Education for sustainability in the context of community forestry

Abstract

Community forestry in Portugal is emerging as a promising form of multifunctional forestry that combines scientific and technical knowledge with the participation of the local residents in decision-making. These forests are governed by collective property arrangements (baldios) based on millenarian traditional usufruct rights of a local community of commoners (compartes). Participation is open to all the new residents regardless of their gender, activity or status. However, during the 20th century the connection between the commoners and the commons was severely disrupted by the Forest Services by compulsory afforesting the lands with tree species unknown to the local populations and provoking the decline of collective agro-pastoral practices, which was most severe close to urban areas. We describe our experience with a community of compartes that recently gained back control of its common lands and initiated a project to revitalize a degraded forest in the mountains after four decades of co-management with the State. We also detail the specificities and challenges that in the context of community forestry are crucial for the residents to authentically construct and take part in a commons land narrative, and the educational activities we have jointly developed to activate meaningful engagement in collective practices, intergenerational responsibility and active citizenship.