Forest Governance in Federal Systems
An Overview of Experiences and Implications for Decentralization
By Hans Gregersen, Arnoldo Contreras-Hermosilla, Andy White, Lauren Phillips - CGIAR, Forest Trends, Forest Trends, Forest Trends, United Nations Forum on Forests, CIFOR, Inter Cooperation, SDC View PublicationInternationally recognized problems such as illegal logging and uncontrolled deforestation, as well as the broader political trends, are driving many countries to reconsider centralized systems of decision-making and direct government implementation of forest programs. The paper assesses the experiences of eight countries with federal systems including Australia, Brazil, Canada, India, Malaysia, Nigeria, Russia, and the United States (U.S.). The paper also assesses the experiences of the non-federal countries of Bolivia, Indonesia, and Nepal, since each of them has recently undertaken initiatives to decentralize governance.