Michael Kirk (1996):
The Role of Land Tenure and Property Rights in Sustainable Resource Use: The Case of Benin

1.3. Problems and risks

Village land use planning is not an objective per se, rather part of comprehensive programs and processes, as is becoming clear about the PGRN in Benin see C.2.1.1.). Rather more, the objective is to settle regional and national frameworks and the internal conditions of collectives such as resource users in villages so that they are put lastingly in the position of being able to administrate their resources on the basis of their own initiatives and participation (Rochette 1993:24). There exists the danger that former integrated rural development or resource protection projects will not be able to carry out this broad integration so that village land use planning will become an end in itself and that technical advice will gain too much importance.

Any promotion of local resource management must beware itself from the possibility that village communities become idealised as homogeneous groups and with that they harbour unrealistic expectations about the success of common resource management. Villagers have very differentiated access rights to village forests of grazing lands. Those who are older, richer, longer settled and male have stronger rights; immigrants, ethnic minorities, women and livestock owners often only have secondary rights (Tobisson 1992:9, Waters-Bayer 1992).

Especially in the Sahel, projects have created a variety of new institutions since they were of the opinion that the traditional ones were inadequate. A recollection of established structures today brings with it the danger of competition and blocking (Hesseling/Ba 1993).

Externally supported local land use planning leads, in ideal cases, to user groups being able to more strongly formulate and enforce their exclusive rights against 'strangers'. In such cases it often happens that no heed is paid to the fact that it can come to a process of suppression. For livestock owners, immigrants or badly organised villages resources become additionally restricted. Development cooperation must make certain that regional disparities are avoided and that concepts for solutions through compensation are worked out.

The strengthening of local institutions must be secured at long term at the same time through cooperation at a national level. If this only happens inadequately, contradictions between self-appointed statutes of the users and State law will arise. The Administration will use its veto and ruin initiatives (Schoonmaker-Freudenberg 1992).

Especially in Sahel countries there exists the danger, according to the estimation of experts, that national organisations will be overtaxed with terribly complex initiatives and that it will set off defensive behaviour. The same is true for local counterparts (Rochette 1993, Tobisson 1992)