Growing the Wealth of the Poor - World Resources Institute

R E C O M M E N D A T I O N S : A D V A N C I N G E N T E R P R I S E A N D R E S I L I E N C ECultivating Ownershipand Increasing Demand1. Complete the Job of Decentralization.Conferring resource rights on rural communities and individualsmeans devolving authority over these resources to thelocal level. An important part of this process is decentralizationof natural resource governance to local governments.While devolution of resource rights directly from centralgovernment to local user groups can take place withoutempowering local government, this is not a recipe for longtermsuccess. Local government needs to be part of the mix.In concept, decentralization was accepted long ago bymost governments as an appropriate step to encourage ruraldevelopment and increase equity. Reforms over the lastquarter-century have accomplished the first steps in thedecentralization process, delivering new mandates and somenew authorities to local governments. But in too many casesdecentralization reforms have not been carried through totheir logical or necessary conclusion. Political decentralizationhas not always been matched by fiscal andadministrative decentralization that empowers local governmentsto raise and allocate funds or to regulate local resourcemanagement. Central governments still play an outsize rolein determining how local ecosystem resources are managedand who will reap the benefits. As a result, local governmentscontinue to suffer from insufficient capacity and authority tocatalyze and support nature-based enterprises.Central governments can help complete the decentralizationprocess by defining more clearly local governments’ roles asdecision-makers and arbiters of local resource use. This maymean ceding greater budgetary authority and regulatorycontrol—such as permitting authority for resource use—tolocal authorities, while establishing clear criteria for transparencyin spending and permitting to make sure localgovernments remain accountable to communities.2. Pursue Tenure ReformThat is Flexible and Inclusive.Many nations have begun to tackle the considerable task ofincreasing the tenure security of rural residents. On the basisof this experience, several lessons have emerged that shouldinform government actions.■ Consider alternatives to formal titles. Landand resource registration is important, but traditionalcentralized titling programs have proved costly andcontentious. Governments should explore broaderapproaches that use local institutions to execute simplerand lower-cost forms of registration that provide an intermediatelevel of formalization in a timely manner.■ Recognize customary tenure. National tenurelaws need to explicitly recognize—and provide a meansto register—local customary land rights, includingcommunal tenure.■ Provide for long-term land leasing andtenancy. Governments should not neglect the importanceof lease and tenant arrangements to the poor andshould encourage long-term leases that can provideadequate tenure security.■ Clarify co-management responsibilities andrights. National laws need to explicitly recognize thespecific domain of co-management, where the state sharesresource tenure with local communities or resource usergroups. Co-management arrangements need to specifyclearly how resource rights and responsibilities are dividedand for what duration in order to provide adequate securityfor local investment in good management. In addition, therights devolved must be substantial, with a better balancebetween local and state authorities than is contained inmost current arrangements.■ Provide a functional dispute resolutionmechanism. Such a mechanism must link the existingcustomary and statutory mechanisms in a commonframework so that conflicting land claims can be settled3. Support Pilot Projectsand Help Communicate Successes.Governments, NGOs, and donors can all play a positive rolein building demand for ecosystem-based enterprises.■ Fund pilot projects and facilitate exchangevisits. These are among the most effective and costefficientmeans of demonstrating firsthand to communitymembers the benefits of community resource management.■ Help communities communicate theirsuccesses. This can be done by providing assistancewith message development, websites, and the publicationof articles, photographs, and other communicationtools and with dissemination of these products throughstate and donor networks.Continues on page 195191