(P.S. V) Who Benefits? Inclusive governance and equitable benefit sharing in community forestry
Channel: Land Portal
Date: 2021-06-23

Learn more: https://landportal.org/event/2021/04/landac-conference-2021

Strengthening the rights of indigenous peoples and local communities (IPLCs) to forest land, for example through community forestry models, has the potential to contribute to sustainable livelihoods, forest conservation and social justice.

Tropenbos International and partners have analysed community forestry models in ten countries, looking at the outcomes and the conditions and barriers. In all countries, the internal governance within communities came up as a challenge; decision-making processes within IPLCs are not always
inclusive and (financial) benefits of collectively managed forests may end up in the hand of local elites. Therefore, CSOs often work to support communities in strengthening their internal governance processes, but this brings forward the question:

• How to ensure fair benefit sharing within the community in the context of community forestry?
• What is the role and importance of individual benefits in model that is based on collective forest rights?
• Who decides what is fair?
• What is the (potential) role of customary governance institutions, governments and CSOs in ensuring fair benefit-sharing?