Strengthening Tenure Security And Community Participation In Forest Management In Kibaale District Uganda

Key messages Participatory Prospective Analysis (PPA) proved to be effective for encouraging collective reflection to identifythreats to forest tenure security as well as to develop ways to improve local people's tenure security over forests in Kibaale district, Uganda. A PPA exercise carried out in 2015/16 brought together stakeholders from district government, civil society, local communities and the Bunyoro kingdom, as well as politicians, to discuss the past, present and future of forest tenure security in the district. As the forest and land sectors are male dominated, a separate women-only PPA workshop was organized to gather women’s perspectives.While the mixed group and women-only PPA stakeholders identified four common key influences on forest tenure security, they also each identified four unique influences. Commonly identified influences were: the role played by politicians; the implementation capacity of key stakeholders (particularly at district level); the implementation and enforcement of forest laws and policies; and population dynamics, including the influx of migrants. Influences identified only by the women’s workshop were: access to adequate funding for reform implementation; the level of security in the district; and the role of NGOs, particularly those working to advance and defend women's forest tenure rights. Influencing factors identified only by the mixed group included: the knowledge, attitudes and participation of local people in implementing forest tenure reforms; and the extent of forest tenure rights actually granted to communities.Stakeholders identified two desirable and three undesirable scenarios to envision the potential forest tenure security situation in Kibaale in 2025. Desirable scenarios involved participatory formulation and implementation of forest policies and plans; clear tenure rights; adequate funding for implementing forest tenure reforms; well-informed local communities; and corruption-free political leadership. Undesirable scenarios were characterized by insecure forest tenure rights due to immigration; and unfair enforcement of forest laws in favor of powerful, well-connected immigrants over indigenous peoples.The PPA then identified potential actions to be undertaken by different stakeholders to improve access to local forest tenure rights over the next decade. These included: the dissemination of laws, policies and technologies to communities and their political leaders; increased community involvement in resource planning and implementation (including the enforcement of rules); and the development of policies and laws to address problems caused by immigration.The women-only PPA workshop viewed major threats as being the prospect of men taking over trees that women have planted (due to discriminatory cultural practices that prevent women from owning land and trees). They also viewed the lack of funding to invest in tree planting and for acquiring their own land, lack of access to markets, political instability and limited NGO influence as factors that could undermine forest tenure security over the next decade.

Key messages A recent study, focusing on national and district-level government officials involved in forest tenure reform implementation processes in Uganda, has highlighted key challenges and opportunities for future improvements. Analysis of responses shows that:As reforms responded to a need for sustainable forest management and livelihood improvements, activities leant towards forest protection, rather than strengthening and securing community forest tenure rights.Progress in tenure reform implementation has been below implementers’ expectations, largely due to inadequate funding, onerous processes of registration, declaration and management of Private Natural Forests and Community Forests, or in the case of Collaborative Forest Management, negotiation of rights with Responsible Bodies.The main economic, social and political challenges faced by government officials implementing reforms were budgetary limitations, poverty levels in forest-adjacent communities, migration and socio-cultural norms. Research respondents noted also that often, politicians impeded rather than supported reform implementation processes. Some of them derived political capital out of exerting pressure on technical staff to engage in, as well as protect, illegal activities.The study revealed a number of technical problems that constrained the implementation of forest tenure reforms. These included the tedious processes involved in getting the rights formalized, community inability to protect and safeguard forest tenure rights, and inadequate benefits accruing to communities involved in forest management activities.There was no agreement among the respondents as to who is responsible for safeguarding community forest tenure rights. Development partners and civil society organizations (CSOs) also undertook activities to support the securing of local tenure rights, such as capacity building, resource mobilization, awareness raising and conflict resolution. However, such support was often shortlived and localized. Although government and CSOs are both involved in reform implementation, there is limited formal coordination between them.

Key messages Using a foresighting approach known as the Participatory Prospective Analysis (PPA) methodology, stakeholders at a national-level workshop in Uganda identified several factors with strong influence on forest-dependent communities' forest tenure rights.Influencing factors identified were: forest resource governance; community capacity to sustainably manage forests and demand/defend tenure rights; the priority level of forestry and tenure security for development partners; local norms and beliefs which impact upon vulnerable groups' tenure rights; forestry sector financing in national budgetary allocations; and local communities' legal literacy regarding land/forest tenure.When analyzing the potential evolution of forest tenure security over the next 25 years, stakeholders identified certain desirable potential outcomes: forestry being prioritized in national development plans; availability of adequate financial resources; existence of capable, well-coordinated district and national-level government structures to promote community forest tenure; availability of technical staff with capacity to equip communities with knowledge and skills to enable them to exercise their tenure rights; presence of enterprising communities with skills to innovate and adopt alternatives to forestry products; and effective enforcement of gender-sensitive forestry-related laws and policies, to promote benefit-sharing equity.After analyzing potential future outcomes, both negative and positive, PPA stakeholders recommended prioritizing certain actions to safeguard forest-dependent communities' future forest tenure security. These actions were: improving coordination of key government agencies; adopting inclusive and participatory decision-making processes during tenure-related activity implementation; improving stakeholders' technical and financial capacity through traditional and emerging innovative financing mechanisms; and implementing policies and strategies designed to provide alternative livelihood sources, thus reducing local dependence on forests and forest products.

Key messages The Participatory Prospective Analysis process in Masindi district, Uganda, brought together government, private sector, NGO and local communities stakeholders to collectively reflect on factors affecting local tenure rights, forecast future scenarios and propose actionable plans for securing forest tenure rights.Participants identified several factors threatening local forest tenure rights: lack of land ownership documentation; inadequate implementation and enforcement of forest policies, laws and programs; land use changes; gender bias against women; political interference; lack of community awareness of forest tenure rights; and inadequate financial and human resources to effectively protect local people's rights to forests and land.To identify potential barriers and drivers, three workshops were organized. With both forestry and agricultural sectors being male-dominated, a women-only workshop was organized to capture women's perspectives and compare findings with those of the mixed gender group.Four 'key driving forces' impacting forest tenure security were identified by both groups: (1) community participation in forest tenure reform implementation, particularly that of women; (2) access to financial resources to implement forest tenure reform activities; (3) the importance of outside organizations having an awareness of community, cultural and institutional norms and beliefs regarding forest tenure rights; (4) the role played by local and national government agencies and politicians in coordinating and promoting progress towards forest tenure reforms.Women stakeholders emphasized the importance of access to land for forestry activities as critical to securing their rights; they also identified that supportive men and domestic relationships can impact on women's rights to forest land. Mixed group stakeholders identified the role of oil, gas and other industrial activities as a key threat to local forest tenure security.Participants developed four scenarios to anticipate potential future situations impacting on local forest tenure rights. Desirable scenarios depicted a well-governed, well-financed forestry sector characterized by gender equality and participative forest management. Undesirable scenarios were characterized by a dominant oil and gas sector undermining forest sustainability and forest rights; a weak, underfunded and poorly-managed forest sector; forest conversion to other uses; government failure to recognize community rights and integrate communities in forest management; and disappointed, disempowered communities collectively destroying forests for survival instead of managing them sustainably.Several actions were identified to secure local forest tenure rights: (a) making district-level government more responsive to local needs and aspirations around community forest tenure reforms; (b) increasing the number of well-trained district government officers and providing adequate financial resources; (c) facilitating a faster, affordable process for community forest registration, including community incentives; (d) equipping communities with knowledge, skills and resources to enhance their participation in forest tenure reform implementation; (e) promoting environmentally and socially responsible investments to mobilize resources for protecting local people’s forest tenure rights.

Research since the 1990s highlights the importance of tenure rights for sustainable natural resource management, and for alleviating poverty and enhancing nutrition and food security for the 3.14 billion rural inhabitants of less-developed countries who rely on forests and agriculture for their livelihoods. The specific rights or combination of rights held by an individual, household, or community affects whether they have access to land and resources, as well as how those can be used and for how long. Equally important is the degree to which landholders perceive their tenure to be secure. Landowners are more likely to engage in land and resource conservation if they perceive that the likelihood of losing their land or resource rights is low. Between 2013 and 2021, the CGIAR Research Program on Policies, Institutions, and Markets (PIM) supported researchers to explore the drivers of tenure insecurity and their consequences, as well as mechanisms that can enhance tenure security. Their work focused on rights held by individuals and households, as well as collectively held rights. Studies found that tenure insecurity has a variety of negative consequences for natural resource management, agricultural productivity, and poverty reduction, but the sources of tenure insecurity differ for men and women, and for individual, household, and collective lands. Statutory recognition of customary rights, multistakeholder processes (MSPs) such as for land use planning, and organized social alliances such as Indigenous peoples’ groups have emerged as important mechanisms for securing rights or enhancing access to collectively held lands. Long-term partnerships, ongoing engagement, and training for actors at multiple scales increase the likelihood of successful implementation of tenure reforms. Further research on tenure security can contribute to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, especially by clarifying how customary tenure can provide security and how tenure affects decision-making in multistakeholder platforms.

Key messages Lamwo district provides an interesting case of a post-conflict customary forest tenure system under a situation of changing forest governance, as forest tenure reforms introduced since 2001 give local communities extensive rights to forests.In 2015, forest stakeholders took part in a Participatory Prospective Analysis (PPA) exercise that identified the determinants of forest tenure security in the district as: forest governance; the role and capacity of key stakeholders (particularly NGOs and customary institutions); an increasing demand for forest products; and pressure to convert forest land to large-scale agriculture.Based on exploring the implications of the above driving forces, the participant stakeholders developed one desirable and three undesirable future scenarios of forest tenure security. The desirable scenario sees a well-informed and active local community, which is aware of its forest tenure rights; an affordable forest land registration process which is not too bureaucratic; positive political influences; and well-funded and staffed district government that oversees and coordinates the work of NGOs, customary leaders, politicians and other stakeholders involved in forest tenure reform implementation. Undesirable scenarios are characterized by a lack of these features.Participants recommended the following initiatives to promote forest and land tenure security under customary systems in Lamwo district: 1) formulating and implementing bylaws; 2) creating forest conservation committees for each clan, to ensure proper management of their forest areas; 3) proactive community participation in decision-making, particularly in regards to women's rights and involvement; 4) popularizing, simplifying and translating documents into local languages, including guidelines on registration and declaration of customary forests; 5) regulating harvesting rates for forest products (especially timber), 6) improving the system for registering forest and land areas; and 7) undertaking capacity-building initiatives.The PPA exercise revealed state and non-stakeholders share common interests in protecting the forest and land tenure rights of forestdependent communities under customary tenure systems in the district. Stakeholders pledged support for improved implementation, collaboration and coordination, to achieve the shared goals of forest tenure security for rights holders in Lamwo district by 2025.

This guide is designed to be used primarily by local community leaders to train the communities they lead. These leaders include district and lower Local Government officials, local council members, civil society staff working at community level, and executive committee members of community institutions, among others. The guide responds to a need for the active participation of local communities in securing and guarding their forest tenure rights through pro-active and innovative actions of empowered and well-informed local community members. The need was identified in the Global Comparative Study on Securing Tenure Rights for Forest Dependent Communities carried out by the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) over a period of 4 years (2015–2018). An empowered and well-informed local community would be confident about the rights they have under the law, and be prepared to defend them. And building this confidence with respect to their forest tenure rights involves equipping them with relevant knowledge. This guide is designed to provide the training needed to build this confidence.

References: pp 52-54.