Year of publication 2012

At its 16th and 17th sessions in 2008 and 2010 respectively, the African Forestry and Wildlife Commission deliberated on the issue of viable community involvement in forest and wildlife management and called upon its members and the international community to implement policies and actions to achieve this. This publication is yet again one of FAO's attempts at providing such support to the continent. It proposes key institutional, policy and legislative measures that need to be put in place for the sustainable engagement of local communities in forest management and development. Furthermore, the document emphasizes the need for collective vision, equitable benefit sharing and value development of - and market access for - products, in order to make community forestry attractive to both governments and target communities. This document is intended for use by policy-makers and forestry practitioners in sub-Saharan Africa.