Exploring System Contexts Contributing to Emerging Collaborative REDD+ Governance: Lessons from Ghana

Abstract

Abstract Since its emergence in 2007, the global mechanism for Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation in developing countries (REDD+) has raised hopes of providing cost-effective solutions to tackle climate change. However, despite its potential, the design and implementation of REDD+ projects in many developing countries, including Ghana, have faced complex governance challenges. In recent years, collaborative governance approaches have been increasingly recommended for designing and implementing effective and equitable REDD+ projects, but the impacts of diverse potentially important contextual factors on such projects are unclear. Through the lens of the Integrative Framework for Collaborative Governance (IFCG) and a qualitative case study of a collaborative REDD+ governance arrangement in Ghana’s High Forest Zone, this study aimed to analyze official participants perceptions of the effects of the system context variables on the conditions for successful collaboration on REDD+ implementation. Based on 10 in-depth semi-structured interviews and project documentation analysis, the results indicate that Ghana’s dynamic system context facilitates the initiation of collaboration in REDD+ projects when stakeholders feel uncertain about the provision of forest resources and recognize their interdependence in responding to such issues. In this context, collaborative governance aligns with stakeholders’ interests in addressing context-related problems affecting sustainable REDD+ forest management. The findings highlight the need for stakeholders to develop a shared knowledge of issues in collective governance, collective action, and encouragement of cross-sector leadership.They also highlight the IFCG framework’s applicability and utility for studying the impact of contextual factors on the success of REDD+ collaborations.