Reorienting forestry education to sustainable forest management : The case of the university of the Philippines Los Banos college of forestry and natural resources

Abstract

This paper is about organizational re‐engineering in support of Sustainable Forest Management (SFM). It focuses on the change strategies adopted by the University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB) College of Forestry and Natural Resources (CFNR) to re‐orient itself to the needs and challenges of sustainable forest management. Sustainable forest management implies a new way of seeing, thinking and doing in relation to forests, natural resources, and the environment. As such, reforms in policies, programs, and approaches as well as changes in institutional and individual capabilities (knowledge, attitudes, values and skills) in forestry are needed. To maintain its relevance as a leading tropical forestry institution of higher learning, UPLB CFNR has initiated changes in its academic programs and organizational structure so that it will be more responsive to sustainable forest management challenges. To achieve the desired changes, the College has adopted five institutional development and change strategies. The experience at UPLB CFNR could offer some insights to other forestry educational institutions who wish to maintain relevance in the face of the paradigm shift in forestry and natural resource management.