Who determines biodiversity? An analysis of actors' power and interests in community forestry in Namibia

BACKGROUND

Community Forestry programs have been introduced in many parts of the world since the 1970's. These, aim to improve livelihoods and natural resources management in those regions. However, implementation of these programs has faced power devolution challenges due to the presence of powerful actors. This questions if the projects deliver what they promise.

RESEARCH GOALS AND METHODS

To assess the influence of different powers and actors in Namibia's community forestry programs, a research is conducted focuses on 14 community forests, 7 at an advanced stage and the other 7 projects at the establishment stage. Experts are consulted and the selection criteria includes the development status of the forest. A sequence of quantitative and qualitative surveys are done.

CONCLUSIONS AND TAKEAWAYS

The authors state that Community Forestry brings positive results in communities, although not as generally assumed. Power theorizes are important factors to be considered, i.e., powerful actors such as the Main Establishment actors and the Traditional Authorities tend to determine which resources are conserved. Data obtained from this study will contribute to the international research on the effectiveness of community forestry projects across the globe.