Community forest management policies limit rights and access

Today’s Video of the Day from the University of Manchester describes how communities may suffer when local forest management is formalized.

The research is based on 643 case studies of community forest management (CFM) in 51 different countries.

While CFM policies often have positive environmental and economic impacts, they also tend to limit the rights and forest access of local populations.

“Improving forests can be a vital way to both tackle climate change and address poverty – however, our study shows that too often local communities lose out when the management of community forests is formalized by governments,” said study lead author Dr. Johan Oldekop. 

“With the clock ticking on catastrophic climate change, the world needs to learn from successes in countries like Nepal, where we saw some cases with simultaneous economic, environmental, and resource rights outcomes.”

Video Credit: University of Manchester

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By Chrissy Sexton, Earth.com Staff Writer