Prospects and problems of afforestation of wastelands in India: A synthesis of macro- and micro-perspectives     

Kulbhushan Balooni  Katar Singh 《Geoforum》2007,38(6):1276-1289

There are large tracts of wastelands in India, which have been lying almost barren for decades. Wasteland afforestation is found to be a financially viable and environmentally sound use of most of those lands. In addition, tree planting on wastelands is emerging as a potent tool for arresting the increasing misuse and over-exploitation of these lands and environmental degradation in India. This paper presents an overview of afforestation programmes in India undertaken by various agencies, then examines the prospects of increasing the pace of afforestation and identifies various policy and institutional issues that impede the pace of wastelands afforestation. This is done by adopting a two-pronged methodology comprising a review of literature available on the subject (a macro-perspective) and case studies (a micro-perspective). The results of this study show that there is inadequate investment in the forestry sector as a whole and there are several policy and institutional obstacles to promoting wastelands afforestation in India.  相似文献   

The effectiveness of decentralisation reforms in the Philippines’s forestry sector     

Kulbhushan Balooni  Juan M. Pulhin  Makoto Inoue 《Geoforum》2008,39(6):2122-2131

Decentralisation reforms and political conditions in the Philippines present an ideal environment for forest management by recognising the land entitlements of upland and indigenous communities and promoting the involvement of local government units. By assessing whether current conditions – policies, institutions, and programmes – are conducive to effective decentralisation, this study examines the present state of decentralisation in the forestry sector of the Philippines. By analysing case studies conducted in Nueva Vizcaya Province, it also attempts to answer a broader question: when is decentralisation a success and when is it a failure? A number of uncertainties are revealed, along with various issues that hamper decentralisation, and that are interrelated and reinforce one another in much the same way as they have done over the past decade. The study highlights the need for caution when increasing the involvement of government at different levels, as it affects the pace of decentralisation reforms. It also shows that a mix of site-specific interventions and community endeavours that focus on securing local livelihoods has led to some success. This is a strategy that helps decentralisation reforms.  相似文献