Download Brockhaus-Decentralization Window of Opportunity for Successful

Decentralization
Window of Opportunity for
Successful Adaptation?
A Case Study from Burkina
Faso
Maria Brockhaus, CIFOR
Introduction
• In times of fundamental economic, ecological, social and
political change, CC impacts on countries’ and regions’
economic, ecological and social development are of
growing public and political concern
• Following IPCC, developing countries will be most
affected, highly vulnerable
• high dependency on forest ecosystem goods and services
• Governance Structures challenged to formulate and
implement strategies to counteract local populations’
vulnerability
• adaptive capacity is one determinant of vulnerability
Maria Brockhaus, CIFOR
Adaptive Capacity and Governance
Adaptive Capacity
…The ability of a system to adjust to climate change
(including climate variability and extremes) to moderate
potential damages, to take advantage of opportunities,
or to cope with the consequences….
• different concepts to measure adaptive capacity, scale
determines the indicators applicable (Vincent 2007:
national NACI, household level HACI, Mukheibir and
Ziervogel 2007: municipality level, and others)
• in common: governance a driving force of adaptive
capacity (but difficult to capture)
• AC f (Resource Dependency, Governance, ..)
Maria Brockhaus, CIFOR
Adaptive Capacity and Governance
Governance
…. is the complex mechanisms, processes and institutions
through which citizens and groups articulate their interests,
exercise their legal rights and obligations, and mediate
their differences. (UNDP)
• multi layered, multi level, multitude of actors involved in
decision making, somewhere in between markets,
hierarchies and networks
• in this context, individual, collective and organizational
capacities for adaptation determine the net effectiveness
of CC adaptation; requires learning and flexibility (Pelling et
al. 2005; Lebel et al 2006)
Maria Brockhaus, CIFOR
Adaptive Capacity and Governance
Does decentralisation support processes of
learning and knowledge sharing?
According to various scholars (Agrawal
and Ribot 1999; Colfer and Capistrano
2005; Ribot et al. 2006; Tacconi 2007),
decentralization can be considered as a
promising approach for increased adaptive
capacity at the local level – but is it ?
Maria Brockhaus, CIFOR
Questions
In a changing institutional landscape,
- who are the actors
- what are their mental models
- what are their networks of information and trust ?
in the (local) decision making arena of climate
change, adaptation, and forest ecosystem goods
and services,
Maria Brockhaus, CIFOR
Frame of Case Study
• research embedded in TroFCCA project (overall aim
mainstreaming adaptation into development policies)
• in West Africa, adaptation to maintain provision of FEGS
for livelihoods
• focus on adaptive capacity, “policy action research”,
analysis of (policy) networks to identify brokers, bridges
and holes in the arena of climate change, forests and
adaptation in Mali, Burkina Faso, and Ghana
• pilot research in two municipalities in the South West of
Burkina Faso, preliminary results here presented
Maria Brockhaus, CIFOR
The Context
• Sudano, Sudano-Guinean zone, precipitation
900-1200 mm/a  climate conditions are more
favorable compared to other regions in BF
• state forests, community forest and wood land
• ongoing decentralization process in BF, TOD
1999, Code Decentralisation 2004, transfer of
resources to local level in progress, elections
2006, new configuration of institutions
Maria Brockhaus, CIFOR
Method
• comparative research
• identification of 16 actors from government,
municipalities, the environmental, agricultural, and
animal production extension services, representatives of
development projects
• In depth interviews, 1.5-3.5 hours
• interview topics included:
– role and contribution of forest ecosystem goods and services (FEGS)
for livelihoods (focus was on the sectors of: energy; water; and nontimber forest products and the use and management of trees and
forests)
– perception/experience of climate change and extreme events and
needed adaptive responses, and the envisaged challenges/threats
under ongoing climate change/ extreme events pressure
– the roles and responsibilities for adaptation of the different actors in the
arena
– qualities of a “good adaptor” at individual and organizational level
– actors’ networks of information and influence regarding the topic
Maria Brockhaus, CIFOR
who are the actors?
Maria Brockhaus, CIFOR
The Actors
Maria Brockhaus, CIFOR
what are their mental models ?
Maria Brockhaus, CIFOR
Results
awareness varies among actors:
• climate change not perceived as major driver of change, but
forms part of a complex system of driving forces
 need for adaptation is not always recognised
• belief in technical solutions
• qualities of “good adaptor” from individual to organizational
level are related to motivation, open-mindedness, curiosity,
formal and informal communication, knowledge
• success and failure stories shape awareness (sell-of of a Teak
forest in Batier)
options for action perceived differently by actors:
• information and incentive policy responses preferred
• local level planning and institutional flexibility emphasised
• perceived trade-offs among sectors
Maria Brockhaus, CIFOR
what are their networks of information
and influence ?
Maria Brockhaus, CIFOR
Connectedness of Actors
new strategies and allies formed (DPE), human and financial resources of DPA,
Sp/CONEDD at national level not connected, local level not fully integrated…
Maria Brockhaus, CIFOR
Networks
• new configuration led to new strategies of
different actors, new allies have been
identified, environmental service
approaches pro-actively new politicoadministrative configuration
• little connectedness among actors, among
municipalities, across layers and levels
Maria Brockhaus, CIFOR
The Variables
AC f (Resource Dependency, Governance, ..)
• Resource Dependency on FEGS: extreme dependency,
often non-monetary, on forest ecosystem goods and
services limits space for adaptation action
• Governance variables focus on: what shapes and
determines who and about what and how is negotiated
– awareness (risk perception, agenda setting,…)
– options for action (responsibilities, institutional flexibility,
processes of communication and planning, inter-connectivity,…)
– networks of information and influence
knowledge forms part of all these variables of adaptive
capacity
Maria Brockhaus, CIFOR
Conclusion
 two key features of governance are essential for
technical and societal adaptation to climate change, (1)
institutional capacities and willingness/motivation for
learning; and (2) institutional flexibility
Decentralisation offers (in theory)
- growing institutional flexibility,
- higher responsiveness,
- and selective planning and implementation at local
level
BUT success can be hindered
- by lack of learning capacities,
- lack of knowledge and
- biased agenda setting for adaptation due to perceived
trade-offs among the various sectors.
Maria Brockhaus, CIFOR
Outlook
In the arena of cc, adaptation and FEGS,
successful adaptation is fundamentally about
actors and the governance structures in which
these actors negotiate and implement decisions
related to management and use of forest
ecosystem goods and services…
Decentralisation can be window of opportunity
for successful adaptation to climate change but
needs further investment in connectedness to
enable learning and knowledge sharing across
actors and scales …
Maria Brockhaus, CIFOR
Merci !
Maria Brockhaus, CIFOR