Adaptive collaborative management of community forests in Asia ...
Adaptive collaborative management of community forests in Asia ...
Adaptive collaborative management of community forests in Asia ...
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200 • Herl<strong>in</strong>a Hartanto<br />
stakeholders <strong>in</strong> the two ACM sites. It was expected that <strong>in</strong>creas<strong>in</strong>g<br />
committee members’ awareness <strong>of</strong> the fundamental problems would lead<br />
to better policies and programmes.<br />
The ACM team worked ‘<strong>in</strong>side’ the <strong>community</strong> forestry system <strong>in</strong> the<br />
Philipp<strong>in</strong>es <strong>in</strong> anticipation <strong>of</strong> achiev<strong>in</strong>g significant impacts. This strategy,<br />
however, may also have re<strong>in</strong>forced two weakness <strong>of</strong> the programme. First,<br />
the grant<strong>in</strong>g <strong>of</strong> forest <strong>management</strong> rights to people’s organisations can<br />
sidel<strong>in</strong>e other forest users and push them <strong>in</strong>to marg<strong>in</strong>al economic niches<br />
(Li 2002); by work<strong>in</strong>g directly with the POs and <strong>in</strong>creas<strong>in</strong>g their social<br />
capital, the ACM team may have compounded the power imbalance<br />
between the POs and the marg<strong>in</strong>alised groups. Second, by help<strong>in</strong>g the POs<br />
meet DENR’s technical, legal, and adm<strong>in</strong>istrative requirements, the team<br />
may have <strong>in</strong>advertently re<strong>in</strong>forced these constra<strong>in</strong>ts.<br />
Conclusion<br />
Community forestry <strong>in</strong> the Philipp<strong>in</strong>es was <strong>in</strong>itially designed to engage local<br />
communities <strong>in</strong> rehabilitat<strong>in</strong>g degraded <strong>forests</strong>. The emphasis therefore has<br />
been on technical forestry and <strong>management</strong> for productivity, with little<br />
attention on local <strong>in</strong>stitutions with<strong>in</strong> the <strong>community</strong>, their political and<br />
social dynamics and their economic needs. Large areas <strong>of</strong> forestland have<br />
been devolved, but the <strong>management</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>community</strong> <strong>forests</strong> by people’s<br />
organisations was not sufficiently supported by conducive policies, economic<br />
opportunities and capacity build<strong>in</strong>g. Furthermore, DENR staff were hesitant<br />
to share power and engage <strong>in</strong> partnerships with local government and local<br />
communities, as <strong>in</strong>dicated by their bureaucratic requirements.<br />
Our three-year project showed that the ACM approach can address<br />
those challenges. Stakeholder analysis identified the relevant players, and<br />
engag<strong>in</strong>g them <strong>in</strong> <strong>community</strong> forest <strong>management</strong> improved collaboration<br />
among the PO members and other local people. By putt<strong>in</strong>g the POs at the<br />
heart <strong>of</strong> ACM processes, ACM enhanced their members’ skills, capacities,<br />
awareness and confidence <strong>in</strong> communication, network<strong>in</strong>g, proposal<br />
mak<strong>in</strong>g, recordkeep<strong>in</strong>g, and <strong>management</strong> <strong>of</strong> small enterprises. The POs<br />
have exercised a more democratic process <strong>of</strong> forest <strong>management</strong> plann<strong>in</strong>g<br />
and decision mak<strong>in</strong>g. ACM made collaboration and learn<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong>tentional<br />
and deliberate. The cycles <strong>of</strong> reflection, plann<strong>in</strong>g, action and reflection<br />
encouraged people to observe and monitor the outcomes <strong>of</strong> their decisions<br />
and adapt subsequent actions accord<strong>in</strong>gly. These have improved the capacity