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D. Geni et al. 2010. A framework for characterizing convergence and discrepancy in rural forest management
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A framework for characterizing convergence and discrepancy in rural
forest management in tropical and temperate environments
D. Genin 1* , Y. Aumeerudy-Thomas 2 , G. Balent 3,4 , G. Michon 5
1 IRD, Laboratoire Population, Environnement Développement, UMR151, Marseille,
France
2 CNRS, Centre d’Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Evolutive, Montpellier, France
3 INRA, UMR DYNAFOR, Toulouse, France
4 Université de Toulouse, UMR DYNAFOR, Toulouse
5 IRD, UR199, Montpellier, France
Abstract
Rural forests are forests that are more or less formally appropriated, managed, shaped or rebuilt
by rural communities, who have developed refined local knowledge and practices related to
their use and perpetuation. Based on detailed monographs, we compared eleven situations of
rural forests both from developing and developed countries, localized within a high diversity of
ecological environments (humid tropics, dry forests, temperate forests) as well as regarding
socio-economical and public policies characteristics. Data were pooled within a common
analysis chart and processed by means of multivariate analyses. Results show that some
variables are characteristic of all rural forests, such as multiple-use, tree species diversity,
ecosystem stability, or patrimonial functions. Other results point out some specificities of
particular rural forests, depending on the main use of single out of several tree species,
importance of NTFPs, land ownership and management, and the magnitude of public action.
This framework aims at better characterizing these particular forests in order to think about
alternative forest management policies.
Keywords: rural forests, local practices, local knowledge, multivariate analyses,
1. Introduction
Forests in various parts of the world are not only places for wood production or environmental
services (Myers, 1988; Ros-Tonen et al., 2005). They also play several roles for local people
and are deeply integrated within diversified livelihood systems (Pretzsch, 2005; Agrawal, 2007).
Rural forests are all forests more or less formally managed, shaped, transformed or rebuilt by
rural communities, integrated within farming systems which structure landscapes and rural
territories. These forests have not only contributed to sustain local livelihoods but are an entire
part of local patrimony and identity. They are indeed based on trans generational knowledge and
know-how that have contributed to social reproduction. However, particularities of these rural
forests are not well defined since they encompass highly diversified situations and have not
been of interest for classical forest science. Very few authors have explored the intrinsic
characteristics of rural forests. Balent (1995) talked about peasant forest with examples from the
French situation. Michon et al. (2007) coined a new paradigm for integrating local
communities’ forestry into tropical forest science with the notion of domestic forests. These
authors argued and illustrated that domestic forest is “a forest for living, a forest that integrates
* Corresponding author.
Email address: Genin@univ-provence.fr
Forest Landscapes and Global Change-New Frontiers in Management, Conservation and Restoration. Proceedings of the IUFRO Landscape Ecology
Working Group International Conference, September 21-27, 2010, Bragança, Portugal. J.C. Azevedo, M. Feliciano, J. Castro & M.A. Pinto (eds.)
2010, Instituto Politécnico de Bragança, Bragança, Portugal.