Community Forestry Development Research Articles

Revitalizing community forestry in the Amhara Region of Ethiopia: A property right perspective

Severe deforestation, land degradation, and the lack of forest products in Ethiopia have necessitated the implementation of a community forestry program since the 1980s by mobilizing the local communities. However, there have been incidents indicating that many of the community forests are either degrading or remaining unproductive. While community forests are, in principle, the collective property of the local community, empirical evidence concerning how property rights impact their management and their role in enhancing rural livelihoods and environmental rehabilitation is lacking. This study aims to investigate the performance of community forestry through the lens of property rights and tenure security, in order to uncover the challenges impeding community forestry in Ethiopia, with a focus on community forests in the Amhara Region. The study gathered primary data on community forest management from two community forests located in East Gojam and North Wollo, using questionnaires, focus group discussions, key informant interviews, and field observations. Additionally, secondary data on legal frameworks were collected from institutions involved in community forestry. The data analysis employed descriptive statistics and thematic analysis. The findings of the study revealed that a majority of respondents (91%) lacked clarity regarding the objectives of establishing community forests, and about 95% claimed that community forests belong to the state. These incidents have led to diminished interest in continuing the program. The study highlighted that the community forestry program suffers from inadequate policy and legal provisions, chronic institutional instability, overlapping mandates, and limited community engagement. These factors have weakened property rights, which are reflected in tenure insecurity and the absence of individual household benefit packages. Consequently, it can be concluded that community forest interventions have been promoted based on general belief in the importance of trees for rural livelihoods and ecosystem rehabilitation, rather than as part of a deliberate and directed policy and strategy. In summary, revitalizing community forestry in Ethiopia necessitates a thorough understanding of property rights and tenure security issues. In this regard, it is imperative for government agencies to enact a clear national strategy for community forestry development and adopt a supportive role to enable communities to establish robust community forestry institutions to safeguard their rights while fostering community forestry and environmental protection activities.

Lectio praecursoria: Recognizing the plurality of knowledge, values, and experiences interwoven in Mexican community forestry

During my doctoral defense at the University of Eastern Finland on January 27th, 2023, I introduced my doctoral research with the present lectio praecursoria. This lectio delves into the plurality of experiences, values and knowledge interwoven in the development of community forestry in the Sierra Sur of Oaxaca, Mexico. In the last 40 years, Mexico has promoted community forestry as an alternative to forest management directed by the central government or private companies. As an alternative, community forestry is based on social justice and environmental sustainability principles, aiming for communities to use forests for social and economic development while conserving them. The research examines how forest communities have created their paths to achieve these objectives, like creating community forestry companies for wood and non-wood forest products. Based on ethnographic methods and documental analysis in the Sierra Sur of Oaxaca state, the research investigated the challenges, paradoxes and changes forest dwellers face when managing and working in their community forestry companies while conserving their forests. Furthermore, this study contributes to understanding how different environmental governing rationalities intersect when 1) socio-territorial conflicts arise, 2) women's access to productive labor is encouraged, and 3) the plural values of the forest are adapted. The lecture addresses one of the critical inquiries of this research: how various environmental governing rationalities intertwine in community forestry to shape and regulate people's behavior and interactions with forests.

Forest Governance in Nepal concerning Sustainable Community Forest Management and Red Panda Conservation

This paper investigates issues confronting forest management and sustainability, focusing on the governance of the community forest user group (CFUG) initiative in Nepal. The paper begins with a literature review to give a general overview of the historical and current situation of forest governance in Nepal. It explores the historical impacts of unsustainable logging in Nepal and the World Bank Report, which both investigated and explored avenues for improving the forest situation, including community forestry. The paper outlines the development of community forestry, the legislative, regulatory, and governance frameworks underpinning this unique system of community-driven forest management, and its relationship to sustainable forest management (SFM). SFM in turn has engendered a market for sustainably derived timber and labeling systems for ‘good’ wood. The paper continues by providing an analysis of stakeholder attitudes regarding the current forest governance situation in Nepal. Furthermore, it provides another small case study on how such standards might be applied in the local community context of protecting Nepal’s Red Panda while simultaneously delivering sustainable forest management and community development. It concludes with a discussion on the need for governance standards for forest management and community forestry in Nepal.

Transformation as system innovation: insights from Nepal’s five decades of community forestry development

ABSTRACT Studies of sustainability transitions and transformational change are common in energy and transport sectors. However, there is limited research on how these transformational change processes play out in the natural resources sector, particularly in developing economies. This paper seeks to address this gap, with a case study of the community forestry system in Nepal that has, over the last four decades, reversed Himalayan land degradation and contributed to community livelihoods. The case illustrates comprehensive changes in forest management practices and governance over four decades. Central to this was a ‘thinking movement’ of development agencies, activists and researchers that opened up learning spaces and engage conflicting stakeholders in action-oriented dialogues. While transformation can never be pre-engineered, this study suggests that investment in strengthening locally engaged research capability could be a key way of catalyzing sustainability transitions, both as a continuous process of evolution and transformative shifts during the crisis and political opportunity.

Building an Engaged Himalayan Sustainability Science

The Himalayan region is facing a new crisis under climate change, rapid economic transformation, and escalating geopolitical tensions. A large body of Himalayan sciences has endeavored to understand this challenge but has failed to engage meaningfully with the local people and policymakers. I argue for a new engaged Himalayan sustainability science that not only understands and interprets the emerging challenges but also strengthens societal capability.

SISTEM PERBAIKAN EKOFISIOLOGI TANAMAN SENGON (Paraserianthes falcataria (L) Nielsen ) DI KECAMATAN WAGIR, 161 MALANG

Sengon plant (Paraserianthes falcataria (L) Nielsen) in Indonesia is one of the types of plants developed in the development of Community Forestry especially in Wagir District, Malang Regency. This study was conducted to analyze the effect of environmental conditions, especially temperature and humidity on stomata density and chlorophyll levels in the plant Sengon (Paraserianthes falcataria (L) Nielsen) and analyze the soil nutrient content under the Sengon stand (Paraserianthes falcataria (L) Nielsen) on plant physiology in Sukodadi Village, Wagir District, Malang Regency. The techniques used are field surveys, leaf sampling to measure physiological properties (stomata density and chlorophyll content), and soil sampling to measure soil chemical properties (macro nutrient content), as well as direct observations in the field to measure environmental factors (temperature and humidity). Analysis of the data used is multiple linear regression in SPSS to determine whether there is influence of temperature and humidity on the physiology of stomata and chlorophyll as well as descriptive analysis on soil factors. Research result is that temperature and humadity have an effect on chlorophyll. This support to possibility of temperature and humadity system in the region so that agreed crops will affect the concentration of chlorine.

Environmentality judiciously fired – Burning questions of forest conservation and subject transformation in the Himalayan foothills

‘Environmentality’ is a term used to describe the means by which regulatory processes simultaneously redefine both the environment and the subjectivity of those whose environment is being governed by regulation. Today it is considered a key concept of political ecology. Its most comprehensive and influential articulation is by way of a case-study of the development of community forestry in Kumaon in north India. The case-study argues that the decentralised regulatory system created by the British colonial regime in 1931 created an ‘environmental subjectivity’ among forest users which had not previously existed. However, this article presents evidence that suggests that concern for forest protection – and, thus, ‘environmental subjectivity’ – can be found in Kumaon before the creation of local forest governance; in addition, the article questions the case-study’s interpretation of evidence adduced for ‘environmental subjectivity’ in Kumaon today. Following a discussion on methodology, the article concludes that the case-study’s Euro-centric conception of ‘environmentality’ as an ‘analytical optic’ – derived from the narrow meaning of ‘governmentality’ proposed in the work of Michel Foucault – has resulted in an analysis which systematically elides the agency and beliefs of local people. This optical limitation has implications for other ‘environmentality’ studies. Other forms of analysis, which seek to disclose and decentre features of Western theoretical perspectives on political processes that are internally related to imperialism, are said to offer the potential for outcomes that constitute a non-imperial alternative based on dialogue and mutual understanding.

Historia socio-geográfica de la ganadería bovina en la reserva “La Sepultura”, Chiapas (México)

En Chiapas, México, el manejo de las Áreas Naturales Protegidas (ANP) del trópico está asociado a la expansión de la ganadería, la agricultura, el desmonte ilegal y los conflictos agrarios. En este sentido, en el presente artículo se recopila, analiza, sistematiza y emite una opinión crítica sobre la distribución territorial actual de la ganadería en dos comunidades campesinas ubicadas dentro de la Reserva de la Biosfera La Sepultura (Chiapas). Con información del Programa de Desarrollo Forestal Comunitario, los mapas de georreferenciación de la zona deforestada y la investigación-acción participativa (IAP), se realizó el ordenamiento territorial comunitario (OTC) de Tres Picos y California en La Sepultura. El estudio arrojó que en la década de los setentas existía un manejo adecuado del área; sin embargo, entre 1988-1993 se produjo una reducción del bosque de coníferas y encinos. Actualmente, la ganadería transita del sistema tradicional al extensivo, con tendencia al manejo agroforestal.

Strategi Pengembangan Program Pemberdayaan Masyarakat Hutan Kemasyarakatan di Desa Gunung Silanu Kecamatan Bangkala Kabupaten Jeneponto

Community forestry development in Gunung Silanu village is capable of rebuilding deforestation-affected forest, but communities can not take advantage of the potential forests to improve their welfare. Therefore, a strategy for community forestry development is required. This study aims to analyze the success rate of community empowerment programs in community forest management, analyze the drivers and restraints of community forest management, and formulate strategies and action programs for community empowerment development. The study was conducted from February to May 2018 in the community forest area of Gunung Silanu Village. The data obtained were identified and reviewed using the criteria tables and indicators of community empowerment. Furthermor drivers and inhibitors were identified to determine the importance of each factor through expert studies. Finally, strategies and action programs were formulated for each factor. The results show that the empowerment of community forestry development in Gunung Silanu village succeeded with a score of 2.4. Nevertheless, there are several factors that hinder the management of community forest. Therefore, the inhibiting factors will be reduced and simultaneously the driving forces will be strengthened through strategies and action programs.

The Change of Plant Species Composition and Plant Pattern on Management of Damar Agroforestry

The changes in the composition of plant species and cropping patterns have occurred in the management of Damar agroforest in Desa Kesugihan, Lampung Selatan. There are some reasons that farmers consider to make decisions in choosing plant species and cropping patterns. This study aimed to identify the reasons of farmers in the decision making of plant species selection and cropping pattern on agroforestry management of damar. Primary data collection was conducted by using an in-depth interview method on seven key informants and participant observation. The collected data is qualitative data and analyzed descriptively based on the real-life choice theory by Gladwin. The results showed that there was a change of plant species composition and cropping pattern on resin agroforestry to become cocoa agroforestry. This is affected by income, production continuity, gestation period, ease of maintenance and harvest, local knowledge and tolerance of the main plant to be planted with another crop. The dominant crop pattern was a combination of cocoa as the main plant with cengkeh, petai, tangkil, and durian. Another crop pattern was a combination between resin as the main plant species with cengkeh, durian, coconut, and petai. Comprehension and contribution from related stakeholders in the development of community forestry are fully needed to support sustainable agroforestry management.Keywords: agroforestry of Damar, decision making, plant composition, plant species selection, cropping pattern

LOCAL COMMUNITY’S ECOLOGICAL KNOWLEDGE IN THE SELECTION OF SHADING TREESFOR TRADITIONAL AGROFORESTRY SYSTEM (NUTMEG “DUSUNG”) IN AMBON

Local ecological knowledge is closely linked to decision-making process for planting tree. The aims of this study are to describe and explain local community’s decision-making process in the selection of shading trees on their lands according to their understanding and knowledge. This study used case study approach. Data was collected through in-depth interviews and observations. The results of the study showed that to manage traditional agroforestry, the community planted nutmeg (Myristica fragrans) as the main crop species and selected the covering trees, such as walnuts (Canarium sp.) and durian (Durio sp.). The reasons in selecting shading trees were as follows: the suitability of biophysical condition; supporting nutmeg growth; ease of maintenance and harvesting activities; parental inheritance; yield diversity; and ease of marketing activities. Learning from the study, the government and relevant stakeholders are expected touse local ecological knowledge to support the development of community forestry.

Monitoring and follow-up for community forestry development in Nepal: context of training at district and regional levels

Abstract on PDF

Active versus passive management: issues for sustainable development of community forestry in mid hills of Nepal

Abstract available on the PDFBanko Janakari Vol.12(1) 2002: 62-70

Social capital of community forest management on Nusapati Village, Mempawah District, West Kalimantan, Indonesia

Roslinda E, Ekyastuti E, Kartikawati SM. 2017. Social capital of community forest management on Nusapati Village, Mempawah District, West Kalimantan, Indonesia. Biodiversitas 18: 548-554. Community forest management has been recognized over the past two decades as a potential approach for achieving forest sustainability. In Indonesia, community forestry was developed by a government program with limited funds. Community forestry in Nusapati village was one of many successful community forest programs. The aim of this study was to explore how social capital developed in Nusapati community relating to community forest management was developed and reinforced. The survey method was used in this research. Data collection was undertaken through general field observation, key informant interviews, and semi-structured respondent interviews with a questionnaire. The results show that social capital was significantly correlated to trust, social norms, and social networks in the development of community forestry. This study concludes that social capital of Nusapati community is strong, which suggest that government intervention through development programs should take social capital into consideration.

Desarrollo forestal comunitario sustentable en la región norte de México y su desafío en el contexto de la globalización

Los objetivos del estudio fueron analizar el desarrollo forestal comunitario sustentable en la región norte de México, en los estados de Chihuahua y Durango, considerando la organización comunitaria, flexibilidad, innovación, capacidad de respuesta, competitividad y colaboración, así como comercialización, ante la continua apertura de mercados. También, establecer una estrategia integral para impulsar el desarrollo forestal comunitario sustentable en ambos estados, como una región forestal conjunta-clúster forestal, en el contexto de la globalización económica. En el estudio fueron aplicadas encuestas a ejidos/comunidades, considerando la tipología de las cuatro categorías de productores forestales de Conafor, así como a informantes clave externos y además se incluyeron evidencias documentales. Los resultados muestran que ejidos y comunidades no son competitivos y tienen limitada organización; por esta razón, la estrategia integral propuesta incluye la integración horizontal y vertical de la cadena productiva, así como el empoderamiento de ejidos y participación comunitaria. Esta estrategia integral pretende fomentar la competitividad del desarrollo forestal comunitario sustentable en la globalización.

Endurance and Adaptation of Community Forest Management in Quintana Roo, Mexico

Despite regional deforestation threats, the state of Quintana Roo has maintained over 80% of its territory in forests. Community forest management (CFM) has played a pivotal role in forest cover and biodiversity conservation in the region. In this article, we present the institutional, socioeconomic and environmental conditions under which community-based forest management has been consolidated in the tropical state of Quintana Roo, which occupies the eastern half of Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula. With a focus on management for timber and other market-based development strategies, we then examine the institutional and socioeconomic factors, as well as biophysical shocks, that have constrained community forestry development in the past 25 years, challenging its persistence. Following, we discuss how forest communities and institutions have responded and adapted to changing forest policies and markets as well as major environmental shocks from hurricanes and fires. CFM in Quintana Roo has shown resiliency since its institutionalization 30 years ago. Future challenges and opportunities include biodiversity conservation, carbon management through Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+) initiatives, market strengthening, business management training as well as the implementation of alternative silvicultural systems, particularly to manage sustainable populations of commercial timber species.

Forestería comunitaria en México: modelo estratégico para empoderamiento y competitividad en la globalización

Esta investigación diseña y propone un modelo estratégico integral para el empoderamiento y la competitividad de ejidos y comunidades forestales, considera los estados de Chihuahua, Durango, Jalisco y Michoacán como un sistema forestal. El modelo incluye la estrategia de integración horizontal y vertical de clústeres, el empoderamiento y participación comunitaria en mercados nacionales e internacionales, y tiene como objetivo fomentar la competitividad del desarrollo forestal comunitario en la globalización.

Exploring the implications of social inequalities in community forestry: emerging lessons from two forests in Indonesia

Community forestry has been developed internationally as a policy response to reduce deforestation and to improve the livelihoods of forest-dependent communities. This article discusses the social dimension of community forestry, and uses the concept of social capital to analyse the implications of social inequalities in two community forestry initiatives in Indonesia. The article concludes with some revealing insights about the: 1) temporal nature of social capital in community forestry; 2) ways social capital can entrench inequalities; 3) role of 'outsiders' assisting the development of community forestry.

The requirements of forestry cooperative organization development in China: a case study of different stakeholder groups

Abstract After China’s collective forest tenure reform, cooperation organization has played an important role on the development of community forestry. In order to analyse the different stakeholders’ opinion and suggestion on the development of forestry cooperation organization, publicizing and training, participatory interview, brainstorming, and questionnaire surveys were used in this case study. According to the results it can be seen that the real motivation for the development of cooperatives is farmers’ demands and the demands come from farmers’ pursuit of interests in forest industry. Cooperatives in China are still in the early stage of development, and the cooperative laws cannot cover all the basic features of the forestry and the cooperatives. Therefore, the relevant laws and guarantee systems for resource exploitation and management, publicity and demonstration, forestry technology training as well as the preferential policies such as tax breaks, are needed for the sound development of China’s forestry cooperation organization.

The changing focus of England s Community Forest programme and its use of a green infrastructure approach to multi-functional landscape planning

The role of England’s Community Forest programme has constantly diversified since its creation in 1990. Over the last decade, its role has extended from urban foresters to providers of multi-functional and connected spaces around post-industrial cities. The development of such a key role has allowed each community forest to influence the contemporary debates relating to green infrastructure. However, whether green infrastructure has had a beneficial impact on the long-term sustainability of community forestry in England is still open to question. This paper draws on research conducted with four of England’s Community Forests between 2005 and 2008. It assesses the development of community forestry and explores the dynamic role green infrastructure has played in this process. Through an examination of community forestry practice, this paper asks how green infrastructure has facilitated landscape scale development within a transient period of landscape policy change. Data from interviews and policy analysis undertaken with the North-East Community Forest (NECF) partnership, the Mersey Forest and Marston Vale Community Forest inform this argument assessing the value of green infrastructure in multi-functional forestry. This paper concludes that green infrastructure potentially holds both positive and negative outcomes for community forests. It argues that an over-reliance on green infrastructure in work programmes and funding applications may have led to a narrowing of community forest activities. It goes on to conclude that the broader objectives of England’s Community Forests may offer a more sustainable approach for landscape planning that incorporates green infrastructure as an element of community forestry development.