The social green economy: A perspective on a forest community project in a developing country

Abstract

The social green economy prioritises the use of green technologies and sustainable practices in economic activities, resulting in a reduction in environmental impact and an improvement in social well-being (Guo et al., 2020; Söderholm, 2020). Furthermore, the efficiency evaluation of the green economy development of forestry is related to the direction of forestry development and plays an important role in balancing economic and environmental issues within it (Huang et al., 2022). This study aims to explain forest community projects as a promising example of how sustainable development and the green economy can be achieved through community-based initiatives. A qualitative approach was applied. In-depth interviews were conducted with 10 key informants, employing purposive sampling. Content analysis and NVivo were adopted to analyse the data. The findings confirmed the potential benefits of community-based forestry initiatives, such as job creation, poverty reduction, and environmental sustainability. A forest community project can contribute to a green economy by implementing sustainable practices and utilising green technologies in its operations. By participating in carbon credit programmes, a forest community project can contribute to a green economy, mitigate the effects of climate change, and improve the economic prosperity and social well-being of the local community.