Forests for People

'An important, ambitious and timely contribution to scholarship on local forest management. Forests for People presents a rich analysis of the opportunities and obstacles that communities face when their rights to manage forests are formally recognized. Most striking is the effort at synthesis across a number of key themes, drawing on the experience of scholars from around the globe who participated in the cases study research. I highly recommend it to any policymaker, practitioner or researcher interested in communities and forests.' Elinor Ostrom, Indiana University, joint winner of the Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences, 2009 'This volume does a superb job of synthesizing the lessons learned. Rather than presenting a series of country case studies as is often the case in comparative volumes spanning three continents, the chapters are organized according to cross-cutting themes. Each chapter draws upon the findings for a range of countries, sometimes in all three regions, and includes an extensive literature review.' Carmen Diana Deere, Professor of Food and Resource Economics and Latin American Studies, University of Florida, USA 'Tenure and access will be amongst the biggest challenges if the large investments soon to be made in forests for climate change mitigation and adaptation are to be effective and equitable. This new book provides a unique synthesis of current thinking on forest tenure issues and will be essential reading for those involved in forest policy reforms.' Jeffrey Sayer, IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) 'This is an outstanding contribution to research and action on community forestry. In a period when a new global forest regime seems upon us, it presents a cogent, evidence-backed argument in favor of tenure and rights to forest-dependent communities.' Arun Agrawal, University of Michigan, USA Forests for People provides 'considerable insight into the diversity of customary rights, the many ways in which governments manipulate title to land and resources, the politics of empowerment, etc.' David Walton, Bulletin of the British Ecological Society Forests for People' is a choice and solidly recommended pick for anyone intrigued by the forest debate.' Wisconsin Bookwatch, Midwestern Book Review, July 2010. 'essential reading for those invovled in forest policy reform, who wish to learn from recent experiences around the world.' New Agriculturist, May 2010. 'Well researched and written book...the book will form key reference material for anyone working with policy and user-groups in forests or woodlands anywhere in the southern hemisphere.' Isla Grundy, Southern Forests, May 2010. 'Provides a clear synopsis of recent efforts to change forest tenure...Important related issues are well integrated' B.D.Orr, Choice Magazine, October 2010. 'Forests for people is a scholarly and succinct analysis of forest tenure reform based on evidence from around the world. As such it is an important resource for those working in forest policy reform, both planners and practitioners.' Unasylva