Adaptive collaborative management of community forests in Asia ...

190 • Herlina Hartanto
• incorporation of lessons learnt to refine management practices;
and
• conflict management.
The learning processes that the groups underwent in both sites have
enabled them to address their local issues satisfactorily and to deal with
the social, biophysical and political complexities of community forestry.
The application of those ACM processes and their incorporation into
community forest activities have produced the hypothesised outcomes:
enhanced participation and partnerships, ability to adapt management
strategies, and self-confidence in addressing problems and managing the
forest.
ACM processes, which deliberately engage stakeholders in information
sharing and collective action, have enhanced participation of both the
people’s organisation members and other groups, including DENR, Palawan
Tropical Forest Protection Project, local government, local NGOs, and
neighbouring villages. Increased efforts by the board of directors to share
information about the organisation, its activities and benefits also increased
participation. The engagement of more members and wider stakeholders,
in turn, prompted the PO to be more transparent and accountable because
its management was put under the scrutiny of more observers.
The ACM processes that foster learning, monitoring and adaptation also
produced positive outcomes in both sites. In Palawan, the action learning
group changed its strategy for dealing with the boundary dispute once the
members understood the Bataks’ concept of territory and their economic
problems. This adaptation was triggered by the realisation that the dispute
could be solved only by respecting and accepting the Bataks’ different
knowledge and by establishing partnerships with them. In Bukidnon, the
processes that gave the women leadership roles—a substantial change
from their usual supporting roles—allowed both them and others to see
their importance in barangay development. As in the Palawan group,
conscious reflection and monitoring enabled the women to anticipate
potential problems and devise management strategies to cope with them.
These achievements, coupled with positive remarks and compliments from
other stakeholders, increased people’s self-confidence and encouraged selfreliance.
The ACM team also noticed improvements in the human and social
capital of some PO members in both sites: increased skills and capacities in