Decentralization is sweeping the world and having dramatic and far-reaching impacts on resource management and livelihoods, particularly in forestry. This book is the most up-to-date examination of the themes, experiences and lessons learned from decentralization worldwide. Drawing on research and support from all of the major international forestry and conservation organizations, the book provides a balanced account that covers the impact of decentralization on resource management worldwide, and provides comparative global insights with wide implications for policy, management, conservation...

How do we extend the conservation ethic to include the cultural links between local populations and their physical environments? Can considerations of human capital be incorporated into the definition and measurement of sustainability in managed forests? Can forests be managed in a manner that fulfils traditional goals for ecological integrity while also addressing the well-being of its human residents? In this study, an international team of investigators apply a diverse range of social science methods to focus on the interests of stakeholders living in the most intimate proximity to managed...

Research and policy toward sustainable forest management have often paid incomplete attention to the well being of local populations and their activities as forest managers. Where there has been recognition of local communities, the roles of marginalized groups and women are usually not well understood. This is despite evidence that equity and social relationships, including gender roles, are important factors in the ways that communities manage forest resources overall and adapt to change. The Equitable Forest provides in-depth analyses of equity and social roles within the context of...

Research and policy toward sustainable forest management have often paid incomplete attention to the well being of local populations and their activities as forest managers. Where there has been recognition of local communities, the roles of marginalized groups and women are usually not well understood. This is despite evidence that equity and social relationships, including gender roles, are important factors in the ways that communities manage forest resources overall and adapt to change. The Equitable Forest provides in-depth analyses of equity and social roles within the context of...

The Complex Forest systematically examines the theory, processes, and early outcomes of a research and management approach called adaptive collaborative management (ACM). An alternative to positivist approaches to development and conservation that assume predictability in forest management, ACM acknowledges the complexity and unpredictability inherent in any forest community and the importance of developing solutions together with the forest peoples whose lives will be most affected by the outcomes. Building on earlier work that established the importance of flexible, collaborative approaches...

Hundreds of millions of people live and work in forests across the world. This book presents a comprehensive introduction to the issues surrounding the health of people living in and around forests, particularly in Asia, South America and Africa.

The decentralization of control over the vast forests of the world is moving at a rapid pace, with both positive and negative ramifications for people and forests themselves. This book describes research from a host of Asia-Pacific, presents varied experience with decentralization and provides important lessons for other regions.

Indonesia contains some of Asia's most biodiverse and threatened forests. The contributors to this text explore recent events there while focusing on what can be done differently to counter the destruction of forests due to asset-stripping, corruption and the absence of government authority.

This book provides a novel approach to governance relating to biodiversity and human well-being in complex tropical landscapes, including forests and protected areas. It focuses attention at the interface between communities and the landscape level, building on interdisciplinary research conducted in five countries (Cameroon, Indonesia, Laos, Madagascar and Tanzania). In each country, the research was set within the framework of a major national policy thrust. The book improves our understanding of and ability to manage complex landscapes - mosaics of differing land uses - in a more adaptive...

Hundreds of millions of people live and work in forests across the world. One vital aspect of their lives, yet largely unexamined, is the challenge of protecting and enhancing the unique relationship between the health of forests and the health of people. This book, written for a broad audience, is the first comprehensive introduction to the issues surrounding the health of people living in and around forests, particularly in Asia, South America and Africa. Part one is a set of synthesis chapters, addressing policy, public health, environmental conservation and ecological perspectives on...