Balancing ambitions and realities: Stakeholder perspectives on jurisdictional approach outcomes in Sabah’s Forests

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Ng, Julia Su Chen, Chevier, Colas, Carmenta, Rachel ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8607-4147, Samdin, Zaiton, Azhar, Badrul and Karsenty, Alain (2024) Balancing ambitions and realities: Stakeholder perspectives on jurisdictional approach outcomes in Sabah’s Forests. Environmental Management, 73. pp. 259-273. ISSN 0364-152X

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Abstract

The jurisdictional approach concept emerged in response to the widespread failure of sectoral forest conservation projects. Despite its increasing popularity, understanding jurisdictional approach outcomes is challenging, given that many remain in either the formation or implementation stage. Furthermore, diverse stakeholders hold different perspectives on what exactly a jurisdictional approach is intended to pursue. These different perspectives are important to unravel, as having a shared understanding of the outcomes is important to build the critical support needed for it. This study aims to add to the limited evidence with a case study in Sabah, Malaysia, which is committed to addressing a leading deforestation driver (palm oil) through sustainability certification in a jurisdiction. We used Q-methodology to explore stakeholder perceptions, revealing three distinct perspectives regarding what outcomes jurisdictional approaches should pursue. We asked about outcomes achievable within ten years (2022–2032) and considering real-world constraints. We found different perspectives regarding economic, environmental, governance, and smallholders’ welfare outcomes. However, we found consensus among stakeholders about some outcomes: (i) that achieving zero-deforestation is untenable, (ii) that issuing compensation or incentives to private land owners to not convert forests into plantations is unrealistic, (iii) that the human well-being of plantation workers could improve through better welfare, and (iv) the free, prior and informed consent given by local communities being required legally. The findings offer insights into key stakeholders’ perceptions of the deliverables of jurisdictional approaches and the difficulty of achieving its objectives under real-world constraints.

Item Type: Article
Additional Information: Funding Information: This research was supported by Agropolis Fondation, Sime Darby Foundation, and Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA). The funding sources had no involvement in the study design; in the collection, analysis and interpretation of data; in the writing of the report; and in the decision to submit the article for publication.
Uncontrolled Keywords: jurisdictional approach,malaysia borneo,oil palm certification,q-methodology,rspo,sabah,pollution,global and planetary change,ecology,sdg 15 - life on land ,/dk/atira/pure/subjectarea/asjc/2300/2310
Faculty \ School: Faculty of Social Sciences > School of Global Development (formerly School of International Development)
University of East Anglia Research Groups/Centres > Theme - ClimateUEA
UEA Research Groups: University of East Anglia Schools > Faculty of Science > Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research
Faculty of Science > Research Centres > Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research
Faculty of Social Sciences > Research Groups > Global Environmental Justice
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Depositing User: LivePure Connector
Date Deposited: 08 Nov 2023 03:35
Last Modified: 23 Jan 2024 01:39
URI: https://ueaeprints.uea.ac.uk/id/eprint/93595
DOI: 10.1007/s00267-023-01876-z

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