People's participation in forest and tree management

Self-help management of trees and forests by or with rural people is potentially one of the most effective ways of sustainably managing forest resources. Yet, large forest formations are under threat of overuse by groups, including local communities. On the one hand, rural people value tree products and functions considerably; on the other hand, people are often reluctant to invest in tree management or may even jeopardize forest management. Consciousness-raising elements of projects on the importance of trees are often ineffective. The real reason for a lack of local participation is that outsiders misperceive local constraints to and attitudes towards participation. Planners and donors need to have more confidence in local people's ability to participate in all stages of activity, planning, implementation and monitoring. Important factors in this regard are institutional opportunities to improve access to and tenure over forest resources and land-use rights; using extension and research to take activities, technology and techniques to users who them extent them to other users; and changing the focus of training to these ideas of user extension and user research. Only a feeling of ownership and a guarantee of benefits will encourage local communities to take on long-term forest and tree management. This can only be provided by more appropriate institutional arrangements that benefit those who practice management and those who provide services. Definitions of the concepts of participation and institutions are also provided in this paper.

Bibliographic Details

Main Authors:	78741 Hoskins, M.W., Organización de las Naciones Unidas para la Alimentación y la Agricultura (FAO) Roma, Italia 1188
Format:	biblioteca
Published:	Roma (Italia) 1994
Subjects:	POLITICAS, ADMINISTRACION, EXTENSION FORESTAL, FORESTERIA SOCIAL, ORGANIZACIONES GUBERNAMENTALES, MANEJO FORESTAL,
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