- Department of Geography and Environmental Science, Reading
Abdul-Razak Saeed
University of Reading, Geography and Environmental Science, Graduate Student
Research Interests:
Addressing climate change involves tackling deforestation, which account for between 12-17% of global greenhouse gas emissions. Forest conservation, management and protection are increasingly addressed through mechanisms such as Reducing... more
Addressing climate change involves tackling deforestation, which account for between 12-17% of global greenhouse gas emissions. Forest conservation, management and protection are increasingly addressed through mechanisms such as Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+). This research provides insight at the global level, on the local level uptake of REDD+ in two cocoa forest communities in Ghana (Kamaso and Attobrakrom). This thesis introduces the REDD+ localisation analysis framework that engages with concepts of Ostrom's (1990) common property rights principles, McDermott's (2013) equity framework and Agrawal's (2005) environmentality to show how REDD+ is mediated through institutions from the national to the local, in ways that form subjectivities and encompasses meaning to local people. A qualitative participatory methodology was used to elicit perspectives from 124 participants (33 key policy stakeholders across government, private sector...
Forested countries in the global south that have agreed to engage in REDD+, a policy mechanism for addressing climate change, are receiving support to improve laws, policies, systems and structures. As a mechanism initiated at the global... more
Forested countries in the global south that have agreed to engage in REDD+, a policy mechanism for addressing climate change, are receiving support to improve laws, policies, systems and structures. As a mechanism initiated at the global level and seeking to use forests to address a global commons crisis (atmospheric carbon concentration), understanding how REDD+ translates into implementation at the local level is essential. Therefore, using a systematic review approach, we examined 15 studies of REDD+ in the context of public and/or community managed forests, drawn from a comprehensive application of inclusion criteria to identify relevant published peer-reviewed empirical research. The common property resources literature was used to highlight the role of local institutions in REDD+ and to distil how REDD+ community forest projects conform to Ostrom's collective action principles. The review revealed limited sharing of information and decision-making authority with communities; a general absence of FPIC; and a lack of defined benefit sharing and conflict resolution arrangements in many of the REDD+ projects.
