Conclusions First Regional Community Forum 90

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8. Conclusions

Community forestry is an evolving, dynamic concept and it normally takes some time for suitable modalities to be clearly defined and applied in any particular country. It is usually expedient to carry out pilot trials of community forestry in order to refine the policy and implementation procedures based on well documented field experience. While good policy will not guarantee good outcomes, it is clear that without an enabling policy environment, community forestry is unlikely to deliver the beneficial outcomes that are its promise. If community forestry is to have a significant impact on forest condition and rural livelihoods, the initiatives need to expand to become a national program. This expansion must include three key components. • An enabling policy environment legislation, policy, rules and regulations, implementation guidelines, etc. to empower local communities to exercise real authority over the management of forests in their vicinity, and thereby to obtain economic and other benefits. • Continuing institutional reform to support decentralization and devolution, including mandating communities as legal entities. • Capacity building of all partners including re-orientation of government staff to shift from a policinglicensing role to a community facilitation role. Partnership and confidence-building for effective compliance and enforcement of a regulatory framework for community forestry takes time and requires the support of local governance institutions and processes. References Alden Wily, L. 2002 Community forest management in Africa: An overview of progress and issues. 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Gilmour, O’Brien Nurse 31 D’Andrea, C. 2003 The customary use and management of natural resources in Timor-Leste. Oxfam, GTZ and Directorate of Land and property of Timor-leste, Dili, Timor-Leste. Djajanti, Diah in press. Managing forest with community PHBM in Central Java: Promoting equity in access to NTFPs. Proceedings of the eleventh workshop on community based management of forestlands. RECOFTC and East West Center, University of Hawaii. RECOFTC, Thailand. Fisher, R.J. 2000 Poverty alleviation and forests: Experiences from Asia. Paper prepared for a workshop on Forest ecospaces, biodiversity and environmental security. 5 October 2000, Amman, Jordan. Pre-congress workshop, IUCN Conservation Congress 2000. RECOFTC, Thailand. Gilmour, D.A. 2005 Applying an adaptive management approach in Forest Landscape Restoration. ITTO In: Earthscan. Gilmour, D.A. and R.J. Fisher 1991 Villagers, Forests and Foresters The Philosophy, Process and Practice of Community Forestry in Nepal. Sahayogi Press, Kathmandu, Nepal. Gilmour, D.A., Y.B. Malla and M. Nurse 2004 Community forestry in Asia and its impact on poverty, RECOFTC Discussion Paper. Gilmour, D.A., G.C. King and Mary Hobley 1989 Management of forests for local use in the hills of Nepal. 1. Changing forest management paradigms. Journal of World Forest Resource Management 4 2: 93 110. Haley, M. 2001 Community forests: From dream to reality in the British Columbia. In Forests in a Changing Landscape; 16th Commonwealth Forestry Conference, Freemantle, Western Australia, 18-25 April 2001. 217-220. Hindra, Billy 2005 Indonesia - Community Forestry Out-grower schemes and companycommunity partnerships. Community Forestry Policy Forum, RECOFTC, Bangkok, Thailand, August 2005. IUCN forthcoming Resource Rights: Sustainable Livelihoods, Environmental Security and Conflict Mitigation in South Asia. IUCN Bangkok, Thailand. Jeanrenaud, S. ed. 2001 Communities and Forest Management in Western Europe. A regional profile of the Working Group on Community Involvement in Forest Management. Forests, People and Policies. IUCN, Gland, Switzerland. Kanel, K.R. 2005 Nepal - Community Forestry 2005. Community Forestry Policy Forum, RECOFTC, Bangkok, Thailand, August 2005. Kanel, K.R. and D.R. Niraula 2004 Can rural livelihood be improved in Nepal through community forestry? Banko Janakari Vol 14 1:19-26. 32 REGULATORY FRAMEWORKS FOR CF Kusel, J. and E. Adler eds. 2001 Forest Communities, Community Forestry: A Collection of Case Studies of Community Forestry. For the 17th American Forest Congress Communities Committee, Taylorsville, CA, USA. http: www.FCResearch.org Klooster, D. and S. Ambinakudige 2005 The global significance of Mexican community forestry. In D.B. Bray, L. Merino-Perez and D. Barry eds The Community Forests of Mexico. University of Texas Press, Austin, USA. Lao Dept of Forests 1997 National Village Forestry Strategy. A discussion paper. Second draft. 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Selin eds. 1998 Communities and Forest Management in Canada and the United States. A Regional Profile of the Working Group on Community Involvement in Forest Management. Forests, People and Policies, IUCN, Gland, Switzerland. Pokharel, B. and M. Nurse 2004 Forest and peoples’ livelihoods: Benefiting the poor from community forestry. Journal of Forest and Livelihoods 4 1: 19-29. Pretty, J. and B.R. Frank 2000 Participation and Social Capital Formation in Natural Resource Management: Achievements and Lessons. International Landcare 2000 Conference, Melbourne, Australia. Pulhin J. M. and P. M. Pulhin 2003 Philippines - Community-based Forest Management. Retrospect and Prospects. In M. Inoue ed. People and Forest in Southeast Asia, Fareast Russia, and Japan: Forest Policy and Local Reality. Kluwer Academic Publishers, The Netherlands: 139-156. Gilmour, O’Brien Nurse 33 Pulhin, J.M., M.C. Amaro and D. Bacalla 2005 Philippines Community-based forest management. 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1. Introduction