Over the past two decades there has been a proliferation of non-governmental organizations (NGOs), with a focus on or concern for the management of natural resources, in general, and of forests and trees in particular. The relationship between these NGOs and the actors traditionally involved in forest conservation and management -government forestry agencies, forestry schools, forest industries (both public and private) and international assistance agencies - is complex and often difficult.
Perhaps the most evident characteristic of NGOs is their diversity: they vary widely in location (North or South, urban or rural); area of impact (local, national, international); the individuals to whom they are ultimately accountable; the issues they consider to be priorities; and the actions that they take or advocate taking in addressing these issues. This diversity complicates the relationship between NGOs and the traditional actors in the forestry sector, since generalized perspectives or approaches are virtually impossible. The situation is further aggravated by the fact that many NGOs openly question the basic assumptions and approaches that have characterized forest conservation and management efforts. No one likes to have their long-held assumptions and doctrines challenged and, consequently, relations between governments and NGOs have often been tense. The tension is heightened in the case of NGOs that work to political as well as technical agendas which may contrast with official government positions.
Nonetheless, the successes registered by NGOs in heightening popular sensitivity, and hence political attention, to the need for sustainable management and use of forest resources (primarily in industrialized countries) and in helping to ensure that forestry development activities consider and support the immediate needs and priorities of the local people (primarily in developing countries) are leading progressive natural resource planners to focus more closely on the potential for collaborating with NGOs in the decision-making process.
This issue of Unasylva draws on examples of NGO involvement in forest management from all regions in an attempt to give forest decision-makers a fuller understanding of the challenges and opportunities involved in developing partnerships with NGOs for sustainable forest management.
In the lead article, F.F. Korten analyses the increasingly important role of NGOs in the shaping of forestry policies and programmes. The article provides valuable perspectives on the contributions that have brought NGOs into forestry policy discussions and on the challenges to maintaining or increasing their role in the future.
Based on a workshop that brought together representatives of 13 local forestry organizations from six countries (Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica), M. Morell examines the factors that have led to the development of forestry-related local people's organizations in Latin America as well as the strategies that have allowed these organizations to produce good results and the principal requirements for further success. It is noteworthy that, although income-generation was the primary motive behind the creation of the organizations considered in the article, the activities undertaken also contributed to the conservation and sustainable management of forest resources. In an article on India's improved cookstove programme, M. Maniates considers the challenges of collaboration between government and NGOs in the management of renewable natural resources.
The Tropical Forests Action Programme (TFAP) was one of the first international initiatives to endorse the participation of NGOs and officially recognize their potential contribution to the conservation and sustainable development of forest resources. B. Cabarle examines the theory and the practice of NGO decision-making in TFAP participating countries. In a provocative companion piece, A. Inglis suggests that increased NGO participation in TFAP donor countries would also provide significant benefits. In an article that draws heavily on discussions and case-studies prepared during the project, Women's participation in forestry activities in Africa, P.J. Williams focuses on the relationship between women, NGOs and forestry activities in Africa.
H. Tacio describes the development of an agroforestry system, designed by a religiously oriented grassroots NGO in the Philippines, for use by small-scale farmers on sloping lands. Of particular significance is the process by which the technology was disseminated to an ever-widening group of potential users in several countries. Finally, in an article based on an ongoing research project sponsored by the USDA Forest Service's International Forestry branch, T.R. Ramanathan discusses the need for, and process of, institutional strengthening among local NGOs involved in environmental and natural resource management.
Unasylva does not suggest that NGO involvement represents "the solution" to the challenges facing forestry. In natural resource conservation, management and development there are no easy answers, no panaceas. But in a world that is visibly and rapidly embracing more democratic political and social systems, the perspectives and potential contributions of these organizations merit full consideration by natural resource management decision-makers at both national and international levels.
