The participatory approach: A tool for the sustainable management of forest resources by local communities

The levies for the sustainable supply of wood energy in the cities are now a major cause of deforestation in Central Africa. In Democratic Republic of Congo, wood represents more than 85% of the domestic energy resource and this resource is increasingly over-exploited. This study is part of securing the supply of wood energy in the cities of Kinshasa and Kisangani and in related with the theme of the management of degraded periurban forests in villages, major sites of production. Implementing this management cannot be done without the active participation and of key actors, the village communities themselves. For the phase of design and negotiation of management simple plans, innovative facilitation support has been developed. Under the name of "interactive model", this modular terrain mapping tool consists of elements in wood painted to reproduce the village and local thumbnail. The whole is, along with vignettes illustrating various issues of the negotiation. Its ease of use, both by rural communities by the project officers, allowed both to stimulate thinking and to increase the quality and the intensity of the communication. Beyond a simple tool, therefore the real sharing of knowledge, key element of management consistent, realistic and equitable agreements is questioned.