the role of property rights in natural resource management, good ...

1.0 INTRODUCTIONProperty rights or “tenure” refers to control over and access to resources, that is, the way in which people(individually or collectively) hold rights and responsibilities to land and natural resources upon it. Thus, theissue of property rights raises fundamental questions of who claims rights to what resources, who has accessto the land and associated natural resources, and who has the responsibility for managing these lands. Ofparticular interest then is how land and property rights create incentives or disincentives for sustainablemanagement and governance of natural resources such as agricultural lands, forest resources, freshwater andcoastal resources, wild species of plants or animals or watersheds. These fundamental property rightsquestions become even more critical where natural resource markets are concerned, such as markets fortimber or non-timber forest products, wildlife, ecotourism, agricultural products, payment for environmentalservices and other revenue-generating activities.Control or access to land and natural resources is important for sustainable management, good governanceand empowerment of the rural poor for several reasons:1. Land and natural resources are important assets for individuals and households in meeting subsistenceneeds including food and shelter. To that end, access to land and natural resources (renewable naturalresources in particular) is critical for poverty alleviation and food security.2. Land and natural resources provide important assets for income generation for most rural households.Rural households may generate income through production of cash crops, or from collection and sale offorest, marine or coastal resources. Indeed, households with secure rights to land are typically better offthan those with insecure, limited or no land rights(FAO, 2002a).3. Property rights are a critical tool for promoting selfrelianceamong the poor. Specifically, improved accessto arable land can provide incentives for greaterinvestments in time and labor toward enhancing thenatural resource base, leading to greater productivity ofarable lands and hence greater food security at thehousehold level. To that end, secure access to land andnatural resources is essential for lasting solutions tosustainable land and natural resource use andmanagement, as well as poverty alleviation.Box 1. Property Rights, Access andIncentives Regarding NaturalResourcesProperty rights, and secure access to andcontrol over land and natural resources cangenerate critical incentives for conservationand sustainable use, management andgovernance of natural resources. Insecure,unclear, limited or short-term propertyrights can inhibit sustainable land and naturalresource management and discouragestakeholders from acting as long-termstewards of land and natural resources.4. Secure land and property rights are a critical element ofa rights-based approach to developmentprogramming. 2 The rights-based approach serves to ensure that program designers proactively considerwomen, minorities, indigenous and other marginalized groups in development programs (FAO, 2002a).Underlying each of these concerns is sustainability of the resource base, which is often highly correlated tothe level of property rights security characteristic of key natural resource users.2The rights-based approach to development places human rights at the center of development policy, and includes economic, social andcultural, as well as civil and political rights (Maxwell, 1999).ROLE OF PROPERTY RIGHTS IN NRM: GOOD GOVERNANCE AND EMPOWERMENT OF THE RURAL POOR 1