Local capacity to manage forestry resources under a decentralised system of governance : the case of Uganda

[摘要] This study aims at examining technical and institutional capacity in local organisations tomanage decentralised forest resources in Uganda. Specifically the study assessed the roles,responsibilities, powers and legal instruments, incentives, facilities and human and fiscalresources of local organisations to undertake decentralised forest governance. Semistructuredand key informant interviews were conducted in local organisations and legal andpolicy documents reviewed to ascertain strategies for implementing decentralised forestry.An inventory of selected forests was conducted to assess effect of decentralisation policy onthe condition of forests in Uganda. Chi-square tests were used to show the factors thatmotivate local organisations to participate in decentralised forest governance. Tree speciesdiversity and richness, density, diameter at breast height and basal area and sings of humandisturbance were used to compare the condition of forests under local government and thoseunder private and central government ownership. Similarity between the forests was assessedusing a Two Way INdicator SPecies Analysis, while the differences in the composition andstructural characteristics of trees among forest ownership categories were compared by onewayanalysis of variance. Multiple regression analysis was used to show the influence ofhousehold pressure, forest size, the distance of the forest from roads and forest administrativeoffice, and the market demand of the forest produce on the capacity of forest agencies toregulate timber harvesting. The findings reveals that local organisations supported devolvedforest management functions such as forest monitoring, tree planting, environmentaleducation, networking, collaborative and integrated planning, resource mobilisation andformulation of byelaws. The role of forestry in the livelihoods of the people, the desire tocontrol forest degradation and access to forest revenue, donor and central government fiscalsupport were the most important incentives in decentralised forest management. However,limited capacity in terms of qualified staff, funds, facilities and equipment and inadequatedecision-making powers over fiscal resources from forestry, inequitable distribution of forestrevenue and unclear forest and tree tenure hindered decentralised forest management. Thediversity and richness indices, density, diameter at breast height and basal area of trees weresignificantly higher in central forest reserves, intermediate in private and lower in local forestreserves. The frequency of human disturbances was significantly higher in local forestreserves than in private and central forest reserves. The variation in composition and structureof the local forest reserves is partly attributed to human disturbances. The capacity of theforest agencies to regulate forest resources use in the Mpigi forests was significantly affectedby the size of forest, and its location in relation to the well-maintained roads, forestadministrative office and the number of households in close proximity and the market demandof the forest produce. Large forests in close proximity to densely populated areas and far away from roads and the forest administrative office were more affected by timber harvesting.The results demonstrated that local governments are not yet efficient in monitoring andregulating forest use and maintaining the condition of forests in Uganda. Local organisationsneed to play an increased role in the implementation of the Forest Policy, the NationalForestry and Tree Planting and the Local Government Acts for successful decentralisation offorest management and to recruit more technical staff, strengthen internal sources of revenueand develop integrated forestry work plans. There is also a need for the central government tointegrate and co-ordinate local and central interests, and facilitate a working relationship withlocal governments, civil society and the private sector involved in forestry. Forest owners andmanagers in the Mpigi forests and Ugandaâs tropical forests in general need to manage humanimpacts so as to balance utilisation and conservation forest resources. There is need for longtermstudies to fully understand the real significance of ownership on the composition andstructure of the Mpigi forests and forests in other districts of Uganda.

[发布机构] Stellenbosch University