Towards wellbeing in forest communities: a source book for local government

Abstract

This book was written for local governments and their partners who want to be more responsive to local poverty. We first discuss important concepts, such as decentralization, wellbeing, poverty and the link between forests and poverty. We address the multiple dimensions of wellbeing, from income to health, social conflict, environment and happiness. We then present four participatory tools that local governments may find useful to involve forest communities in the planning, monitoring and evaluation of local programs: 1. Monitoring local poverty contexts through interactive mapping, 2. Monitoring household wellbeing through local indicators, 3. Community evaluation of local government programs, 4. Communicating communities’ needs through scenario-based planning