Revised Guidelines For Implementing Collaborative Forest Management In Uganda
Popular Version
October 2023
This is the popular version of the national guidelines for implementing CFM in Uganda. Since the launch of the CFM guidelines, 2003, a lot has happened including numerous changes in the institutional, policy and legal frameworks. During this period, the Climate Change Policy (2012), Climate Change Act (2021), Vision 2040 and the third National Development Plan (NDPIII), and standards such as the national forest stewardship standards, Clean Development Mechanisms, the Voluntary Carbon Standards were put in place. In addition, there have been emerging issues related to development, environment and natural resources management at local, national and global levels. There was therefore need to revise and align the CFM guidelines to respond to these developments.
Furthermore, we have learnt numerous lessons over the two decades of CFM implementation in Uganda. Some of the lessons include the need to put in place functional institutional arrangements at various levels, ensuring effective stakeholder participation and inclusivity, equitable benefit sharing to improve CFM implementation in order to promote sustainable management of forest resources.
The review and development of the guideline followed a countrywide stakeholder consultation, review of relevant literature and benchmarking related natural resource co-management in other countries in Africa and beyond. The review was led by a team of experienced consultants and coordinated by a national level taskforce comprising of officials from the Ministry of Water and Environment, National Forestry Authority, Local Governments and civil society.
The popular version of the revised CFM guideline comprises of a summary of guiding principles and processes to assist stakeholders in the forestry sector in Uganda to promote participatory approaches for the sustainable management and conservation of forest resources on government and private lands with ease.
It is therefore my considered opinion that the operationalization of these guidelines will contribute to improved livelihoods of the people and the economy of Uganda.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone, who has contributed towards the preparation and production of this guideline.
This popular version of the revised guidelines for implementing Collaborative Forest Management (CFM) in Uganda has been spearheaded by the Ministry of Water and Environment in collaboration with the National Forestry Authority (NFA) with support from the Forest Sector Support Program of the United States Forest Services (USFS). The version is mainly targeting the local communities and other stakeholders who will be involved in or have an interest in the CFM processes.
Many thanks go to members of the national task force – Bob Kazungu (Chairperson), Christine A. Mugenyi (secretariat), Valence Arineitwe, Pauline N Kalunda, Owinyi Robert, William Mujuni, Martin Mwodi Kegere and Harold Turinawe who provided invaluable technical support and guidance.
Andrew Williams of United States Forest Services (USFS) and Ms. Fiona Driciru (CFM specialist and Independent Resource Person) are highly appreciated for their technical input and guidance.
This document would not have been finalized without the input from NFA field staff, members of CFM groups, Traditional/cultural Leaders (Bunyoro Kitara Kingdom, Buganda Kingdom and Iteso Cultural Union) and Academic institutions (Makerere University and Nyabyeya Forestry College). Officials and other representatives from Wetlands department (headquarters), Uganda Wildlife Authority (headquarters), FSSD (headquarters), District Local Governments, Civil Society (WWF, JGI, IUCN, WCS, ACODE, Nature Uganda, Tree Talk, ECOTRUST), Private sector (UTGA), Private Forest Owners (Bitamazire, Abakwonga Clan, Munteme Technical) were also consulted. The consultations were conducted in Mukono, Buikwe, Kyotera, Yumbe, Rubirizi, Kisoro, Soroti, Tororo, Lamwo, Arua, Masaka, Rubanda, Masindi, Hoima, Kyenjojo and Mpigi districts.
Special appreciation also goes to the consultants namely Deziderius Irumba, Robert A. Esimu, Adrine Kirabo, Steve Nsita, Edith Kabesiime, Okech Moses and Segawa Stephen who were instrumental in ensuring that the review process succeeded.
CBO Community Based Organization
CDO Community Development Officer
CFR Central Forest Reserve
CFM Collaborative Forest Management
CSO Civil Society Organization
DFO District Forestry Officer
DLG District Local Government
FSSD Forest Sector Support Department
LFR Local Forest Reserve
NFA National Forestry Authority
NFTPA National Forestry and Tree Planting Act, 2003
M&E Monitoring and Evaluation
MoU Memorandum of Understanding
MWE Ministry of Water and Environment
PSA Participatory Situation Analysis
SACCO Savings and Credit Cooperative Organization
VSLA Village Saving and Loan Association
Collaborative Forest Management: is a formal arrangement between a local forest-adjacent community or forest user group and a forest management institution or a private forest owner, which enables the community or forest user group to co-manage part of or the whole forest reserve / private forest. A community or forest user group agrees with the forest management institution / owner to take on certain roles and responsibilities – such as carrying out forest patrols, fighting fire outbreaks and potentially carrying out forest restoration activities. In return, the community or forest user group may be given certain use rights in the forest – such as the right to collect firewood and medicinal plants, to plant one or more woodlots for subsequent harvesting, and/or the right to place their own beehives in the forest among others
Collaborative Forest Management tips
• CFM does not surrender ownership of the forest to partner stakeholders.
• CFM is a forest management approach, and it is not a stand-alone forest project.
• CFM should be sufficiently provided for within the budget for forest management.
The aim of the guidelines is to help anyone interested on how collaborative forest management can be developed between a community or forest user group and the manager/owner of a forest in order to improve forest management and local community livelihoods.
The guidelines are applicable in forests on both government and private land: Generally, forest reserves on government land are either central forest reserves managed under central government or local forest reserves managed by district local government authorities. Forests on private land are known as private forests: it is recommended that these forests be registered with government.
It is likely that CFM will involve many activities both in a designated part(s) of a forest reserve or (registered) private forest as well as on community farmland adjacent to the forest which will be implemented and supported by households, forestry staff, local government (LG) officials, and civil society. These activities aim to improve both the management of forests and the wellbeing of the local community.
The participation of the Local communities in forest management is supported by Uganda’s legal framework, international environmental agreements, conventions and protocols as listed below.
Ugandan laws and policies which enable and support Collaborative Forest Management
• The Constitution of the Republic of Uganda, 1995, as amended,
• The Uganda Forestry Policy, 2001
• The National Forestry and Tree Planting Act (NFTPA), 2003
• The National Forestry and Tree Planting Regulations, 2016
• The Equal Opportunity Act, 2010
• The Uganda Social Protection Policy, 2015.
International environmental agreements, conventions and protocols
• The Convention on Biological Diversity; (CBD,1992)
• United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC, 1994),
• The Cancun Agreement 2010,
• The Paris Agreement 2015
CFM provides a range of benefits to both forest managers/owners and communities in various ways as indicated below.
Communities / forest user groups may benefit from CFM through:
• Accessing firewood, craft materials and medicinal plants.
• Accessing culturally important sites in the forest.
• Establishment of woodlots
• Bee keeping within the forest including training and any other related support.
• Accessing preferential employment and revenue sharing from forest restoration, maintenance, or eco-tourism activities ongoing in the forest reserve.
• Improved micro-climate and soil erosion control
• Sharing revenues generated from ‘ecosystem services’ by the forest.
• Support to community initiatives outside the forest as a result of their conservation efforts.
• Preferential access to support for on-farm activities including livestock rearing, access to improved crop varieties, access to tree seedlings, and participating in village savings and loan associations.
• Knowledge, innovation and skills training as part of both in-forest and on-farm support activities.
The benefits of CFM to forest managers / owners include:
• Safeguarding forest biodiversity and associated benefits for present and future generations.
• Encouraging and facilitating public participation in forest management and conservation.
• Raising public awareness of the diverse benefits of conserving and increasing forest cover.
• Ensuring sustainable supply of forest products and services by maintaining a sufficient forest area and agreeing on conditions for resource access.
• Improves relations and reduces conflicts between forest managers /owners and forest adjacent communities; establishment of conflict redress mechanisms to mitigate conflicts.
• Establishes fair terms for access rights and the distribution of benefits, responsibilities and decision-making in forests.
• Ensures fair distribution of the costs of forest management.
• Respect from the forest adjacent communities for promoting public participation in the management and conservation of a forest and specific culturally important trees and sites.
• Creates a communication channel with the forest adjacent community with respect to forest management activities including reporting and response on illegal activities as well as improvement of community livelihoods.
• Provides an opportunity for achieving corporate social responsibility pledges of supporting disadvantaged communities by sharing benefits accrued from forest areas / reserves.
The main stakeholders in CFM are relevant ministries, departments, agencies, district local governments, CSOs, forest owners, private sector actors, NGOs, academic and research institutions, religious, cultural and traditional institutions; development partners and CFM groups.
The following are principles and/or general rules that are useful when carrying out CFM initiatives:
• CFM involves multiple stakeholders. All stakeholders with an interest in the proper management and utilization of a forest should be identified and encouraged to participate in the CFM process.
• CFM is a process based on learning by doing. Participating in CFM requires one to be patient, take time, build trust and relationships, learn, adapt and be flexible.
• Based on clear benefit sharing arrangements as well as roles and responsibilities. The CFM process should establish clear arrangements by which various benefits accrued from participation in forest management, are accessed / distributed among a range of stakeholders, in a transparent and equitable manner.
• CFM is a process that succeeds when there is genuine commitment, interest, and goodwill among the participants.
Participants should work to develop mutual trust, be sincere and willing to negotiate and share their roles and responsibilities, as well as the benefits and challenges.
• CFM involves active and sustained participation. Ensure that all stakeholders are involved throughout the process with clear roles, responsibilities, and benefits. It is good practice to be aware of, set realistic expectations, and ensure that these are met.
• Community participation must be based on free and prior informed consent (FPIC), without pressure and intimidation with the possession of full and accurate knowledge about the provisions of the agreement and its impact on the community.
• CFM is based on appropriate and impartial representation and responsibilities.
Ensure that stakeholders (including vulnerable groups) are equitably represented with clear and meaningful roles and responsibilities, benefits (including leadership) during the CFM development process – this includes planning, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of CFM.
• CFM requires that participants be aware of and understand the basics of the guiding laws.
All stakeholders should be sufficiently knowledgeable about the policies and laws regarding CFM and their implications. These documents should be made available to all parties whenever possible in the languages they understand and/or explained to them such that they minimally understand the key points.
• CFM involves building capacity for change. CFM participants – especially forestry staff, forest owners, and CFM groups – need to be provided with the necessary knowledge, practices, and skills for the successful and sustained implementation of CFM.
• CFM requires a long-term outlook. The duration of the CFM agreements should be appropriate to the proposed activities in the CFM plan and able to give security, hope and sustained collaboration for all parties in the agreement. It is often the case that CFM agreements will be made for a period of ten years, with the intent to conditionally extend / renew the agreement further. All parties should always respect the agreement.
• CFM involves ensuring information is accessible so that marginalized community members are not left out.
It is important to ensure that information is available in a format and language understandable to all stakeholders including women, youth, and other vulnerable groups. It is also important that the messages and information are consistent and do not lead to confusion or unrealistic expectations.
• CFM requires accountability from everyone involved. Participants must be accountable to each other for their actions or those of their representatives at all times. Corrupt practices will derail the course of CFM, undermine collaboration and threaten its success.
• CFM involves participatory and user-friendly monitoring. Monitoring of CFM activities should involve forestry and LG staff, CFM group members and other stakeholders using simple tools. The findings of the monitoring should be documented and used to improve the implementation of the CFM agreement and plan.
The following best practices will help achieve the successful implementation of CFM:
• Where possible, a neutral CFM facilitator should be identified to guide the CFM process.
• The CFM agreement and management plan should be accompanied with a resourcing strategy with a clear plan to implement the CFM agreement from the date of signing of the agreement
• CFM requires the community to be organized in functional institutions (CBOs) to enable effective engagement for the successful implementation of the CFM process.
• It is important for the key stakeholders, and especially the forest manager / owner and the community / forest user group, to have a clear understanding of the legal context of the CFM Agreement.
• Effective participation of local governments is necessary for the success and sustainability of CFM.
• All affected stakeholders should be informed, and their consent obtained before the CFM process is begun. Within the context of FPIC, any of the key stakeholders should understand that they have the right to withdraw from the process at any time.
• The CFM process should be based on a valid forest management plan before the CFM process is begun.
• The forest reserve or at least the part of it earmarked for the CFM process shall be free of heightened conflicts like encroachment, land ownership claims involving illegal land titles.
• A conflict redress mechanism should be in place during CFM implementation, and all key stakeholders and especially the community / forest user group should know how to engage with it / use it.
Who should apply for CFM?
CFM application is open to a local community living adjacent to the forest or a forest user group or a representative CBO adjacent to a forest reserve or a private forest. The application for CFM and CBO formation and registration can take place simultaneously with the help of the district Community Development Officer, NGO / CSO or local forestry staff if there was no suitable CBO at the time of application. A community-based organization should be fully registered by the time of signing the CFM agreement. A CBO is a requirement for signing the CFM Agreement but not necessarily for applying.
Note that the CBO does not have to only focus on CFM activities but also be involved in other livelihood activities that are not directly related to the forest. This will make CBO stronger and more resilient, with multiple sources of income.
There are four stages to be followed in the CFM process in forest reserves. Each stage has its own objectives to be attained, expected outputs and activities to be carried out, as shown below.
This first stage is the foundation to the CFM process. During this step, the forest manager / owner makes sure that the community / forest user group understands what CFM entails and that they are committed to the process. In addition, other stakeholders such as the local district government, local CSOs / NGOs that are working in the area and interested in supporting the process should be informed and involved in the process.
A key part of starting the CFM process is to identify a sufficiently experienced, capable, and independent ‘process facilitator’ whose role is to facilitate the CFM process from beginning to end, and who is someone everyone can trust and rely upon.
A ‘CFM planning team’ is then formed from stakeholders – usually experienced personnel drawn from the forest management institution, district local government and CSO / NGOs. The planning team should include representation from the local community. The planning team serves as a source of expertise and provides advice and inputs during the CFM planning process.
Objectives
To demostrate interest and commitment by the parties (local community, forest management institution & local government) through the CFM application process.
To create awareness and build capacity of the local community to understand the opportunities in CFM.
To ensure effective multi-stakeholder participation through joint planning and training.
Note that ‘the forest management institution’ means the legal forest manager or owner.
Expected outputs:
1.A CFM application submitted and a response received from the forest management institution.
2.Awareness creation and knowledge building about CFM with stakeholders carried out.
3.Initial/introductory CFM meetings at the district, sub-county, and community level carried out.
4.A CFM planning team formed.
Activities carried out during the initiation stage:
1.The local community expresses their interest to the forest management institution about starting CFM in a particular forest reserve.
OR,
The forest management institution expresses their interest to the local community about starting CFM in a particular forest reserve.
2.The process facilitator is identified and mutually agreed by the forest management institution and community and, the process facilitator in turn agrees to facilitate the CFM process.
3.The process facilitator and the forest management institution conduct initial CFM meetings at district, sub-county and community levels.
4.The process facilitator and the forest management institution conduct community awareness creation and knowledge building training for stakeholders about CFM.
A CFM planning team is selected and agreed by both the forest management institution and the community, with the support of the process facilitator.
Once the community / forest user group have sufficiently understood CFM and have expressed an ongoing commitment to continuing with the planning process, a participatory situation analysis is carried out. A participatory situation analysis (PSA) helps everyone involved in preparing the CFM plan and agreement to understand the socio-economic and environmental conditions of the community. The analysis assesses the state of the forest, how communities are using it and what forest degradation and deforestation threats may exist. This then guides decision making on forest zonation. PSA helps to identify important socio-economic and alternative income-generating activities for the community that could be supported.
The findings of the analysis and report are then presented to the community and other CFM stakeholders such that they better understand the key issues, opportunities, and constraints to be taken into consideration when developing the CFM plan and agreement.
Objectives
To identify the socio-economic, environmental, physical, and institutional conditions of the local forest-adjacent community.
To understand the resource use patterns and values that local communities attach to the forest reserve.
To determine the existing amount (stock) of forest resources and the overall condition of the forest.
To identify the forest users and other interested parties (stakeholders) who can affect or will be affected by the management of the forest.
To identify potential livelihood improvement enterprises and other realistically achievable interventions that can support the welfare of the community.
Outputs
The main outputs for step 2 are:
1.A participatory situation analysis / baseline report which sets out the community’s socio-economic and environmental conditions as well as the status of the forest area identified for collaborative management.
2.All the participants of the CFM process better understand the community’s socio-economic and environmental conditions and the status of the earmarked forest area.
Activities
1.The planning team conducts a participatory out-of-forest socio-economic and environmental assessment in the landscape.
2.The planning team conducts a participatory in-forest assessment.
3.The planning team presents the participatory situation analysis report (socio-economic and in-forest assessment findings) to the forest management institution, district, sub-county and community stakeholders.
Following the development of the participatory situation analysis, and presentation of its findings to the CFM group and participating stakeholders, the next step is to develop the CFM plan and agreement. This process is carried out by a ‘negotiation team’ with the forest management institution and CFM group each selecting their negotiating representatives.
The plan should set out the objectives of the collaborative arrangement between the forest management institution and the CFM group. It should also include information on the forest and the activities that are planned to be undertaken in the forest (area) being allocated to the CFM group to collaboratively manage. This will likely include rules about what can and can’t be done in the forest, and these rules will form part of the agreement. In addition, based on the participatory situation analysis, the plan should set out key information about the community as well as identify income-generating and other socio-economic activities to be included in the CFM plan for support. All of these planning items will likely need to be negotiated and agreed between the forest management institution and the CFM group together with a realistic budget. It is important that as part of the agreement, that a feedback and conflict redress mechanism / arrangement is agreed, so that if the CFM group or community is not happy about something, they know how to raise issue and what the expected steps are for it to be resolved. Finally, a monitoring plan should be developed for all of the activities that have been agreed – so that the performance of both the forest management institution and CFM group as well as other key stakeholders in implementing the CFM plan can be tracked and assessed in the future.
Once the CFM plan and agreement have been agreed, these are then presented to the CFM group, wider community and participating stakeholders for their feedback and inclusion of any corrections or additions as agreed through consensus. After this step, the CFM agreement is ready for signing. The forest management institution may need to review the CFM plan and agreement internally to ensure it meets legal requirements, and if there any changes required, these should be taken back to the community for their consent. Thereafter, the agreement is then signed between the forest management institution and CFM group, usually in the presence of the district local government as well as other participating stakeholders.
Objectives
To define the objectives and key ways for achieving effective management of the forest reserve’s resources.
To reach consensus on the roles, responsibilities and benefits of stakeholders involved in CFM.
To agree on alternative community livelihood options to be implemented.
To identify the existing linkages between CFM and other government programmes.
To agree on the feedback and conflict redress mechanisms among the parties in the CFM agreement.
To agree on the duration of the CFM agreement and plan based on its objectives.
To develop a supporting participatory monitoring plan for the CFM agreement so that its implementation can be tracked and assessed.
Outputs of negotiations and consensus building
1.A CFM agreement and plan, which has been signed by all parties.
2.A report which describes how each of the previous steps was carried out well in the CFM process from step 1 to step 3.
3.A Participatory Monitoring and Evaluation Plan.
Activities
1.Selecting a representative multi-stakeholder negotiation team.
2.Presenting a summary of the PSA findings to the negotiation team to inform the negotiations.
3.Drawing up a participatory negotiation plan and budget with the main parties sharing the costs.
4.Conducting primary negotiations to produce a draft CFM plan, agreement and participatory monitoring and evaluation plan.
5.Conducting a stakeholder meeting, preferably at sub-county or district level, to present the negotiated draft CFM agreement(s) and plan(s) for comments and input.
6.Presenting the CFM agreements and plans to the forest management institution and the applicant community so that all the members are aware of the content.
7.Addressing comments, concerns, gaps/omissions and finalizing the negotiated CFM agreement and plan.
8.Signing the CFM agreement including the CFM and M&E Plans
Implementation of CFM agreement shall commence once it has been signed. The first step is for the members of the CFM planning team or the main parties to agreement to develop the first annual work plan. If possible, it is better to do this during the CFM plan and agreement process, but it can equally be done once the CFM agreement has been signed. Once the work plan has been developed and agreed, it is then important for the parties to start implementing the work plan. The forest management institution’s representative or field staff member to should then regularly visit and work directly with the CFM group as it begins carrying out its activities, especially in the forest. This also provides an ongoing opportunity for building the skills and knowledge of the CFM group. It also means that any arising challenges can be handled in a prompt and effective manner as possible.
Where an NGO is supporting the CFM process, the organisation should work directly with the forest management institution’s representative in providing this support. The forest management institution and any participating stakeholders may also liaise closely with the district local government and other organisations working in the area to help the CFM group secure additional resources and opportunities enabling them to better implement their annual work plan and achieve their objectives. Over time, as the CFM group’s activities develop and expand, the group itself may start to form its own sub-groups focussing on particular activities and projects.
Objectives
To implement the CFM plan and agreement.
To monitor the implementation of CFM activities.
Outputs
1.Annual work plan and budget developed and implemented resulting in improved forest management and enhanced livelihoods.
2.Capacity building of CFM groups and other stakeholders conducted.
3.Linkages with other groups and government programmes within and outside the landscape developed and implemented.
4.Harmony maintained/enhanced amongst parties.
5.Monitoring and evaluation conducted.
6.Records of CFM activities documented, maintained (archived) and shared.
7.Effective communication and coordination mechanisms amongst parties developed and implemented.
Activities for developing an annual work plan and budget.
The forest management institution mobilizes the CFM implementing team (comprising of at least one representative of the forest management institution, one local government staff member and five members of the executive committee of the CFM group) to carry out the following:
1.Identifying and extracting activities from the CFM agreement and plan to include in the annual work plan and budget.
2.Identifying the sources of funding and contributions by the different parties.
3.Fundraising any additional resources required for the implementation of the CFM work plan.
4.Identifying how the plan is to be implemented as per the agreed roles and responsibilities of each party.
5.Conducting the actual implementation of forest management activities (e.g joint forest patrols, resource access activities, access to cultural sites, restoration activities etc).
6.Conducting the actual implementation of alternative livelihood improvement interventions both in-forest and out of forest such as bee keeping, tree planting and selected agricultural enterprises and energy saving technologies.
All parties to the agreement should keep relevant records. Record keeping is useful for tracking members active in group activities and their rewards, including forest patrols, the occurrence of forest illegalities (who, when, what and where), legal use of forest resources (who, when, what and where), allocation of beehives and associated management records, wood lot management records, and group accounts and business transactions etc..
Activities for capacity building
1.Conducting a capacity needs assessment for all the stakeholders involved in CFM.
2.Developing a capacity-building plan.
3.Conducting capacity building in the identified needs areas such as effective forest patrolling, sustainable harvest of forest resources, beekeeping, business development, fundraising, finance management, and conflict management.
Activities for developing and implementing linkages with other CFM groups and government programmes within and outside the landscape.
These activities should be supported and carried out by participating CSO / NGO partners.
1.Forming of CFM networks at forest, landscape and national levels based on common interests.
2.Building the capacity of CFM networks at forest, landscape and national levels.
3.Identifying and linking the groups and networks to opportunities in government and non-government sectors.
4.Supporting the CFM groups to identify local markets for their products as well as preferred private sector partners committed to working with them in a mutually accountable manner.
Activities for maintaining and enhancing harmony amongst parties
1.Establishing dispute / conflict / grievance management committees at CFM group and landscape level.
2.Organizing periodic meetings to identify and support in resolving any conflicts before they escalate.
Activities for participatory monitoring of CFM activities
1.Conducting joint monitoring with the forest management institution and optionally other participating stakeholders.
2.Conducting quarterly joint review / planning meetings on CFM activities by the main parties.
3.Developing and implementing action plans to address issues identified in the reviews.
4.Conducting longer-term periodic participatory reviews focusing on the entire CFM plan and agreement (preferably after every 5 years).
In addition, the forest management institution or community can instigate a review of the agreement at any time, if either party has concerns that it is not operating as desired.
6.Developing agreement addenda, where necessary, as informed by the periodic reviews.
7.Monitoring the status of the CFM groups including their compliance to the CFM agreement terms and conditions.
8.Conducting end line review / evaluation and renewal of the agreement as mutually desired.
Activities for documenting and maintaining CFM records
1.Preparing and sharing regular reports at different levels including the district local government. These reports should not be onerous, but serve to provide summary updates on progress, challenges encountered, as well as specific requests for support in addressing the identified challenges and building on success.
2.Maintaining proper records (hard- / soft-electronic files) on CFM activities at community and various levels of forest management.
3.Developing a straightforward communication and coordination plan e.g. which sets out the number and frequency of meetings, channels of communication (radio, phones, email, print).
4.Conducting regular community and joint meetings (preferably quarterly joint meetings for the main parties of the agreement).
The CFM process in privately owned forests is voluntary and depends on the needs, interest, and good will of each forest owner. CFM can be implemented in privately owned forests on privately owned land (for example, owned by a communal land association, church, kingdom, clan, school, or individual). The CFM process in this context is quite similar to the CFM process for communities collaborating directly with a forest management institution in government-owned forest reserves and culminates in a collaborative forest management agreement.
The situation is different when the privately-owned standing forest (trees) is on forest reserve land licensed from the government. In this situation, a collaborative arrangement or partnership may be entered into with a forest-adjacent community. The CFM process will culminate in a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between a community group and the forest licensee, which shall last no longer than the license that the private forest owner holds with the government forest management institution.
In both private land forests and private forests on government land / reserves, the involvement of government is important, less to provide technical guidance to the private forest owners on sustainable management of their forests, and more to help ensure that an appropriate agreement / arrangement is put in place and, that conflicts / disputes / grievances that might arise in the course of the collaboration stand to be appropriately addressed.
A partner can be an individual, an institution, a corporation/company, group of neighbours, or an individual household.
The first step is for the forest owner and community group to meet and agree that they want to work together to manage part or all of the private forest. Either the forest owner or community group can take the initiative – but to move forward, both must agree to do so.
Activities:
1.The parties seek collaboration in the management of the private forest and obtain consent verbally or in writing.
2.The parties are free to accept or reject the expression of interest giving reasons why.
The forest owner should obtain consent from family members including the spouse and children, if it is an individual forest owner.
If the forest owner is an institution or company, documented consent of the leadership of the institution or company must be presented to safeguard against fraudulent transactions in the future.
The first formal meeting serves to identify what everyone’s interests are and to set these out in order to guide the development of the agreement or memorandum of understanding.
Activities
1.The forest owner invites the LC 1 chairperson to participate in the first meeting if necessary.
2.The forest owner or his representative gives highlights about the status of the forest.
3.The meeting selects a joint planning team based on the highlights given above.
Activities
The forest owner and community group then enter negotiations to agree on what activities can be carried out in the forest, when, by who and how.
1.The partners agree on activities to be undertaken, their roles / responsibilities and benefits.
2.The partners agree on alternative livelihood interventions to reduce pressure on the forest where necessary.
3.The partners agree on straightforward feedback and conflict redress mechanisms.
4.The joint plan is presented to all partner members for validation and approval.
5.The forest owner and partners agree on how to monitor the plan.
In some cases, it might be necessary to conduct a rapid participatory situation analysis to generate information to guide the joint planning.
Technical guidance from the DFO might be necessary especially if some of the activities involve extraction of forest resources.
The activities in step 3 should culminate in a signed agreement or partnership between the parties.
Signing and implementation of the agreement/ partnership shall be done once the forest owner and community group have agreed on the terms of the agreement / partnership. It is important that the forest owner is aware that they may need to invest enough time – depending on the nature of the agreement – to ensure that it is being faithfully observed and implemented.
Activities
1.The partners sign the agreement / partnership document witnessed by family members, private forest owner or institution’s / company’s representatives, the LC1 chairperson and the DFO (where necessary), with signed copies of the agreement / partnership distributed accordingly.
2.Alternatively, where the parties feel that a signed agreement is unnecessary, the signed minutes of a village / parish / community meeting can suffice.
3.The partners implement the plan developed in step 3 above.
4.The forest owner / representative meets with partners periodically to assess progress.
The possible areas for collaboration with the local community include provision of labour, access to firewood and water for domestic use from water sources within the plantation, placement of beehives in the plantation, protection of the plantation against fires and theft of poles, timber, etc.
N.B. The possible areas of collaboration will not include sub-leasing the area for tree plantation, growing of food crops and grazing.
The need to collaborate in the management of the private forest plantation will either be initiated by the private plantation forest owner or the local community.
The private plantation forest owner informs the forest management institution on his/her intentions to collaborate with the local community in the management of the forest plantation and outlines the possible areas of collaboration. This is in recognition of the license conditions under which the forest is established on government land.
The private forest owner obtains consent from the forest management institution.
In the meeting, the following will be discussed;
1.The possible areas of collaboration.
2.Activities to be undertaken.
3.The roles, responsibilities, and benefits of both parties.
4.The grievance redress mechanism, which should be straightforward.
5.The review, renewal, and termination of the memorandum of understanding.
6.Straightforward coordination and monitoring arrangements.
1.The representative of the forest management institution reviews the draft MoU to ensure that the license conditions are being complied with / adhered to.
2.The private plantation forest owner and the local community sign the final MoU witnessed by a representative of the forest management institution and the LC 1 chairperson.
3.The MoU can then be implemented.
N.B: Once the tree growing licence expires, or is cancelled by the forest management institution, the MoU will be terminated automatically.