Guide to participatory tools for forest communities

Abstract

ISBN 979-24-4656-7 37p. CABI thesaurus: 1. research 2. methodology 3. social participation 4. communities 5. community forestry 6. community involvement 7. forest management 8. participatory rural appraisal 9. techniques 10. handbooks I. Title Guide to Participatory Tools | 1 Foreword The future of tropical forests is increasingly linked to the people who live in or near forests and depend on them for their livelihoods. Likewise, the potential for improving the lives of forest dependent people will rely to a great degree to how well people will be able to manage their forests. In many countries tropical forest management still falls officially under the responsibility of forest agencies. However, the trend is changing, and increasingly local people are receiving custodianship and control of tropical forests. The direction that tropical forest management takes will be greatly influenced by how well local people and outside stakeholders can communicate and cooperate. The Guide to Participatory Tools for Forest Communities hopes to provide people who work with forest communities with new options as they advance objectives of sustainable forest management and empowerment of forest dependent communities. The guide provides a brief overview of various tools, discussion of concepts, and guidance in the selection and use of participatory tools that people linked with the Center for International Forestry Research have adapted and developed for use with forest communities.