A review of nurseries as conservation or social forestry outreach tools

Abstract

Conservation and social forestry outreach nurseries have been implemented extensively with local stakeholders internationally to achieve a variety of conservation and social forestry objectives. In this paper, key issues affecting the development of these projects are reviewed, starting with a brief overview of the development of people-centred approaches to natural resource management, followed by an examination of the concept of Isustainability', which underpins most of these initiatives. A complex web of inter-related political, socio-economic and environmental factors influence the development of outreach projects, with the transdisciplinary nature of these initiatives posing substantial challenges at both research and implementation levels. A model is presented to facilitate the assessment of projects and the assumptions on which they are based. Management approaches, such as adaptive management, participatory methodologies and asset-based approaches are also discussed, as are group processes, which are seen to be a hitherto neglected but critical part of project development. Although not all outreach nurseries aim to become commercially viable, many do, increasing challenges in implementation as a project must generate sufficient income in the long term to ensure its survival and to distribute satisfactory benefits to participants. The business attributes of outreach nurseries are compared with commercial sector enterprises.