Maintaining forest cover is an important natural climate solution, but new research shows that too often, communities lose out when local forest management is formalised.
Maintaining forest cover is an important natural climate solution, but new research shows that too often, communities lose out when local forest management is formalised.
The new study published today in Nature Sustainability, led by Dr Johan Oldepkop at The University of Manchester and Reem Hajjar at Oregon State University, is based on 643 case studies of community forest management (CFM) in 51 different countries, from 267 peer-reviewed studies.
It provides the most comprehensive global analysis of CFM to date and shows that whilst CFM policies often have positive environmental and economic impacts, CFM often results in weakened rights and less access to forests for local populations.
Around the world, 1.6 billion people live within 5km (3 miles) forest, with 71% located in low or middle income countries.
Read more at University of Manchester
Image: Forest management 1 (Credit: The University of Manchester)
