Forests 2014, 5, 1737-1752; doi:10.3390/f5071737 OPEN ACCESS forests ISSN 1999-4907 www.mdpi.com/journal/forests Article Challenges of Governing Second-Growth Forests: A Case Study from the Brazilian Amazonian State of Pará Ima Célia Guimarães Vieira 1,*, Toby Gardner 2,3, Joice Ferreira 4, Alexander C. Lees 1 and Jos Barlow 1,5 1 Museu Paraense Emilio Goeldi, Av. Magalhães Barata, 376, Belém, Pará, 66.040-170, Brazil; E-Mails:
[email protected] (A.C.L.); josbarlow@gmail (J.B.) 2 Stockholm Environment Institute, Linnégatan 87 D, Box 24218, Stockholm, 10451, Sweden; E-Mail:
[email protected] 3 Instituto International para Sustentabilidade, Estrada Dona Castorina, 124, Horto, Rio de Janeiro, RJ 22.460-320, Brazil 4 Embrapa Amazônia Oriental, Travessa Dr. Enéas Pinheiro s/n, CP 48, Belém, Pará, 66.095-100, Brazil; E-Mail:
[email protected] 5 Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University, Lancaster LA1 4YQ, UK * Author to whom correspondence should be addressed; E-Mail:
[email protected]; Tel.: +55-91-3182-3247. Received: 11 April 2014; in revised form: 9 July 2014 / Accepted: 10 July 2014 / Published: 22 July 2014 Abstract: Despite the growing ecological and social importance of second-growth and regenerating forests across much of the world, significant inconsistencies remain in the legal framework governing these forests in many tropical countries and elsewhere. Such inconsistencies and uncertainties undermine attempts to improve both the transparency and sustainability of management regimes. Here, we present a case-study overview of some of the main challenges facing the governance of second-growth forests and the forest restoration process in the Brazilian Amazon, with a focus on the state of Pará, which is both the most populous state in the Amazon and the state with the highest rates of deforestation in recent years.