Htut Yin Min, Jürgen Pretzsch:
An Analysis of Collective Action in Forest Plantation Establishment by Forest User Groups

HTUT YIN MIN, JÜRGEN PRETZSCH
Technical University of Dresden, Institute of International Forestry and Forest Products, Germany

The research target is to describe and analyse critically the Community Forestry Projects in Myanmar. Community Forestry Instruction (CFI) was issued by Forest Department in 1995. The major aim is to promote the community initiative reforestation and conservation at the local level. The Forest Department and NGOs have been trying to assist the targeted communities to establish the forest plantations in the dry zone of Myanmar. The local people formed Forest User Groups and established the forest plantation in accordance to CFI. The rehabilitation of marginal land through community based forest plantation is valuable for local people. The members receive the forest products for their subsistence economy while agricultural production has been diminishing under a long run land degradation process. The major issues are strengthening of FUGs and to obtain secure property rights from the local government.

Strong institutional arrangements are one of the basic factors for successful community based forest plantation establishment. Within the context of institutional arrangements, the research focuses at the motivational factors of the members. The members contribute their time, labour and materials to the forest plantation establishment. The contribution to the forest plantation and decision making arrangements are different by wealth strata within the FUGs. After establishment the forest plantation, the members receive the products from their communal forest and share within the members. The research investigates the economic and political equity by wealth strata within the FUGs. Equity plays key role for the establishment of the community based forest plantation and it facilitates to the financial efficiency and sustainability of forest plantation in the dry zone of Myanmar.

Keywords: Community Forestry Instruction, decision making, Forest User Group, property rights, sustainability

Full paper: http://www.tropentag.de/2007/abstracts/full/378.pdf Poster (pdf-Format): http://www.tropentag.de/2007/abstracts/posters/378.pdf

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Contact Address: Htut Yin Min, Technical University of Dresden, Institute of International Forestry and Forest ProductsPienner Str. 7, D-01737 Tharandt, Dresden, Germany, e-mail: minhtutyinyahoo.com