Private sector delivery of state services is increasingly common worldwide, and state forest plantation management is no exception. Increasingly governments are transferring rights and responsibilities to the private sector for state-owned plantations. Some claim that this is the road to achieving sustainable forest management, greater contributions to local livelihoods and poverty reduction, others disagree. Plantations, Privatization, Poverty and Power examines the evidence and explores the many issues raised by these changing relationships between the state, the private sector and local livelihoods. Experiences from around the world are described through seven case studies from Australia, China, Chile, India, New Zealand, South Africa and the United Kingdom, and key lessons and clear guidance are provided on how governments can best achieve a balance between private and public involvement while continuing to deliver the key social goods and services expected by all citizens.
- Introduction
Part I: Opportunities, Challenges and Solutions
- Plantations, Livelihoods and Poverty
- Plantation Development and Management
- Reconciling Public Policy and Transfer of Ownership and Management
- Conclusions and Ways Forward
Part II: Country Case Studies
- A Mixed Economy Commonwealth of States - Australia
- An Early Lesson in Total Divestment - Chile
- From Centrally Planned Economy to Vigorous Rural Enterprise - China
- Joint Management of State Forest Lands - India
- Corporatization, Commercialization and Privatization - New Zealand
- Juggling Social and Economic Goals - South Africa
- From Plantation Developer to Steward of the Nation's Forests - United Kingdom
Bibliography
Index
Michael Garforth is a freelance forestry consultant and a Director with Tacsus Ltd, Tbilisi. James Mayers is Director, Forestry and Land Use Programme at the International Institute for Environment and Development, and co-author of Policy that Works for Forests and People (2004), and The Sustainable Forestry Handbook (2004).