling-up or down?Scaling-up or down?

The chestnut forest in Corsica: « Making a living out of patrimonial valorization »

• Improving environmental, social and economic benefits

• Towards more sustainability

• Good resilience through time

Patrimonial claims and forest product valorisationPatrimonial claims and forest product valorisation

Scaling-up or down?Scaling-up or down?

Deconstructing patrimoniesDeconstructing patrimonies

• Rubber agroforests in Sumatra (international commodity market): moving from patrimony to capital development

Through market forces

Deconstructing patrimoniesDeconstructing patrimonies

• Woodlots in southern France (land market): selling the patrimony (emerging trends ????)

Through market forces

A forest linked to the “house”

Land market for tourism

Resilience proved for centuries Resilience

presently questioned

Deconstructing patrimoniesDeconstructing patrimoniesThrough agricultural policies

• 1990s: Rattan agroforests in Indonesian Borneo (policy support to large estate development for private investors)

But resilience???

Deconstructing patrimoniesDeconstructing patrimoniesThrough agricultural policies

• Ash tree in the Pyrenees (policy support to intensive agriculture)

Future still uncertain

• More benefits for local forest people? • Stronger or more secure rights on productive resources? • Better respect of human rights? Stronger decision power on

future?• Better biodiversity protection? More environmental services?• More resilience?

Local forests in the sustainable development eraLocal forests in the sustainable development era

Look at actors and processes at various time and space scales

Thank you for your attention

from local forests to the global forest: resilience and involution of local forest systems in the...

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