Adaptation case studies.pdf - RECOFTC

5ConclusionsThe contributions of community forestry to mitigation objectives are well established. Themain argument for community forestry, in the context of REDD+, is that it responds to multipleinterests. With regard to adaptation, while community forestry can support adaptive capacity,it does not inherently do so. Restrictions on forest use in favor of conservation can limitlivelihood options and the design of decision-making and benefit-sharing arrangements mayserve to undermine the interests of particularly vulnerable groups. It is therefore essential thatcommunity forestry be undertaken using a sustainable livelihoods approach that focuses onthe enhancement of assets to strengthen adaptive capacity. While community forestry doesnot automatically guarantee improved resilience to climate change, if mainstreamed in itsapproach, it could be a highly effective approach. Community forestry supports livelihoodassets such as social capital and community organization, as well diversified livelihoods and theprotection of the natural resource base on which they depend.RecommendationsFor Policy Makers• A climate change adaptation lens needs to be mainstreamed within national andsub-national development planning. Community forestry demonstrates the potentialrole for decentralized local institutions in responding to environmental and climatechange adaptation needs.• Clear and integrated national guidelines for REDD+ and community forestry should becreated, including guidance on stakeholder rights, roles, responsibilities, and returns.• Land tenure reform processes should be accelerated and expanded, with a particularemphasis on indigenous and communal land-titling processes as a means of securinglong-term community commitment.• Collaboration and coordination among government agencies horizontally andvertically should be ensured. This is particularly needed across different levels, suchas district and provincial levels, and to involve agencies responsible for protectedarea management where this is not the purview of the forestry department.• Good governance and transparency across agencies as well as concerted forestrylaw enforcement, especially on timber trafficking, is needed for sustainability and toreduce mistrust.• Carbon rights and the benefits accruing from them is a complex issue and needs tobe addressed at national levels in order to ensure community support and the fairrecognition of contributions. • Policy-makers should identify models of successful mitigation−adaptation initiativesand scale up, where appropriate, prioritizing the documentation of lessons learned.13