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Review
. 2023;38(2):307-326.
doi: 10.1007/s10980-022-01577-8. Epub 2022 Dec 24.

A global systematic review of forest management institutions: towards a new research agenda

Jude Ndzifon Kimengsi  1   2 , Raphael Owusu  1 , Shambhu Charmakar  1 , Gordon Manu  3 , Lukas Giessen  4
Affiliations
Review

A global systematic review of forest management institutions: towards a new research agenda

Jude Ndzifon Kimengsi et al. Landsc Ecol. 2023.

Abstract

Context: Globally, forest landscapes are rapidly transforming, with the role of institutions as mediators in their use and management constantly appearing in the literature. However, global comparative reviews to enhance comprehension of how forest management institutions (FMIs) are conceptualized, and the varying determinants of compliance, are lacking. And so too, is there knowledge fragmentation on the methodological approaches which have and should be prioritized in the new research agenda on FMIs.

Objectives: We review the regional variations in the conceptualization of FMIs, analyze the determinants of compliance with FMIs, and assess the methodological gaps applied in the study of FMIs.

Methods: A systematic review of 197 empirically conducted studies (491 cases) on FMIs was performed, including a directed content analysis.

Results: First, FMIs literature is growing; multi-case and multi-country studies characterize Europe/North America, Africa and Latin America, over Asia. Second, the structure-process conceptualization of FMIs predominates in Asia and Africa. Third, global south regions report high cases of compliance with informal FMIs, while non-compliance was registered for Europe/North America in the formal domain. Finally, mixed-methods approaches have been least employed in the studies so far; while the use of only qualitative methods increased over time, the adoption of only quantitative approaches witnessed a decrease.

Conclusion: Future research should empirically ground informality in the institutional set-up of Australia while also valorizing mixed-methods research globally. Crucially, future research should consider multidisciplinary and transdisciplinary approaches to explore the actor and power dimensions of forest management institutions.

Supplementary information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10980-022-01577-8.

Keywords: Access; Compliance; Customs; Forest resources; Methods; Outcomes; Rules.

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Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Analytical framework for the systematic review. Source: Based on Cleaver (2017), Haller et al. (2016), North (1990), Ostrom (, 2005), and Pretzsch et al. (2014). NTFPs Non-Timber Forest Product
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Spatial distribution of case studies on forest management institutions (2006–2021)
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Temporal evolution of papers on forest institutions across the globe for the past 15 years
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
Global statistics of institutional compliance and non-compliance by regions. Left chart—papers (N = 197, n for compliance = 133, n for non-compliance = 64, Right chart—Cases (N = 491, n for compliance = 362, n for non-compliance = 129). Note Some papers reported compliance/compliance to formal and informal institutions simultaneously
Fig. 5
Fig. 5
Cumulative distribution of paper and adoption of methods
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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