2013 Volume 12 Issue 2 Pages 215-246
Changes in political and funding circumstances stemming from the ongoing “Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation” REDD-plus mechanism for action against global warming have encouraged some concerned people to increase momentum for tackling the non-forest sector measures that are the most troublesome and important matters related to improving tropical forest management. Some studies have already unraveled which policies give rise to deforestation. However, few studies have clarified specific processes to protect forests from destructive policies, despite the significance of such structural analyses to the REDD-plus mechanism. By taking various processes related to Thai mangrove area dynamics as a clue, this study aims to show what helps to protect tropical forests, particularly in developing countries, from devastating policies. A recent article [Gregorio et al. 2012] mentioned common situations and challenges in seven countries that had made efforts to introduce REDD-plus mechanisms. The article pointed out that a high dependence of economic development on unsustainable exploitation of natural resources is deeply engrained in politico-economic structures of the seven countries, and that preconditions need to overcome such hurdles. These include the relative autonomy of nation states from key interests that drive deforestation and the presence of new coalitions that call for transformational change. Through a review of policy and institutional developments relevant to Thai mangrove areas and examination of their structural triggers, this study illustrates some indicative examples leading to the satisfaction of the preconditions above.
