• Community-managed forests are forests managed by local communities. Their goal is to support the livelihood of these communities while also preserving biodiversity.

Participants at the Training of Trainers (ToT) workshop work with community members to clear the underbrush to create fire breaks in the nearby forest in Namyonemai village, Bokeo Province, Lao PDR. Photo by RECOFTC

• Between 2018 and 2019, the area of community-managed forests in key countries grew by 50%. This involved around 7.3 million households and helped achieve various global goals or Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). 

  • The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), or Global Goals, were established by the United Nations in 2015 as a worldwide initiative to eradicate poverty, safeguard the environment, and guarantee that by 2030 everyone can live in peace and prosperity.

    • SDG 1: No poverty 

    • SDG 2: Zero Hunger

    • SDG 13: Climate Action 

    • SDG 16: Peace, justice, and strong institutions

The 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Source: National Geographic Society

• In the Asia-Pacific region, community-managed forests nearly doubled from 2010 to 2020 and are expected to increase to about 30 million hectares by 2030, highlighting more local and indigenous management

Community forest in Indonesia. Source: RECOFTC

• Many countries are falling behind their community forest management goals, achieving less than 50% in some cases. Challenges include:
  • Traditional top-down forest management methods.
    • There are two ways to manage forestry programs: the top-down approach and the bottom-up approach. In the top-down approach, information only goes one way, from the expert to the people, showing that the expert is in charge. 
  • Lack of training for forestry workers to work with communities, focusing mainly on technical forest issues rather than social ones.
  • Slow transfer of forest land to local communities.
  • Governments often give degraded land to communities, requiring much effort to restore.
  • Complicated and bureaucratic legal processes for allocating forest land.
    • Bureaucracy is known for having overly complicated administrative procedures.
  • Poor local communities lack resources and skills to manage forests effectively.
  • Uncertainty about the economic benefits of community forestry and its ability to lift communities out of poverty.
• Opportunities to improve community forestry include economic development, regional cooperation, private sector involvement, gender equity, social inclusion, sustainable resource use, technology, and supportive government policies.

Community forest in Cambodia. Source: RECOFTC