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Community Forest Management in Faraway Forests

Part of Learning Guide: Social Equity Considerations for Cities’ Decision Making Related to Inner, Nearby, and Faraway Forests

2. Cities4Forests – Commitment to Social Equity

5. Processes to Enhance Social Equity

6. Social Impacts of Equitable Policies and Programs

7. Other Benefits and Considerations for a Social Equity Approach

8. Policy Commitments for Social Equity

9. Use of Socioeconomic Information

10. Stakeholder Identification

11. Meaningful Stakeholder Engagement

12. Equal Employment Opportunities

13. Equity in Spatial Distribution of Inner Forests

15. Affordability Considerations in Inner Forests

16. Accessibility and Safety Considerations in Inner Forests

17. Ecotourism and Recreation in Nearby Forests

18. Cities’ Engagement with Faraway Forests

19. Community Forest Management in Faraway Forests

20. Faraway Forest Protection and Use Policies

21. Promoting Social Standards in Procurement

24. Selected Resources Part II

Indigenous people and local communities can be some of the most effective stewards of natural resources when given adequate support and agency.⁹ This may include affirming their tenure rights and establishing enabling conditions that ensure tenure security. In Ethiopia, the Land Investment for Transformation program provides special support to women who are vulnerable to dispossession of land due to widowhood, divorce, and lack of documentation, among other reasons.

Community chief and members in Peru’s forests. Photo: CIFOR, Flickr.

For projects and policies on managing, protecting, and conserving forest and water resources, including representatives from all identified stakeholder groups in the forest’s community management is important. Including these groups can make for better decision-making, and improve local livelihoods and protect forests. For instance, studies from Kenya, Uganda, Bolivia, and Mexico, show that when both men and women participate in forest user groups, the user groups are more likely to adopt behaviors that enhance the forest’s resources.

Indigenous and rural women as agents of change. Source: Rights and Resources Institute

In the Solomon Islands, even when women were included in community meetings, they were consistently less likely than men to speak up and substantively participate. This pointed towards the need for different types of support for proper stakeholder engagement, including holding meetings at times that are compatible with family schedules, providing child-care services, and covering wages for the day.*