Global Neoliberal Agendas and Local Livelihood Realities of Carbon Trade: Whose Interests, Whose Benefits in Nepal's Community Forest Governance
Abstract
Forests are an important component of climate change governance for their function of carbon sequestration. Reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD+) in developing countries has become a global approach to combat climate change through carbon trade. Treating carbon as a commodity has created economic pressures for locals' livelihoods in competition with global conservation efforts to increase carbon stocks. The REDD+ framework is adding complexity to an already complex framework of rights and resources which might jeopardize past successes of decentralized forest governance.
Nepal offers a fitting case study for an exploration of how global policy has affected forest governance and community forestry practices through the commodification of forest carbon. With a history of devolution towards community-level forest governance, Nepal represents a prime example of successful community forestry governance practice prior to the onset of carbon trade. Recently, Nepal started REDD+ policy preparations with the support of global donor agencies, which are anticipated to change the national forestry framework considerably. This research aims at gaining insight on the multi-level policy dynamics between global and local interests which often find themselves in conflict. Using political ecology approach on multi-scale forest governance from local forest communities to national policy actors, this research identifies critical concerns for forest tenure security, state-community power relationships, forest governance of local commons, and local rights. The findings highlight challenges to REDD+ as it should not alter but complement existing rights and community governance, and as its goals need to be carefully negotiated vis-a-vis local non-monetary livelihood needs and expectations to ensure long-term viability and justice. Overall, this dissertation helps to broaden our understanding of the global-local links of carbon trade politics, contribute to careful and sustainable policy implementation of new climate change mitigation efforts, and help build a stable future of community forestry governance in the Global South.
Description
Keywords
Geography
Citation
Bastakoti, R. R. (2017). Global Neoliberal Agendas and Local Livelihood Realities of Carbon Trade: Whose Interests, Whose Benefits in Nepal's Community Forest Governance (Doctoral thesis, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada). Retrieved from https://prism.ucalgary.ca. doi:10.11575/PRISM/26306