Abstract
ABSTRACT Participatory development aims to polish the management practices of institutions and communities in sustaining natural resources. This study focuses on how Joint Forest Management (JFM) has provided opportunities to the forest departments and communities for sustainable management of the forests and what challenges have been faced while implementing JFM in Siran valley of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. By applying a mixed method approach, a total of 169 (120 male and 49 female) respondents including 23 forest department officials and the community members; JFM committees’ heads, forest owners and users, and key respondents. The strengths, weakness, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) framework along with the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) model were applied to analyze the primary data. The results show that the strength and opportunity factors are inclined toward JFM if the institutional setup is utilized appropriately. Strength factors such as income generating activities are visible, thus forest income plays a vital role in livelihood diversification and improvement. Trust building is the most powerful opportunity among communities’ perspectives in terms of awareness about JFM. Weaknesses are found in the management plan and policy implementation on behalf of the community and forest department. In addition, low female participation and elite capture scored the biggest threat.
Published Version
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