Extensive research in forestry decentralization has been carried out to date. However, what is missing from these accounts is the constructions of meaning and interpretations of decentralization policies across time and space. Drawing upon the policy arrangement approach's four dimensions – rules, discourse, actors and power, we analyse the evolution of forest policies in Kenya and their implications on management of mangroves – a forest type that has received little research attention to date. Data were collected using a desk review of policy documents, archival and peer reviewed information complimented with 33 semi-structured interviews. The findings show that the shift to decentralized forest management has faced opposing discourses – inexhaustibility of mangroves, forest protection through restricted access, commercialization ostensibly to support resource conservation and use of technical arguments (such as requirement for communities to develop management plan before accessing use rights). Guided by these discourses central actors designed and implemented rules that promoted commercial harvesting of mangroves, marginalized local communities while entrenching state domination and control over mangrove forests. Our findings suggest that decentralized forest governance capacity can be improved by increasing the ‘common’ understanding of participatory forest management. This can be achieved by changing from a top-down system of creating rules to a negotiated system involving local communities and other stakeholders. There is also need to change the discourses surrounding mangroves within agencies charged with forest management such as KFS and empowering local communities to manage mangrove resources. This work can provide insights useful in designing mangrove management policies.

中文翻译：

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从集中到分散：森林政策的演变及其对肯尼亚红树林管理的影响


迄今为止，已经对林业权力下放进行了广泛的研究。然而，这些叙述中缺少的是跨越时间和空间的去中心化政策的意义构建和解释。我们利用政策安排方法的四个维度——规则、话语、行动者和权力，分析了肯尼亚森林政策的演变及其对红树林管理的影响——红树林是一种迄今为止很少受到研究关注的森林类型。数据是通过对政策文件、档案和同行评审信息进行案头审查以及 33 次半结构化访谈来收集的。调查结果表明，向分散式森林管理的转变面临着相反的讨论——红树林取之不尽、用之不竭、通过限制进入来保护森林、表面上支持资源保护的商业化以及技术论据的使用（例如要求社区在获得使用权之前制定管理计划） ）。在这些论述的指导下，中央行动者设计并实施了促进红树林商业采伐的规则，边缘化了当地社区，同时巩固了国家对红树林的统治和控制。我们的研究结果表明，可以通过增加对参与式森林管理的“共同”理解来提高分散的森林治理能力。这可以通过从自上而下的制定规则的系统转变为涉及当地社区和其他利益相关者的协商系统来实现。还需要改变 KFS 等负责森林管理的机构内有关红树林的讨论，并赋予当地社区管理红树林资源的权力。 这项工作可以为设计红树林管理政策提供有用的见解。