Bridging the gap: communities, forests and international networks

Abstract

This Synthesis Report compiles lessons learned on community forestry networks over the past 25. It examines advocacy effectiveness, communication techniques, network governance, relations with donors and linkage to social movements.The report concludes that:the framework for forestry discussions has increasingly over the past 25 years come to recognise the importance of rights, local control, customary institutions, and traditional knowledge. Forestry is today viewed as only one of many elements in local livelihoodswhile the focus of advocacy on community forestry is shifting from technical innovations and local management considerations towards legal, political, and market transformations, it is important that local needs and particularities, and community realities are not overlooked the increasing linkage and management of networks to and by community-based organisations is encouraging, but requires support from other networks which can offer assistance when needed while still allowing new initiatives to take their own coursealready established networks should act as supporters to community organisations, rather than practitioners, conflict managers, representatives, or forest managerswhile not enough has been done to insert international policy gains into the national reform platforms, global networking and advocacy have resulted in increased global acceptance of community forestry and opened up space to local communities to reassert their rights, revalidate their institutions and customs, and adapt to changing conditionsdespite their important role, consensus building networks and actors from communities, NGOs, and governments need to recognise the limitations and distinguish themselves from locally driven networks that are run by community representativesnetworks needs to accept the inherent tension between maintaining informality and flexibility and adopting structures and decision-making processes that ensure transparency and accountabilitymaintaining trust and links with and between communities requires time and resource investments. Networks also need to choose their communication strategies carefully to ensure that they reach their intended audiencenetworks need to further develop their communication using national and regional focal points, complemented by linkages to national and local actorsmore long-term support is needed from donors to social movements, community forestry to encourage accountability, good processes, and inclusive sharing and decision making without imposing goals, targets and structures. Participatory monitoring and evaluation is also beneficialcommunity forestry networks and social movements must engage in participatory processes carefully to ensure that the rural poor are not excluded.