Convincing the Naysayers
by Thomas K. Erdmann

Successful CBFM
Community-based forest management (CBFM) or, more broadly, community forestry has proven successful around the world during the past three decades.  From Latin America to Africa to Southeast Asia and beyond, the movement has steadily grown, often encouraged by new policies and legislation.  It is a concept that appears to make perfect sense: who better to manage a forest than local communities who live next to it and use it on a daily basis?

Exchanging access and management rights for increased responsibility, many communities have overturned the "tragedy of the commons."  Many have also increased benefits from various forest management activities, often via more organized and systematic application of local knowledge.  Groups and programs that support, promote and study CBFM have proliferated; a quick web search may lead one to Community Forestry International (www.communityforestryinternational.org), the Center for International Forestry (CIFOR - www.cifor.cgiar.org) or the Regional Community Forestry Training Center (RECOFTC or www.recoftc.org).  Moreover, the potential of community forestry probably remains untapped in many regards; for example, the paradigm could be widely employed as a tool for equitable and efficient co-management of forest Protected Areas.  

Vested interests, misperceptions and marginalization
Yet, how widespread is the success?  Despite seemingly myriad positive results, indisputable logic, and sustained interest, naysayers and skeptics remain, often concentrated among the urban elite and centralized government decision-makers.  This group frequently dismisses community forestry accomplishments as random and anecdotal.  In contrast, CBFM proponents claim that the skeptics suffer from misperceptions, or even worse, want to maintain local communities in a marginalized state due to vested interests or a fear of a loss of power.  In all fairness, however, the problem of pessimism or maintaining obstacles seems to vary widely from region to region.

Uniting Voices, Telling the Story
How do those who are persuaded by the potential, utility and justice of CBFM convince the naysayers?  Several paths have recently been suggested.  First of all, advocates should endeavor to mount a continuous, forceful and unrelenting communication campaign that targets the doubters.  This could take the form of comparing failed, centralized forest management schemes to successful community-managed initiatives.  Perhaps proponents also need to compile a compelling state-of-the-art book, that describes cases across the world and that could be widely distributed.  Coming together in coalitions and federations at all levels also seems to be needed.  A united and vociferous alliance of community groups could become a lever for change in countries where the government has turned a deaf ear to CBFM.  Ultimately, community forestry represents a form of improved forest governance.  Advocates of the movement should thus be able to expand its base by recruiting apparent allies from democracy and social justice quarters.  Larger numbers and improved organization are vital to gaining wider acceptance and scaling up.

Thomas is the Regional Coordinator, USAID's Eco-Regional Initiative (ERI) Program, Madagascar

Expand your knowledge on CBFM with these diverse resources on approaches and practices from around the globe.

'Global Gleanings,' Lessons from Six Studies of Community Based Forest Management. This 34-page paper brings together the findings of 6 reviews commissioned by the Ford Foundation to contribute to an ongoing process of learning about community-based forest management (CBFM). Click here to read this study.

The Community's Toolbox: The Idea, Methods and Tools for Participatory Assessment, Monitoring and Evaluation in Community Forestry. This field manual provides a practical set of guidelines for the various approaches used in community forestry. Click here to read this manual.

Where's the Forestry in Community Forestry? This paper argues that the modern form of community forestry has focused mainly on what might be called forest organization in the context of forest management, and that, as such, the technical aspects of forestry, especially the scientific element, have been marginalized. Click here to read this paper.


Environmental Impacts of Community-based Forest Management in the Philippines. This paper assesses the environmental impacts of the CBFM activities in the Philippines. It finds that, in response to watershed and forest degradation, the Philippines has adopted CBFM as a key strategy. It is promoting forest management technologies, such as agroforestry and tree farming. Click here to read this paper.


Tragedy of the Commons for Community-Based Forest Management in Latin America? This paper examines the community based forest management initiatives and practices in Latin America, and explores whether the popular view that common property management regimes (CPMRs) would break down under economic or demographic pressures holds true or not. Click here to read this paper.

Community Management of Forest Resources Moving from "Keep Out!" to "Let's Collaborate!" by Michael Brown - Community level property rights to the forest have never been legally recognized by Congo Basin States, marginalizing community rights and potential community management contributions. Click here to read this paper.

The MENTOR Fellowship Program (Mentoring for ENvironmental Training in Outreach and Resources conservation) is a model mentored fellowship program that brings together eight fellows from four countries in Eastern Africa to reduce illegal bushmeat exploitation.

This program is a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, the College of African Wildlife Management- Mweka, Tanzania, and the Africa Biodiversity Collaborative Group (ABCG) through Wildlife Without Borders- Africa to build the capacity of African wildlife professionals to strongly influence and lead efforts to reduce illegal bushmeat exploitation at local and regional levels in Eastern Africa. 

These fellows will be put through a rigorous and participatory program of academic study, national and site level bushmeat assessments, and implementation of innovative intervention projects that will be conducted under the guidance of field based mentors. This unique program strives to build a well-trained interdisciplinary network of Eastern African specialists who can implement responses on:

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Click here to meet the MENTOR Fellows.