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Evolution of Portuguese community forests and their governance based on new institutional economics

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Abstract

Forest governance is under reorganisation in many European countries, because of the changes in property and forest tenure rights. Portuguese community-based forestry is an interesting research subject from a New Institutional Economics perspective. Community forests (an important part of community lands known as baldios) cover half a million hectares in the north and the centre of the country and are owned by local communities. Their average size of over 400 hectares and diversity of resources underscore their value, and their management contributes to rural development. Recent laws intend for the complete transfer of their tenure rights to communities and local authorities. In this study, we analysed the transformational processes of Portuguese community-based forestry. To structure this analysis and shed light on forest management-related problems, we followed the 'four-level institutional analysis' developed by Williamson. Particular attention was paid to the first three levels. The first concerned social practice and informal rules. We are describing the history of baldios, their use by rural populations, and the subsequent occupation by the State for afforestation. The second level addressed the institutional environment and formal rules. Here, we focused on the recognition of baldio community properties and their legal framework development. The third level addressed management and the interaction of actors in transaction cost savings. Here, we examined the current community-based management models and future trends. In our analysis, we identified the causes underlying baldio management problems at different levels, which highlight the importance of new governance models and economic activities. The analysis showed that overall, the Portuguese community forest governance is a flexible structure capable of adapting to political and demographic changes and offering valuable support for the development of rural areas in the north and centre of the country. Additional empirical research is needed to improve knowledge on the impact of institutions on the management of community forests, both nationally and internationally.

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(Source: Devy-Vareta 1993; Gil 1975; MA 1939; Mendonça 1961)

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Notes

  1. A broader definition of CBF encompasses the management of forest areas and resources by local residents, communities, or groups of small owners, but it can also include other important actors, requires a certain level of collective action, and is carried out for commercial or non-commercial purposes (FAO 2016). In addition, CBF aims to allow its actors to participate in the decision-making process, including policy development processes.

  2. Transaction costs are the costs incurred in carrying out transactions. They consist of the cost of resources and time spent on the transaction, as well as the costs of collecting and processing information, negotiating and making decisions, and monitoring the implementation of the contract, or the costs associated with creating and maintaining the institutional framework of society.

  3. The Estado Novo was an authoritarian, autocratic, and corporatist state regime, developed by Salazar. This regime was in force in Portugal for 41 years, from the approval of the 1933 Constitution to its overthrow by the Revolution of 25 April 1974.

  4. The ‘Forest Regime’, whose history begins with the development of the first Forest Code in France in 1827, is a legal regime and can be defined as a set of special rules for the management, exploitation, and enforcement of public and communal forests. It is a set of norms necessary not only to create, operate, and preserve forest resources, but also to create and maintain forest cover, control the water regime, protect the floodplain, and decrease drylands or mountain soil erosion risks.

  5. According to Schlüter and Koch (2011), institutional change is the transition from a set of rules that govern tenure rights to a different set of rules.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by Iryna Skulska’s doctoral grant PD/BD/113939/2015 by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology. Francisco Castro Rego was supported by the FEDER Funds through the Operational Competitiveness Factors Program - COMPETE and by National Funds through FCT - Foundation for Science and Technology within the scope of the project UID/BIA/50027/2019. The authors wish to thank the three anonymous reviewers for their constructive comments and the editor for the review of the manuscript.

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  1. Centre for Applied Ecology “Prof. Baeta Neves” (CEABN-InBIO), School of Agriculture, University of Lisbon, Tapada da Ajuda, 1349-017, Lisbon, Portugal

    Iryna Skulska & Francisco Castro Rego

  2. Department of Geography, Complutense University of Madrid, Profesor Aranguren, s/n, 28040, Madrid, Spain

    Cristina Montiel-Molina

  3. Institute for Nature Conservation and Forests, Ministry of Environment and Climate Action, Avenida da República, No. 16, Lisbon, Portugal

    Adelaide Germano

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  1. Iryna Skulska
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Skulska, I., Montiel-Molina, C., Germano, A. et al. Evolution of Portuguese community forests and their governance based on new institutional economics. Eur J Forest Res 140, 913–930 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10342-021-01375-y

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