Community Forestry

Strategies for Landscape-Scale Restoration in the Tropics

About

This publication summarizes the proceedings from the 2012 Conference of the International Society of Tropical Foresters, Yale Student Chapter, which took place on January 26-28,2012 at Yale University in New Haven, CT.

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Towards Productive Landscapes

Background

Increasingly, practitioners, scientists, and policymakers are recognizing the need to puruse integrated landscape level initiatives to address restoration issues. Given this, this report draws on 29 papers by practitioners all over the world that highlight both the successes and challenges of landscape approaches in order to inform the future of these practices.

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Globalization and Forest Resurgence: Changes in Forest Cover in El Salvador

Background

The authors study certain globalization impacts in land-use change in El Salvador. The legacy of war, remittances and international migration are among other factors that have allowed tree resurgence even in highly urban populated areas.  This study tracks the different trajectories of forest recovery by analysing remote-sensing satellite images from 1970's to the early 2000's.

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L’abattage sélectif: une pratique agricole ancestrale au service de la régénération forestière (Selective clearing: Forest regeneration through an ancestral agricultural practice)

The author describes selective clearing of forests in crop fields. She notes the benefits of selective clearing such as increased speed of forest regeneration. Finally, the author contrasts the traditional agricultural practices of the Ntumu people to more destructive and widespread methods.

 

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La gestion inclusive des forêts d’Afrique centrale: passer de la participation au partage des pouvoirs (Inclusive management of Central African forests: from participation to power sharing)

The authors identify several gaps observed in forest management in the field in Central Africa. They call for increased inclusion in management to meet the needs of local communities.

 

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Crise de l’économie de plantation et modification du paysage agraire dans l’ancienne boucle du cacao: l’exemple de Daoukro (Economic Crisis of Plantation and Landscape Modification in the Former Cocoa Belt: The Example of Daoukro)

background

This article explores the history of agrarian transition in the Ivory Coast's former cacao belt. 

Conclusions & Takeaways

The shift away from cacao production to commodities like rubber, rice, cashews and oil palm results in changes in labor conditions and social relations. 

 

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Crise cacaoyère et stratégies des producteurs de la sous-préfecture de Meadji au Sud-Ouest ivoirien (Cacao Crisis and Strategies for Producers in the Southwestern Sous-Préfecture of Meadji)

background

This masters thesis describes the economic crisis of cacao in the 1970s and how farmers have responded to these changes. 

Conclusions & Takeaways

The author argues that cacao farming strategies that take into account social relationships prove most efficient and argues for diversification of revenue sources as a type of safety net for producers in the face of future economic crises. 

 

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Understanding the Interaction of Rural People with Ecosystems: A Case Study in a Tropical Dry Forest of Mexico

Background

This paper reports on the effort to understand the relationship between the rural communities and the often-studied tropical dry forest. While many papers from scientists have focused on the biology and ecology of the Chamela-Cuixmala region, relatively few have considered human element to their work.

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Régénération naturelle assistée des forêts villageoises et promotion d’activités génératrices de revenus au profit des populations rurales au Burkina Faso

The authors describe the mission of the nongovernmental organization NewTree, which seeks to support rural populations in their fight against desertification and poverty. They discuss assisted natural regeneration in Burkina Faso in particular, as a means of generating sustainable revenue and state that the program has successfully preserved 225 hectares of land while generating income for rural communities.

 

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La participation communautaire au cœur du modèle de restauration de la Grande muraille verte africaine (Community participation at the heart of the model for restoration of the Great Green Wall)

The authors describe the African initiative of the Great Green Wall for the Sahara and the Sahel, which is currently in process. Thay note that the initiative is gainaing visibility and includes 110 participating villages. The article concludes by calling for support for these types of initiaties.

 

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