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COMMUNITY-BASED
FORESTRY
| The
aim of community-based forestry is
to empower those who work, live and
recreate in the woods to organize
and strive towards a common set of
goals. |
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Healthy forests and watersheds, which are the
two basic building blocks for healthy ecosystems,
provide immeasurable value to surrounding communities
and to society at large. They are the best source
for clean water, clean air, effective flood control,
increased biological diversity and recreation.
These healthy ecosystems provided the resource
base for many rural and semi-rural communities,
guaranteeing jobs, culture and community identity.
Over the past century, corporate interests have,
in many areas, taken more of the resources than
the ecosystem could afford to give. To mitigate,
federal agencies implemented new laws and special
interest groups resorted to expensive and time-consuming
litigation. At times, the methods were successful,
but the people most affected by these actions
– those who live and work in the area --
became disenfranchised.
This lack of meaningful involvement, coupled with
changing rural demographics, unemployment and
ecological degradation, forced rural communities
to organize and partner with management agencies,
community interest groups, business owners, scientists
and groups like the National Forest Foundation.
Their task: to establish a common set of goals
aimed at ensuring that ecosystem and resource
management is ecologically, economically and socially
sound. This new partnership approach is called
community-based forestry.
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Interdependent Relationships >> |
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