Abstract
Governments around the world are increasingly devolving authority for forest management to the local level in an attempt to strengthen the management of national forests. Community forestry programs are recognized as providing a range of economic and social benefits and having a positive impact on increasing forest cover. However, concerns have been raised about the capability of user groups to manage community forests in a sustainable and equitable manner. This study analyzed the initial experience with community forestry in Bhutan and assessed the degree to which national policies have enhanced the likelihood of successful management by forestry user groups. The study found that the studied communities possess many attributes of successful forest user groups due to historical and socio-cultural reasons. National policies, including the unusual provision of handing over well-stocked forests to user groups, have further enhanced the likelihood of sustainable management by forest user groups. The initial experience of forest management by user groups in Bhutan is promising, and merits further study now that that a much larger number of community forests (CFs) have experience with harvesting.
Highlights
In 1968 Garrett Hardin made the famous statement that “freedom in a commons brings ruin to all” ([1], p. 1244)
Forests around the world are managed under all three classes of property regimes: it has been estimated that 77% of global forests are managed under state property regimes, 11% under common property regimes, and 12% under individual property regimes
This paper examines the initial experience of Bhutan’s community forestry program, which was influenced by the established forestry programs of neighboring Nepal and India due to the strong links between the forestry professionals of the three countries
Summary
In 1968 Garrett Hardin made the famous statement that “freedom in a commons brings ruin to all” ([1], p. 1244). Since each individual does not consider the costs imposed on others, the accumulated individual decisions result in the overuse of the commons. Examples such as the desertification of the Sahel and deforestation of tropical forests appeared to confirm Hardin’s predictions [2], and laboratory experiments produced a “tragedy of the commons” when users made independent and anonymous decisions about the use of common resources [3]. Property regimes in natural resources management can be divided into three classes: state property regimes, common property regimes, and individual property regimes [4]. Forests around the world are managed under all three classes of property regimes: it has been estimated that 77% of global forests are managed under state property regimes, 11% under common property regimes, and 12% under individual property regimes
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