Community Forestry

Community forests are woodland areas owned, managed and utilized by local communities, promoting sustainable forests, biodiversity, conservation, poverty reduction and empowerment in decision-making. These forests can diversify local economies, restore ecosystems and reduce poverty by promoting biodiversity, conserving resources and promoting local values. Community forests offer a viable alternative to corporate tenure systems, addressing inequitable wealth inequality, public participation and ecosystem overcutting.

Here are five ways that community forestry differs from traditional forestry methods:

1. 1. Decision-making: Community forestry allows local communities to make decisions, actively participating in planning, implementing and monitoring forest activities, ensuring that local values, priorities and principles are upheld.
   2. Ownership and access rights: Community forestry grants local communities legal rights and ownership, enabling communities to manage and utilize forest resources for their livelihoods. 
   3.  Resource use and benefits: Community forestry prioritizes local needs, sustainable resource use, ecosystem services and cultural values. 
   4. Conservation and sustainability: Community forestry prioritizes conservation and sustainable management, involving local communities in long-term forest health, productivity, biodiversity protection and ecosystem services maintenance.
   5. Social and cultural considerations: Community forestry recognizes forests’ social and cultural significance, respecting traditional knowledge and Indigenous practices and promoting social equity in decision-making.

Peter N. Duinker, Patrick W. Matakala, Florence Chege, and Luc Bouthillier. 2011. Community forests in Canada: An overview. The Forestry Chronicle. 70(6): 711-720. https://doi.org/10.5558/tfc70711-6

Community forestry practices involve local communities in decision-making for forest management, considering their needs, knowledge and priorities. This approach promotes sustainable resource management strategies, empowering them to manage and utilize forest resources responsibly. Community forestry improves rural livelihoods, poverty and social equity by providing access to resources, creating economic opportunities and reducing dependence on unsustainable practices. Community forestry uses a holistic approach to ensure the well-being of present and future generations.

Sccf. (2022, June 23). What is community forestry?. SCCF. https://www.sccf.ca/post/what-is-community-forestry#:~:text=Communities%20practice%20sustainable%20forestry%20that,the%20province%2C%20and%20the%20environment.

Community forestry helps mitigate climate change by reducing deforestation and forest degradation and preventing unsustainable logging practices like clearcutting. Sustainable forest management techniques, like selective logging and reforestation, maintain carbon sequestration capacity, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and preserve carbon sinks. Community forests are vital reservoirs of biodiversity, supporting habitat connectivity, protecting endangered species and preserving ecosystem resilience. This promotes sustainable land use practices, safeguards natural resources, maintains ecosystem services and ensures ecosystem health and resilience against climate change impacts.

IUCN. (2022, November 2). Forests and climate change. https://www.iucn.org/resources/issues-brief/forests-and-climate-change 

Community forestry provides communities with direct access to forest resources, creates economic opportunities, reduces dependency, improves food security, alleviates poverty and enhances the local community’s well-being. By involving communities in the decision-making process, community forestry enhances social cohesion and governance capacity. It fosters ownership, social bonds and self-governance, promoting social equity and empowering marginalized groups like Indigenous peoples and women.

FAO. (n.d.). 22 the contribution of community forestry to rural livelihood in Thailand – chudchawan sutthisrisilapa[30]. Proceedings of the regional workshop on forests for poverty reduction: can community forestry make money? https://www.fao.org/3/ad511e/ad511e0o.htm#:~:text=Community%20forestry%20has%20been%20seen,and%20employment%20for%20rural%20communities.

Community participation is essential for successful forestry initiatives, as it requires local communities to be involved in decision-making, prioritizing needs and ensuring sustainable management strategies. This involvement increases forest ownership, responsibility, social cohesion and shared responsibility for well-being. It improves forest management effectiveness by combining traditional knowledge with scientific insights, resulting in successful implementation and regulation compliance. Community members also engage in monitoring, enforcement and holistic forest management, enhancing effectiveness and relevance.

UNREDD. (1970, August 7). Managing forests through community participation. UNREDD Programme. https://www.un-redd.org/multi-media-stories/managing-forests-through-community-participation

Community forestry can reduce poverty and improve rural development by providing local communities access to forest resources and livelihood opportunities. This generates income from sustainable practices like timber harvesting, non-timber forest products and eco-tourism. Community forestry fosters social empowerment, strengthens institutions, promotes inclusive decision-making and supports sustainable land use practices, ecosystem conservation and cultural preservation.

Cheng, S.H., Ahlroth, S., Onder, S. et al. What is the evidence for the contribution of forests to poverty alleviation? A systematic map protocol. Environ Evid 6, 10 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1186/s13750-017-0088-9

1. Land tenure and rights: Legal recognition and tenure rights for local communities over forested lands are challenging due to conflicting policies, hindering effective forest resource management.
2. Capacity and knowledge gap: Communities require technical knowledge and skills for sustainable forest management. Training programs and knowledge sharing are crucial.
3. Market access and livelihood opportunities: Limited market access and finance hinder forest product income generation. Fostering market linkages is crucial.
4. Conflicts and interests: Conflicts arise between communities, government agencies and private entities over competing interests, requiring resolution and collaboration for successful community forestry.
5. Social and gender inequities: Gender disparities and social inequalities impact community participation. Promoting inclusive and equitable participation is crucial for effective forestry.
6. Governance and institutional support: Effective implementation of community forestry programs is hindered by inadequate governance structures, weak institutional support and unclear roles and responsibilities.
7. External threats and pressures: Community forests face external threats like illegal logging, encroachment, and resource exploitation. Effective monitoring, law enforcement and protection are crucial.
8. Climate change and environmental pressures: Climate change challenges community forestry with an increased frequency of fires and pest outbreaks, requiring adaptation strategies and resilience-building measures.
9. Funding and resource constraints: Limited financial resources hinder community forestry program implementation and sustainability. Securing adequate funding is crucial for success.
10. Lack of policy support: Inadequate policy frameworks hinder community forestry programs’ effectiveness. Supportive policies promoting community rights and participation are essential for overcoming challenges.

Colfer, C. J. P., & Capistrano, D. (Eds.). (2005). The Politics of Decentralization: Forests, Power and People. Earthscan.

By empowering local communities, especially indigenous peoples, as stewards of ancestral lands and forest resources, community forestry addresses land tenure and indigenous rights. Delegating forest management rights and responsibilities, supporting sustainable conservation, and honouring traditional knowledge and practises are all part of this.

Community forestry in Canada strives to remedy historical injustices and give indigenous communities more authority over their lands. The government recognizes the value of indigenous knowledge and their relationship to the land by incorporating them in forest management and resource utilization decision-making processes.

Here are five ways that community forestry addresses land tenure and indigenous rights:

1.  Recognition of Indigenous Rights: Indigenous land rights and titles are frequently recognized in community forestry initiatives in Canada, allowing communities to engage in land use planning, resource management, and conservation efforts.
2.  Collaborative Governance: Community forestry encourages collaboration among indigenous groups, government agencies, and stakeholders, as well as participatory decision-making and the incorporation of traditional knowledge into forest management plans.
3. Customary Land Use Practices: In management plans, community forestry recognizes the value of traditional land use practices and traditional knowledge in maintaining forest ecological balance and guaranteeing sustainable resource utilization.
4.  Benefit Sharing: Indigenous communities acquire greater influence over the use and management of forest resources through community forestry projects. This control has the potential to result in direct economic benefits such as job creation, revenue sharing, and access to forest products for cultural and subsistence needs.
5. Capacity Building: In Canada, community forestry programmes frequently focus on increasing indigenous communities’ abilities to participate effectively in forest management. Training in sustainable forest practices, monitoring techniques, and governance skills are all part of this.

Kusters, K., de Graaf, M., Ascarrunz, N., Benneker, C., Boot, R., van Kanten, R., Livingstone, J., Maindo, A., Mendoza, H., Purwanto, E., Rodríguez, C., Ssemmanda, R., Thang, T. N., & Zagt, R. (2022). Formalizing community forest tenure rights: A theory of change and conditions for success. *Forest Policy and Economics, 141*, 102766. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.forpol.2022.102766.

Community forestry promotes social and gender equity in natural resource management by involving marginalized groups like women and indigenous communities in decision-making. It values traditional knowledge, equal participation, representation, empowerment, inclusive governance, capacity-building programs and women’s rights. This approach leads to a more equitable distribution of benefits, increased social cohesion and diverse perspectives in natural resource management.

Rosen, L., & Giroux, S. (2020). Gender Equity & Social Inclusion Among Community Forest User Groups In Nepal: Who Benefits? Leala-Rosen.pdf (ic-sd.org)

Individuals and communities can support community forestry initiatives through local committees, capacity-building programs, training workshops and knowledge-sharing platforms. Supporting community-led initiatives like reforestation, sustainable harvesting and agroforestry can contribute to their implementation. Advocating for policy changes, funding and collaborating with stakeholders can create partnerships that support these initiatives.

The Nature Conservatory. (n.d.). Partnering with indigenous people and local communities. The Nature Conservancy. https://www.nature.org/en-us/about-us/who-we-are/how-we-work/community-led-conservation/?tab_q=tab_container-tab_element

Governments and NGOs are crucial in supporting community forestry projects by providing technical and financial support, developing policies and encouraging stakeholder participation. They value community involvement in sustainable forest management and empower indigenous tribes. Governments grant land tenure rights, while NGOs create capacity, exchange information and access international financing. Policies promote participatory decision-making, community-based monitoring and ecosystem-based approaches. Governments and NGOs aim to promote resilient and ecologically sound forest practices by engaging local communities and recognizing their traditional knowledge. Policies promote indigenous land rights, collaborative forest management and capacity-building in communities through community forest agreements (CFAs). These agreements teach sustainable practices, monitoring methodologies and governance skills. Funding programs and grants support community forestry projects, enabling information flow and adopting best practices in forest management.