Page 35 - Governing Congo Basin Forests in a Changing Climate • Olufunso Somorin

General Introduction and Research Setting
or evaluative framework required to determine to what extent adaptation has
interacted with mitigation, and vice versa. This thesis seeks to contribute to that 1 knowledge generation and to offer recommendations for policymaking.
With the aforementioned, designing effective and coherent policies for adaptation and REDD+ in the Congo Basin, either separately or in synergy, is a governance challenge. There exists divergent and often conflicting perspectives on: uncertainties concerning the climatic system, societal response options and alternatives, and viable policy instruments and choices to address climate change. The cross-boundary, multi-level, multi-sectoral and multi- actor challenge characteristic of climate change (adaptation and mitigation) place a governance demand on policymaking. With respect to designing and implementing adaptation and REDD+ strategies, several authors have reported that different kinds of capacities, including political, institutional and administrative are required ( Wilbanks et al., 2007; IPCC, 2014). The capacities are essential for the broadening and deepening of the deliberative and decision- making processes, and for dealing with issues of access to necessary resources, capacity and technology transfer for implementation (Pahl-Wostl , 2007; Ostrom, 2010; Frohlich and Knieling, 2013).
Given the nature of the sector involved, forests, which in the past have been characterized by a number of governance challenges which include: competing claims to the resources, multiple interests and stakes by different actors, unclarified tenure system and property rights, inefficiencies in the use systems, multi-layer management systems, multiple policy instruments, and resource decline (Ostrom, 1990; Bressers and Kuks, 2003; FAO, 2006; Lemos and Agrawal, 2006; Cronkleton et al., 2011; Acheampong et al., 2012). Obviously, implementing adaptation and REDD+ within the same forest sectors cannot escape contending with some of these highlighted governance challenges. Ultimately, the governance processes of adaptation and REDD+ in the Congo Basin will have to deal with ‘double jeopardy’ – dealing with the governance challenges specific to the forests on the one hand, and those specific to climate change on the other. This thesis considers the governance of the nexus between forest and climate policy – both as adaptation and mitigation – critical for the future of the Congo Basin forests.
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