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D. Geni et al. 2010. A framework for characterizing convergence and discrepancy in rural forest management
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In each forest case, an interdisciplinary attempt was made in order to provide a detailed
description of the rural forest, taking into account stakeholders, resources, practices involved,
and ecological aspects and dynamics. A common analysis grid was previously built in order to
produce a corpus of comparable data. The general aim was to characterize the socio-ecological
systems by putting emphasis on interactions between ecological structures and functioning, use
rules and intensity of uses of natural resources both in time and space. We encompassed five
main themes: 1) physical and ecological characterization; 2) Actors and use rules; 3) Uses and
functions of forests and forest resources; 4) Naturalist, technical, organisational, spiritual and
political knowledge linked with the uses of trees and forests; 5) Main dynamics and challenges
related to forested areas.
In a first step, monographs were analyzed and similarities or differences were pointed out by a
qualitative analysis of the results within themes above mentioned. On the basis of this material
and team researchers’ expertise, a comparative data base was built, composed of 58 variables.
We rated the outcomes for each variable on a five-point scale: inexistent or very low (1), low or
poorly important (2), neutral or average (3), high or important (4), very high or very important
(5). Assessments were done by a reduced researchers’ group, and codification result discussed
with the all team members of the POPULAR project. This process was effective for stimulating
discussions, facilitating consistent and comparable information, and scoring of the variables. All
variables were treated as having uniform weight, and were analysed together through Multiple
Correspondence Analysis (MCA, see Benzecri, 1973). MCA was performed in two stages: first
by fitting a cloud of points in a multidimensional vector subspace, and second, by setting a
metric structure on this space. This analysis provided a non-parametric description of the
relationships between modalities of variables and an indication of their importance rather than a
measure of significance. It allowed the possibility of treating together both qualitative and
quantitative data. We performed a Hierarchical Cluster Analysis of both variables and case
studies using their scores along the main MCA axes, Euclidian distance and Ward linkage
function. The Pearson correlation test was used in order to evaluate similarities between sites,
and between variables. Data treatments were carried out using the STATBOX software.
3. Results and discussion
The main difficulty in studying rural forests is to deal with the complexity and interrelationships
of uses, practices, functions and representations associated with forest resources and wooded
landscapes. In this sense, a global descriptive approach of this complexity can constitute a first
step in order to filter the main aspects governing the functioning of these systems. The set of
case studies we undertook here, though far from being exhaustive, gives an interesting overview
of this diversity in terms of ecosystem types and forest resources, forms of organization and
operation of local communities, role of public authorities in forest management, and functions
devoted to forest areas.
MCA reduction of the initial table in a few number of dimensions led to a synthetic
representation of both forest case and influential variables that made possible a comparison of
the similarities and dissimilarities between the forest cases. The first four MCA axes covered
more than 50% of the overall observed variance, which is a relatively high score for a
qualitative data set.
The first axis made it possible to discriminate the tropical forests (Cameroon, Indian reserved
forests and to a lesser extent Indonesia significantly correlated to little to average domestication
of trees, very strong rate of tree cover associated with a very strong tree species diversity, uses
related to timbering and the non timber forest products (NTFP), and a strong control of the rules
at the collective level) from the Corsican and Cevennes chestnut groves and truffle growing
significantly correlated to highly transformed ecosystem, little fragmentation of the landscape,
private landownership associated with little influence of collective institutions, strong use for
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.