Property entitlements and land reform in upland Thai catchments

Abstract

Issues involved in processes of land reform in degraded upland catchment areas in Thailand include property entitlements over local resource complexes, and the roles of local communities in relation to State agency and commercial stakeholders. An inquiry into collaborative action between stakeholders in an upland Thai catchment has been used as an example of the process of defining property entitlements to the bundles of opportunities for management.<br><br> This paper draws upon recent conceptual advances concerning property entitlements, particularly as these relate to common-pool resources, and the complex bundle of opportunities for collective and collaborative management in upland catchments. A processual view of collective and collaborative action is the way in which interests are expressed as claims and ultimately translated into entitlements which specify rights to streams of benefits, and associated duties, in relation to a particular resource complex. Social and bureaucratic institutions will influence the way in which stakeholders can participate and interact in this process.<br><br> Soft systems methodology was used as a guide for a process aimed at identifying mutually beneficial improvements in management between village, agency and commercial stakeholders. The collective and collaborative actions which have developed are all cases whereby particular bundles of property entitlements and related duties have been defined through a process of the expression of claims and identification of mutually beneficial arrangements. These have included local collective management of a water supply, partnerships relating to elements of conservation and production within the local agroecosystem, and socially legitimate patronage to support formal protocols of the land reform process.<br><br> A process of inquiry which supported the identification of legitimate and mutually beneficial actions has resulted in the definition of bundles of property entitlements which specify benefits and duties by particular stakeholders, with respect to particular resource complexes. This process is discussed in terms of the expression of interests and translation into entitlements through partnerships supported by multiple lines of social and bureaucratic legitimation. Show more