From recognition to derecognition in Senegal's forests

'Recognizing' a local institution by granting powers to it (e.g. rights and resources) increases its capacity to respond (its 'responsiveness'). 'Derecognition,' the withdrawal of powers previously given, compromises an institution's responsiveness. However, this paper shows that in decentralized forest management in Senegal such 'derecognition' is effectively a new category of 'recognition'. As the Senegalese Forest Service supplants and derecognises local elected governments, these local bodies in turn eliminate committees set up by Forest Department's management projects, thus 'derecognising' them. Derecognition by the Forest Department draws upon technical claims, while derecognition by the elected local governments mobilizes political and legal claims.