This occasional paper is the result of research carried out from 2006 to 2008 on the effects of new tenure rights for forest-based communities in Latin America on access to forest resources and benefits. Focused on seven different regions in four countries, the paper examines changes in statutory rights, the implementation of those rights in practice, and the extent to which they have led to tangible new benefits from forests, particularly to new sources of income.

La gestion durable des ressources naturelles, notamment dans les pays du Sahel, a toujours soulevé des problèmes dont celui de l’inadaptation des législations nationales y relatives. Le processus d’élaboration et de mise en œuvre de ces législations est à l’image des conditions politiques, socio-économiques et culturelles des pays en question. Le Burkina Faso, pour sa part, a connu plusieurs formes de régimes politiques et, de ce fait, capitalise un certain nombre d’expériences de réformes législatives et réglementaires dans le secteur des forêts et des ressources naturelles.

This study adopts an institutional approach to analyze the way in which informal rules, in their interaction with formal rules, shape the use of forest resources by diverse types of smallholders and communities (i.e., indigenous people, agro-extractive and traditional communities) in Latin America. Attention is given to understanding the ‘working rules’, comprising both formal and informal rules, that individuals use in making their decisions for land and forest resources access and use, which in turn affect benefits generation and distribution from such resources use.

Le Chapitre 1.2 établit les objectifs du Plan National Climat. Le premier objectif du Plan National Climat consiste à formaliser les grands axes stratégiques prioritaires que la Belgique met en œuvre pour relever le défi du Protocole de Kyoto. Il s’agit d’optimiser l’impact des politiques et mesures mises en place par les différentes autorités compétentes, par le développement de synergies et d’approches complémentaires, compte tenu des compétences respectives de ces entités. A cet effet, 11 axes stratégiques ont été identifiés: Six axes stratégiques sectoriels sont dressés: 1.

Two adult oak tree groups in northern Serbia, differing in degree of decline, were studied. Measurements of pre-dawn water potential (PWP), nutrient status and radial growth were performed and compared with similar sites in Slovenia. In spite of favourable water conditions and sufficiently high groundwater table, values of PWP between groups were statistically significant, with lower values in the degraded group. Growth and nutrient analysis confirmed differences between the groups, while values of PWP did not indicate water stress.

As carbon becomes a valuable commodity traded in markets for greenhouse-gas emissions, there will be incentives to adopt land uses that capture carbon payments as well as produce other marketable outputs, including biofuels. These production systems may be more sustainable than many of those in current use, but there is also the risk that the growing demand for biofuels will cause land degradation, deforestation and food scarcity.

In Slovenia, the Natura 2000 network covers 35.5% of its territory or 286 areas, encompassing 10 forest habitat types. The majority of indicators for the assessment of the conservation status and changes of forest habitat types are to be estimated within the forest management planning framework. In this paper, a hierarchical concept of forest habitat types monitoring in Pohorje Mts (810 km2) was examined and presented, based on landscape structure and position of habitat types in this structure.

The overall objective of this research was to determine whether and how the institutional environment
influences the establishment and performance of Community Forest Enterprises (CFEs) in Bolivia.
This study defines CFEs as organizations that: (1) manage collectively owned forests in name of all
community members and (2) follow forest management regulations established by the 1996 Forest
Law. The theoretical point of departure for this research is that the institutional environment can

The availability and quality of clean water in many regions of the world is more and more threatened by overuse, misuse and pollution. In this context, the relationship between forests and water must be accorded high priority. Forested catchments supply a high proportion of the water for domestic, agricultural, industrial and ecological needs in both upstream and downstream areas. A key challenge faced by land, forest and water managers is to maximize the benefits that forests provide without detriment to water resources and ecosystem function.