Adaptation case studies.pdf - RECOFTC

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formal processes and validating customary claims to forestlands. The loose network of 20village community forestry management groups now oversees 23,873 hectares of forestland andhas led efforts for return of fallow lands in order to expand overall forest areas. The project hasalso contributed to strengthening dispute resolution mechanisms within and among villages.Heavy rains have allowed weeds and fungal diseases to multiply and in conjunction with erodedsoil, have contributed to declining rice and other crop yields. In the past, villagers waited forthe rainy season to subside before rice planting; now given the unpredictability of weatherpatterns, they prepare for cultivation at the earliest opportunity. Preparation generally involvesburning the plot, a practice believed to increase soil fertility. However this is increasingly beingreplaced by the use of chemical fertilizers in response to State restrictions on fire use as wellas the widespread availability of chemical inputs. Commercial fertilizers are expensive and riskincreasing the debt load of the community.Plot rotation cycles have also changed in response to declining yields, land-use restrictions bythe Park, and an increasing population. Fallow periods for plots have declined from six-yearperiods to typically four years with some being as short as two years. The financial expensesand workloads required to maintain the same or even lower levels of agricultural productivityhave risen significantly.Ban Huay Win has demonstrated innovation and interest in exploring new sustainable landmanagement practices while embracing indigenous knowledge and crop varieties. Farmers haveadapted and modified traditional cultivation practices and species on a trial-and-error basisindependent of any official external assistance.A component of the Raks Thai project, though still in its early stages in Ban Huay Win, is focusedon the promotion of sustainable and more efficient forms of land use, such as the intensificationof rice cultivation through terracing. As part of project support, up-front investments associatedwith terracing were subsidized by 50%. In return, farmers designated areas of fallow land fornatural regeneration of the forest. Terracing is a new method for the Tai Lue, and while the laborand initial investments for terracing are high, terracing in Doi Phu Kha has resulted in increasedyields per hectare of land and improved retention of both topsoil and water (Raks Thai, 2008).The introduction of terracing is hoped to mitigate forestland encroachment by reducing theamount of land required for cultivation. While income generation is clearly important, thevillagers expressed their preference for setting aside fallow land for the regeneration of naturalforest. Embarking on large-scale terracing is part of the long-term plans of the community,although they feel as yet unready to make the investments required.6. <strong>Adaptation</strong>, Mitigation, and Community Forestry LinkagesIn Ban Huay Win many adaptive strategies are mutually reinforcing climate change mitigationobjectives, particularly in the context of community forestry; for example efforts to relievepressure on forestland through improved agricultural systems and in particular, terracing. Otheractivities such as the shortening of crop rotations may reduce pressure on forestland, but areultimately likely to result in negative impacts on livelihoods through declining yields and theneed for high chemical input use.The community has sought to maintain the momentum of forest conservation activitiesdespite the termination of the Raks Thai project; however, unless pressing livelihood and foodsecurity needs are accounted for there is a real risk of land-use practices becoming increasinglyunsustainable.54
REDD+ PotentialREDD+ is on Thailand’s national agenda for improved forest management and could offeropportunities for both climate change adaptation and mitigation benefits. While REDD+discussions in Thailand remain contentious with little trickle down to the level of nationalparks such as Doi Phu Kha, potential income from REDD+ could offer critical compensation toensure continued community support for forest conservation. REDD+ could also serve as animportant lever in clarifying and securing community rights to the forest and surrounding areas.The Raks Thai projects strengthened existing community forestry management practicesand standardized forest use rules and regulations (Raks Thai, 2008). They also catalyzed theimportant step of joint land mapping, which has established the basis and processes forcommunity−Park collaboration. However, before considering REDD+ engagement, critical issuessuch as land tenure, community status within the Park, and the strengthening of participatoryprocesses must be addressed. Without the endorsement of indigenous peoples’ rights and theirrole in participatory processes, it will be difficult to ensure that communities such as Ban HuayWin will benefit equitably rather than ceding further rights to the Park or State authorities.Although Thailand has recognized community forestry as a strategy for forest managementsince the 1970s, it lacks an official framework for local participation and recognition in forestmanagement, especially in the context of national parks and upland indigenous peoples. Giventhe lack of policy clarity around community-managed forests, the development of REDD+ inThailand is likely to be constrained until these issues are addressed.Finally, it will be important to consider time and labor requirements associated with REDD+relative to expected benefits. REDD+ initiatives may increase local workloads, for example, todevelop alternatives to existing forest exploitation strategies. It will be critical in precariouscontexts such as Ban Huay Win that carbon sequestration objectives do not underminelivelihood assets and overall adaptive capacity.55
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The designation of geographical ent
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AcknowledgementsThe research and pu
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NEPAL 37Community Forestry: Well Pl
Page 12: 2ConceptualFrameworkClimate Change
Page 15: 3MethodologyThe methodology for the
Page 20 and 21: 12Some specific incidences of these
Page 22: For Practitioners and Project Propo
Page 25: Timeline2001 Provision for registra
Page 29 and 30: Type Assets Effects on Adaptive Cap
Page 31 and 32: Water ScarcityFood security is clos
Page 33: way to achieving this; but gaps rem
Page 36 and 37: • Access rights enjoyed by commu
Page 38 and 39: “In the past we were very poor, l
Page 42 and 43: Work by LATIN and KAIL has created
Page 45 and 46: NEPALCommunity Forestry:Well Placed
Page 47 and 48: 1. BackgroundThe forestry context i
Page 49 and 50: TypePhysicalFinancialHumanSocialOve
Page 51 and 52: few sources of revenue controlled d
Page 53: These tensions include:Politicizati
Page 56 and 57: Nan ProvinceTimeline1983 Tai Lue in
Page 58 and 59: Thailand (Jesdapipat, 2008). Attest
Page 60 and 61: and ancestors as well as providing
Page 65 and 66: VIETNAMAdapting to Natural Disaster
Page 67 and 68: 1. BackgroundDa Loc is a coastal co
Page 69 and 70: presenting significant challenges f
Page 73 and 74: are increasingly aware of the poten
Page 75 and 76: Cambodian Rural Development Team (C
Page 77 and 78: Mc Kenney, B., Y. Chea, P. Tola, an
Page 80: Copyright: © 2012 RECOFTC - The Ce
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