From innovation to adaptation: lessons from 20 years of the SHIFT forest management system in Sanming, China

摘要

This study follows the 20-year period of a forestry innovation-the share-holding integrated forestry tenure (SHIFT) system-its adoption, diffusion, adaptation and transformation in Sanming Prefecture, Fujian Province of the People's Republic of China. Our research suggests that the adoption of this innovation in forest management institutions and technologies tends to follow the familiar "s" curve. However, the prevailing patterns in the social, economic, cultural, and biophysical environments that encouraged the adoption have changed overtime as it moved to an adaptive phase. The need for flexibility and resiliency in forestry strategies is necessary if the goals and objectives promised by innovation are to be sustained.