Community forestry in developed and developing countries: a comparative study

Abstract

Concerns about the ecological and economic sustainability of industrial forestry led to the revival of community forestry (CF) in the developing countries. Recently, developed countries are also examining the feasibility of CF as a land management alternative for the similar reasons. This paper compares the opportunities and challenges of CF in the developing and developed countries. Particular emphasis is placed on the goals and objectives, participants and beneficiaries, land tenure, size and management, ecology and economics of CF. In the developing countries CF is generally small, labour intensive and geared to meeting the basic needs of the community people. By contrast, CF in the developed countries is large, capital intensive and market oriented. Notwithstanding the differences, CF provides an opportunity for ecosystem management to maintain community stability and ecological integrity in both developing and developed countries. -from Authors