Long-term community involvement in forest governance predicts improvements in forest canopy cover and livelihoods from tree plantations

Countries around the world have undertaken large-scale tree plantation programmes to sequester atmospheric carbon and support the livelihoods of indigenous people and local communities (IPCLs). These efforts have had varied effects, and there is a need for improved knowledge of the governance arrangements that support positive environmental and livelihood impacts. Our analysis of three decades’ tree planting in northern India shows that long-term local involvement in forest planting and management is associated with sustained improvements in forest cover and greater likelihood that local households will receive subsistence benefits. We explain these outcomes as the result of how local governance institutions (1) temper the target-driven incentive structure of the forest administration, (2) direct interventions to better account for local needs and landscape conditions, and (3) support long-term local investment in sustainable forest management. Amidst calls for large-scale planetary action for forest restoration, our findings suggest that sustained improvements in environmental and livelihood outcomes require institutional mechanisms that ensure long-term involvement of rural and indigenous populations.