Community-Based Forestry,

Transcription

1 Community-Based Forestry, with focus on the Northern Forest Region by Cecilia Danks For NR 378 Rubenstein School, UVM March 19, 2008

2 Community Forestry in the Northern Forest Region Community Forestry Abroad Communityowned Forests Community and Urban Forestry Communitybased Conservation Forest Cooperatives

3 Community Forestry in the Northern Forest Community Forestry Abroad Forest Cooperatives Community-owned Forests CBF Community-based conservation Community and Urban Forestry

4 Community Forestry Abroad Diversity of post-colonial approaches to engaging local communities in forestry management (esp. in context of state control) Goals emphasize: Community development Cultural identity Conflict resolution Reversing environmental degradation Terms: Co-management (many places) Social forestry (India) Joint forest management (India) Uplands management (Philippines) Extractive reserves (Brazil) Community forestry (Canada, Mexico)

5 Community Forestry Abroad cntd Long Agroforestry History Southeast Asian forest gardens Shade grown coffee and miracle exotic trees Many Examples: India Chipko Movement Social Joint Forest Management British Columbia Sustainable forestry & First Nations Kenya Greenbelt Movement, Wangari Maathai Brazil Extractive reserves for rubber tappers & Brazil nuts

6 Community Forestry Abroad brought to US Return Peace Corp & Ford Foundation among influences Western US in wake of declines in timber harvests on public lands Collaboration among diverse local stakeholders Community economic development (rebuild social, human & economic capital) New Mexico Community Forest Restoration Act Appalachia Community development, esp. post mining & tobacco Southern US Slow loss of black-owned forest resources Adirondack Park?

7 Community Owned Forests New England Town Forests Bob McCullough s s book long and varied history Supporting teachers & parsons Unpaid taxes - land reverting to town town forest movement 1880s 1940s? Vermont Town Forest Project NFA Community forestry project QLF & NFC Western community-owned owned forest movement Efforts in Montana purchase ex-timber land Efforts in CA community forest on contracted private lands Mexico, New Mexico communal lands created by land grants

8 Community and Urban Forestry 1990 Farm Bill incorporates Community & Urban Forestry Funds given to the states to implement Each state Urban & Community Forestry Council Could involve: large forested tracts owned by cities urban renewal jobs, social capital, beautification, anti- drug trees planted in rights of ways & downtowns guidance/rules/info for developers, utilities, homeowners school / educational programs energy (shading / heat island ) & green space

9 Community-based Conservation Old & New organizations, e.g. Society for Protection of New Hampshire's Forests Local land trusts, e.g. Richmond Land Trust, Jericho-Underhill Land Trust Collaboration of neighbors E.g. Orange County Headwaters Project E.g. Little Hogback Community Forest

10 Elements of Community-based forestry Communities share in decision-making and benefits,, and contribute labor and knowledge, in managing forests and utilizing forest products, with the goals of achieving social well-being and ecological health.

11 Additional elements of CBF Economic activity Means to an end? Not just preservation, but livelihoods as well small scale, social entrepreneurship Participatory processes Local governance or co-management Transparent & fair Equity In both process and distribution of costs & benefits Protecting local/indigenous rights & culture Sustainability Ecological (esp. restoration) Social & Cultural Economic viability

12 Common characteristics of rural Forest Communities physically isolated relatively poor/ pockets of poverty lack of control over forest resources: government control of most forest land external ownership of private timber rights and sawmills degraded forest resources: Often due to extraction for export to urban centers Also do to competition for other land uses little reinvestment in the land and local communities politically and economically weak Often ethnic minorities (esp. in global south)

13 CBF at the Uneasy Juncture of Conflicting Claims & Conflicting World Views Property rights Common property vs private property Environmental management Decentralized vs centralized Local knowledge vs scientific Community Development Government programs vs social entrepreneurship Lifestyle & Livelihoods Modern vs Traditional CBF tries to reconcile these

14 Varied Ownerships in Community Forestry Community Forestry Abroad Central Government Ownership & co-management agreements or community- controlled Forest Cooperatives Individual Private Ownership Community-owned Forests Town Ownership (or County, local collective) CBF Community-based conservation Varied ownerships / Land Trusts Community and Urban Forestry Local public ownership / rights of way

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