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What drives forest degradation in the central Himalayas? Understanding the feedback dynamics between participatory forest management institutions and the species composition of forests

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  • Ranjan, Ram

Abstract

Human populations and their socio-economic conditions, such as road networks and poverty, are thought to be the main drivers of deforestation. However, a high deforestation rate can also alter the species composition of forests, providing further feedback to the socio-economic drivers of deforestation as well as weakening the community forest management institutions. In this paper, we model the feedback linkages associated with the degradation of forests and the weakening of the local institutions to understand how they impact the long-term sustainability of these linked socio-economic-ecological systems. In particular, we explore the impact of excessive harvesting of forests for fuelwood and fodder on a shift in the species composition from oak to pine trees in the central Himalayan region of India. This shift provides adverse feedback to the communities' livelihoods and erodes the quality of their participatory management institutions. A change in the species composition also increases forest fire risks, which further exacerbates the ecological as well as socio-economic feedback effects. We develop and apply a dynamic optimization model of community forest management where, through optimally controlling harvesting efforts over time, a weighted sum of community and environmental objectives is maximized. Findings indicate that factors such as population size, the extent of dependence of the community on fuelwood, the strength of community institutions, and the degree of feedback effects, affect the long-term sustainability of forests. When faced with forest fire risks, there is a discounting effect present which increases deforestation and institutional entropy.

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  • Ranjan, Ram, 2018. "What drives forest degradation in the central Himalayas? Understanding the feedback dynamics between participatory forest management institutions and the species composition of forests," Forest Policy and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 95(C), pages 85-101.
  • Handle: RePEc:eee:forpol:v:95:y:2018:i:c:p:85-101
    DOI: 10.1016/j.forpol.2018.07.010
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Baland, Jean-Marie & Bardhan, Pranab & Das, Sanghamitra & Mookherjee, Dilip, 2010. "Forests to the People: Decentralization and Forest Degradation in the Indian Himalayas," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 38(11), pages 1642-1656, November.
    2. Ballabh, Vishwa & Balooni, Kulbhushan & Dave, Shibani, 2002. "Why Local Resources Management Institutions Decline: A Comparative Analysis of Van (Forest) Panchayats and Forest Protection Committees in India," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 30(12), pages 2153-2167, December.
    3. Ghazala Mansuri, 2004. "Community-Based and -Driven Development: A Critical Review," The World Bank Research Observer, World Bank, vol. 19(1), pages 1-39.
    4. Jonah Busch & Kalifi Ferretti-Gallon, 2017. "What Drives Deforestation and What Stops It? A Meta-Analysis," Review of Environmental Economics and Policy, Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 11(1), pages 3-23.
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    1. Mohd Alsaleh & A. S. Abdul-Rahim, 2022. "An evaluation of bioenergy industry sustainability impacts on forest degradation: evidence from European Union economies," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 24(2), pages 1738-1760, February.
    2. A. T. Shruthi Gopirajan & Praveen Kumar & P. K. Joshi, 2022. "Unraveling the complex and dynamic Himalayan socio-ecological systems: a systematic review," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 24(2), pages 1532-1559, February.
    3. Negi, Vikram S. & Pathak, Ravi & Dhyani, Vibhash & Durgapal, Medha & Joshi, R.K. & Bhatt, Indra D., 2022. "Land restoration in the Himalayan Region: Steps towards biosphere integrity," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 121(C).

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