Section II: Background and History of CF Chapter 2: Community Forestry: A general overview

People and forests are interdependent. People depend on forests for their livelihoods because the forest provides a wide range of goods and services. Locally and globally, trees ameliorate climate, protect soil, regulate water, and maintain biological diversity on which future benefits depend. Likewise, the existence and maintenance of forests depend on people, particularly those people who live in and around forests and directly use them for food, medicine, clothing, shelter, and spiritual needs. In many instances, nations have been enormously benefited by forests, and timber still plays an important role in many nations’ economies. However, forests provide many, but not all benefits to all people at all times. Therefore, there are conflicting demands and views about what forests are, and how we should manage them. Indigenous people, conservationists, business entrepreneurs, farmers, politicians and scientists have different views about forests and their management. Clearly, the issue is how to understand this linkage between people and forests so as to balance between improved socio-economic well-being and ecological integrity. One way to realise such interdependency is through CF. In the past, governments assumed forest management responsibility alone. However, for the last three decades, many countries have involved local people to conserve forests and meet local people’s basic forest product needs. This approach to forestry is known as community forestry.