Our Forest, Your Ecosystem, Their Timber

This book successfully combines original research contributions with an excellent compilation, evaluation, and discussion of the available literature. Nicholas K. Menzies has extensive knowledge of the subject and gives great historical depth to his discussion. -- Christine Padoch, Matthew Calbraith Perry Curator of Economic Botany, Institute of Economic Botany Nicholas K. Menzies has assembled a vast amount of material in this book, which will appeal to anyone working in the field of community forestry. Menzies's analysis makes clear that communities seeking to reassert control over forests have many steep hills to climb; nevertheless, he provides a sufficient number of success stories to leave the reader with a sense of hope for the future. -- Frances Seymour, director general, Center for International Forestry Research Nick Menzies is one of those rare scholars who bridges the applied/academic divide. Our Forest, Your Ecosystem, Their Timber is largely based on his experience as a Ford Foundation program officer in Beijing and Nairobi, when he was funding programs in community based natural resource management. Additionally, the book draws on the academic literature from political ecology that interrogates the meanings of community, 'natural' resources, property rights, and sustainability. These rich and sophisticated casestudies explore how and why outside-sponsored CBNRM hardly ever works out as planned, and the ways in which planners and community activists need to think differently about both communities and resources. The book is a tremendous contribution to scholars and activists alike, and will be a 'must read' in courses on natural resources management at graduate and undergraduate levels in environmental studies, geography, anthropology, and political science. -- Janet Sturgeon, Simon Fraser University Our Forest, Your Ecosystem, Their Timber successfully highlights the many challenges and complexities of community-based natural resource management from around the world. This book is very well researched and the case studies are textured, rich in detail, and remarkably diverse. Beyond his sound analysis and practical recommendations, one senses Menzies' deep commitment to the people and communities he is writing about. -- J. Gabriel Lopez, director of global strategies, The World Conservation Union

Community-based forest management (CBFM) is a model of forest management in which a community takes part in decision making. This volume looks at communities in China, Zanzibar, Brazil, and India where, despite differences in landscape, common challenges and themes arise in making a transition from forest management by government agencies to CBFM.Community-based forest management (CBFM) is a model of forest management in which a community takes part in decision making and implementation, and monitoring of activities affecting the natural resources around them. CBFM provides a framework for a community members to secure access to the products and services that flow from the landscape in which they live and has become an essential component of any comprehensive approach to forest management. In this volume, Nicholas K. Menzies looks at communities in China, Zanzibar, Brazil, and India where, despite differences in landscape, climate, politics, and culture, common challenges and themes arise in making a transition from forest management by government agencies to CBFM. The stories of these four distinct places highlight the difficulties communities face when trying to manage their forests and negotiate partnerships with others interested in forest management, such as the commercial forest sector or conservation and environmental organizations. These issues are then considered against a growing body of research concerning what constitutes successful CBFM. Drawing on published and unpublished case studies, project reports, and his own rich experience, Menzies analyzes how CBFM fits into the broader picture of the management of natural resources, highlighting the conditions that bring about effective practices and the most just and equitable stewardship of resources. A critical companion for students, researchers, and practitioners, Our Forest, Your Ecosystem, Their Timber provides a singular resource on the emergence and evolution of CBFM.