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10 - Power to the Forest People

Tendencies, Impact and the Future of Locally Controlled Forests

from Part II - Tools to Address Wicked Problems

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  24 July 2020

By
David Kaimowitz  and
Fernanda Tomaselli
Edited by
William Nikolakis  and
John L. Innes
William Nikolakis
Affiliation:
University of British Columbia, Vancouver
John L. Innes
Affiliation:
University of British Columbia, Vancouver
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Summary

A global trend towards more community control over forests has slowed deforestation and forest degradation, reduced carbon emissions, supported community livelihoods and built social capital. In some cases these positive benefits have not been realized, and there have been mixed results on intra-community equity. Three ‘wicked characteristics’ mitigate the success of community forests: where tenure change erodes the power of economic and technical elites, who then respond by undermining the community forest; where it is difficult to support communities without impacting their collective action; and where governments develop policies that are difficult to adapt to local contexts.

Keywords

TenureTenure policyCommunity forest managementLivelihoodsEquity
Type
Chapter
Information
The Wicked Problem of Forest Policy
A Multidisciplinary Approach to Sustainability in Forest Landscapes
 , pp. 278 - 300
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2020

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