The Political Ecology of Forest Management Across the Tropics

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Background

Tropical forests, often referred to as the lungs or kidneys of the world, are the most important forest type on the planet as they are home to the largest share of biodiversity that our planet supports. They are also the sources of the largest freshwater rivers on the planet, supporting billions of people. Hence, billions are dependent on these forests around the world. Global efforts pushing national actors and local practitioners to save these forests have had limited success in minimizing deforestation and forest degradation.

Despite the general understanding that forests across the tropics are crucially important at local, national, and global levels, the rate at which different forest types are disappearing is of major concern, impacting livelihoods, climate change, biodiversity conservation, and human rights. Numerous efforts are in place to save the tropical forests, but the destructive forces are also growing day by day. To date, efforts to save these forests have focused on technical measures and economic instruments with high-level international mechanisms such as REDD+, and others. The international political will and the ambitions to preserve our forests need to be translated into action from the national to local levels. This requires understanding the political ecology of forest management. Forests are more than a type of land cover; they shape economics, institutions, policies, and interests. Understanding the political ecology of tropical forest management could provide insight into the complex network of issues that impact broader management strategies. This Research Topic aims to highlight these networks by pulling together experiences and case studies to inform effective measures to reduce deforestation and forest degradation, leading to better livelihoods of forest-dependent peoples, enhanced biodiversity conservation, and reduced emissions from forest-related activities.

This Research Topic focuses on tropical forests in particular, though lessons from other regions of the planet are also welcome, as these experiences and lessons could help to inform forest management in the target region. Specific areas of interest for this Research Topic include:

• Tropical forests and the global climate agenda (carbon and water)
• Tropical forests and biodiversity conventions
• Forests and human rights
• Governance and governability of tropical forests
• Forest-dependent people and their livelihoods
• Tropical forests and foreign investments
• Tropical forests, enterprises and mismanagement
• Tropical forests, urbanization, and the resulting frictions
• Tropical forest restoration and its governance

Keywords: Tropical forests, Policies, People and livelihoods, Forest loss, Rights

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