| Abstract | The forest situation in China has being deteriorated due to the unsuitable
conditions and unsustainable strategies and management methodologies, and the
conflicts between forest management/conservation authorities and local government
especially local communities on forests management is getting more serious. The
National Logging Ban, which issued in 1998 to stop natural forests logging in whole
China for ecosystem conservation and soil erosion control has stimulated those
conflicts actually, the local communities particularly, under the following of
conventional approaches (top-down) on forest management.
'Community Forestry' has been introduced in China for more than ten years, and
demonstrated in some pilot counties in Yunnan, Sichuan and Guizhou provinces. The
Forest Departments of the provincial governments have partly accepted these ideas
and methodology, and the 'participatory approaches' such as participatory Assessing,
Planning, Implementation and Monitoring as well as Evaluating have been applied in
some forestry projects by the departments, for example, the reforestation projects. But
all of those projects were based on the cooperation with some international
organizations, including WB, GTZ and WWF.
Actually, the local communities in China still have their own 'participatory
approaches' on forest management by these indigenous technology knowledge (ITK)
at community level. In Western Sichuan, there are many natural forest areas varying
condition and management regimes, some experiments have been carried to involve
local farmers more active in the management of these forest areas and increase local
benefits from the process through their own ITK and customary rules. This implicates
that local community could manage the local forest or community forest by using
local rules/customary rules and local ITK for sustainable development and
conservation of forest resources.
A patiicipatory action research has been conducted in Daocai village, Mao
County, Sichuan province, China, and the main purpose of the study is to facilitate the
community-based natural forest management and learn some things in the process,
including key issues, ideas, methodologies and skills on natural forest management.
Daocai village is one of the common mountain village in the western Sichuan with the
similar characteristics such as poor but with rich natural resources especially the
natural forest. In this participatory action research in Daocai, the main problems and
key issues on community forest management in Daocai has been identified by
involving local community, local governmental staff and researcher. The new strategy
and plan for better management of community forest (natural forest) have been
developed in the process as well as confirmed by local villagers as the final decisionmaker. Since the limitation of thesis study and the requirement of local community,
the new village rules for better management of community forest was developed,
approved and has been implemented, but the election of local forest guards was
delayed until June when the collection of pine mushroom will start up, as well as the
forming of Forest Management Group (FMG). The evaluation and observation on
implementation of new village rules has shown that the situation of community forest
is getting better because nobody disobey to the new village rules, and all the
collection of fuel wood, leaves litter have been forbidden.
Ill
The study in Daocai village has shown that the community has very high interest
on forest management and capable of managing the forest as the main body under the
certain situation, such as the elected local forest guards, improved village rules, active
participation of community members, appropriate local capacity and organization,
transparency and communication among key stakeholders in the process, and
consensus and agreement on new strategy and plan. The capacity building at local
level and facilitation support from outsiders should be necessary for community-based
forest management. The experience in Daocai village has indicated that the
involvement of outsiders in the process of community-based forest management could
play multi-roles such as the facilitator, negotiator and mediator as well as learner.
Some of relationship among local villagers could be promoted by facilitation services.
The suggestion of managing the community forest as the village forest enterprise
and allocating the benefit or economic outcome of the community forest to all
community members as the community welfare by formed/improved special local
organization and appropriate village rules might be one of the practical ideas to
community-based forest management in China. It is truth that the community-based
natural forests still need the incentives to the managers.
The case in Daocai village has also proved that forming the new special local
organization is not the unique option on community-based forest management. The
village committee as the governmental organization in the grass root level in China
still could play the key role on community forest management, for example, the
management body of that. But the attitude of village committee especially the village
director to the community-based natural forest management and his or their reputation
in the community is the precondition.
It has been identified in Daocai that the trust between village director and
villagers might be the key chain on promoting community-base forest management or
even the community development, the trust among people in the community is
essential to any attempts especially the participatory approaches. No trust then no
share and negotiation as well as cooperation in any thing in the process.
In general word, the participatory action research in Daocai village has indicated
that the local community capable of managing the community forest for local
development at householders and community levels. Based on the existing
management mechanism on community forest, the local community could be
organized for the better management of community forest though the ITK, the local
practice and some of introduced idea or approaches under the facilitation services.
The community-based forest management is the most attractive potential on natural
forest management in China. The experience in Daocai village is the evidence that the
roles and rights of local community on natural forest conservation/management
should be recognized and promoted. The community-based natural forest could
contribute not only the local development, but also the sustainable conservation of
natural forest in China as well. |