Government administered:
This category includes all forest land that is legally claimed as belonging to the state.

Designated for Indigenous Peoples (IPs) and local communities:
In this category, governments still claim ownership of forest land, but recognize certain rights on a limited basis for Indigenous Peoples and local communities. In this case, forest communities have some ability to control how their forests are managed, and who is allowed to enter the forest and use its resources, but they still lack full legal title to their land.

Owned by Indigenous Peoples (IPs) and local communities:
Forests are “owned” where communities have full legal rights to their forest land. Ownership gives communities the legal right to exclude outsiders, the right to due process and compensation if the government takes away some or all of their land rights, and the right to own their land for an unlimited time.

Owned by individuals and firms:
In these areas, individuals and firms have full legal rights of ownership to forest land.

For detailed definitions of these categories, please refer to What Future for Reform? Progress and Slowdown in Forest Tenure Reform Since 2002.