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ment of the nation’s forests. Local communities had limited rights to
access and utilize forest resources, resulting in disengagement from
forest protection, widespread forest fires, illegal logging and forest
clearances for agriculture and settlement.
Realizing that this approach would defeat efforts to achieve wider
forest protection, the 1995 policy aimed to achieve forest manage-
ment that is both sustainable and socially equitable by recognizing
the rights of local communities to access forest lands and benefit
from managing their own resources. In this way, the rural popula-
tion played a key role in local development and poverty reduction
while decreasing forest degradation through public involvement in
fire prevention and forest protection. Further specific policy goals
include maintaining forest cover of at least 30 per cent of total land
area and ensuring that 75 per cent of this forest is managed and
protected by communities. The policy used a phased introduction,
allowing forest users and the Government time to adapt and build a
sense of ownership of forest resources amongst local communities. If
communities can demonstrate their ability to effectively manage the
forest and protect it from fires and illegal exploitation for a period
of up to three years, final and permanent ownership is legally trans-
ferred to them. More than 350 villages countrywide now participate
in community forestry, owning over 29,000 hectares of land and
managing 12 per cent of the country’s forests.
Despite being one of the world’s poorest countries with a rapidly
growing population, The Gambia has managed to achieve a net forest
cover increase of 8.5 per cent over the last two decades. Both illegal
logging and forest fires have been reduced in commu-
nity-managed areas and new markets for forest products
have developed. This generates income – especially for
women – and develops organizational capacity as well
as market skills and understanding.
The importance of community involvement
“It is essential for communities to be engaged in the
design and implementation of rules governing their
own resources and the ecosystems upon which they
depend for survival. By placing the rural population
at the centre of sustainably developing and caring for
the forest, The Gambia’s innovative laws and policies
address poverty and forest renewal in an integrated
way,” says Marie Claire Cordonier Segger, Director,
Center for Sustainable Development Law and World
Future Councillor.
Community forest management can prove advanta-
geous for social justice and equality. Public engagement
in planning and implementation leads to local and
decentralized decision-making and promotes self-
governance. The rights of local communities are
strengthened and the attendant gains of poverty
reduction, women’s empowerment and public decision-
making can spill over into other spheres of society and
contribute to development.
Rwanda’s National Forest Policy encourages the development of agroforestry and sustainable forest management
Image: UNEP REMA