The contribution analyzes the conflicts between forest protection initiatives and local community strategies in Kenya. Kenya’s forests have received attention in recent years from the national government and public and private actors at the international scale, particularly in the context of carbon offsetting initiatives (REDD+ and voluntary projects). Population growth and the intensification of compensation initiatives through reforestation and forest protection are likely to produce a scenario of land use competition and thus increasing conflict. _x000D_
With the Forest Act of 2005, the government has provided for forms of local community participation (Community Forest Associations; Participatory Forest Management Plans) in forest management, but these practices present several difficulties: among others, the decisive role of technicians, high costs, and government resistance to effectively integrate local communities’ priorities. In order to contain the growing conflict, therefore, it is necessary to overcome a perspective and narrative centered on the idea of transferring negative externalities to an international scale and to integrate the perspective of local communities in a different and more substantive way._x000D_
Adopting a political ecology perspective, the research aims to reflect around three axes of inquiry: questioning the rationality of carbon offsetting, in its scientific (real possibilities of greenhouse gas absorption) and political dimensions (offloading on weaker communities of problems produced in wealthy societies); debating the relationship between national government and local communities within conservation initiatives, with particular reference to REDD initiatives; and discussing the evolving scenarios of local community livelihood strategies, observing their problems and innovative potential._x000D_

Valerio Bini
University of Milan

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ID Abstract: 857