Open AccessThe Developmental Experience of Forest-Dependent Communities in Developing Countries
Author(s) -
Lissel Hernandez
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
rural review
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 2563-1608
DOI - 10.21083/ruralreview.v2i1.6054
Subject(s) - sustainability , forest management , livelihood , environmental resource management , business , natural resource management , community forestry , environmental planning , sustainable forest management , sustainable management , natural resource , geography , forestry , agriculture , economics , political science , ecology , archaeology , biology , law
Forest management is a key element for sustained community development and climate change mitigation, especially in developing countries. This research sets out to test the hypothesis that community-based management of forests generates more community development benefits and higher forest sustainability levels than state or private sector forest management approaches. This presentation provides background on the crisis of forestry and the potential of communitybased natural resource management (CBNRM). It discusses the different forestry management approaches and presents the results of the analysis of the outcomes identified in different cases of forest management using the Sustainable Livelihoods Framework (SLF). Limitations on the quality and homogeneity of the information provided by the literature reviewed did not support definitive conclusions. However, the cases analyzed suggest that community forest management might create more community development benefits and higher forest sustainability than state and private forest management. The implications for rural Ontario are the potential of CBNRM, the pertinence of the SLF and the need to have homogeneous and comparable indicators when analyzing developmental and sustainability outcomes in rural communities.