The latest Tropical Forest Update” published by ITTO” opens with an editorial reflecting on the themes developed at the July RRI CFE Conference:

Tropical forests are approaching a fork in the road” both in the way they are managed and” more importantly” in the way that their management and conservation is funded. In terms of management” ever larger areas are being devolved to some form of community tenure. According to advocacy groups like Forest Trends and the Rights and Resources Initiative” policy shifts to recognize traditional and indigenous rights have resulted in a doubling of community-owned and administered forest lands in developing countries over the past two decades” to around 370 million hectares of natural forest (nearly one-quarter of all forests in these countries” three times the amount owned by individuals and firms). Current trends indicate that community tenure will double again by 2020 to more than 700 million hectares.

As Cameroon’s model forest experience (…) illustrates” there are many advantages to involving communities in forest management” including employment and protection of environmental services of forests. A recently concluded ITTO conference in Brazil (to be featured in a future TFU) found that community forestry enterprises employ more than 110 million people worldwide” among them indigenous peoples and other forest dwellers. Such enterprises harvest wood and collect bamboo” rattan” fibers” nuts” resins” medicinal herbs” honey” wood for charcoal and other natural products to increase local wealth.

Community forest managers also get high marks for ensuring that the environmental services important in combating climate change and protecting water sources” biodiversity and natural landscapes that are important both locally and internationally are not damaged or degraded by forest exploitation. Communities” like most other forest managers in the tropics” however” face many challenges in managing forests sustainably” including a lack of financial” human and technical resources. Since all of these shortcomings can be addressed by more adequate and consistent financing of sustainable forest management (SFM) in the tropics” it is exciting that new options for this are appearing on the horizon.

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You can find the latest Tropical Forest Update here.