Collective action without collective ownership: community associations and formal logging contracts.
Frank
Merry, Woods Hole Research Center, fmerry@whrc.org
(Presenting)
Gregory
Amacher, Virginia Tech, gamacher@vt.edu
Eirivelthon
Lima, Instituto de Pesquisa Ambiental da Amazonia, elima@ipam.org.br
Duncan
Macqueen, International Institute of Environment and Development, Duncan.Macqueen@iied.org
Maria
Rosenildes Guimarães dos
Santos, Instituto de Pesquisa Ambiental da Amazonia, rosenildes@ipam.org.br
Among the first steps in the process of economic integration and development on the agricultural frontiers is the formation of local level institutions (community associations). An active and effective community association will provide otherwise scattered individuals with focused representation at local government levels. In addition, a cohesive community may benefit by capturing some economies of scale in, for example, investment of shared machinery or infrastructure (ie, the building of a community school house). The process of integration takes many forms, but the importance and latent potential of self-governance and development in community and local institutions is gradually being acknowledged. In this article we describe a formal logging agreement between smallholders and a logging company that appears to be catalysing the process of community association and organization. This independent, market-based tool is changing the reality of community forestry in the Amazon from small isolated, integrated, and homogeneous groups to a dynamic system based on the massive migration and frontier settlement. These new communities are heterogeneous, spontaneous, and marginalized. Formal logging contracts may create and foment local level institutions, providing access to markets through better infrastructure, and speeding the process of economic development. We use the results of survey of 360 families to empirically test whether formal logging contracts increase participation in and improve participant ranking of community associations.