Investing in Locally Controlled Forestry: Improving Quality and Quantity

The TFD Steering Committee and GFP’s Catalytic Group have an interest in
exploring how investment in locally controlled forestry can be improved in
both the “global north” and the “global south”.
In this context, we are considering locally controlled forestry as the range of
actions to manage or grow forest resources and run small enterprises based
on forest goods or services, carried out by smallholders, community groups,
forest-dependent people and other local groupings, and over which they have
substantial decision-making power. Likewise, investment is being understood
here in the wide sense of the types of actions that can enhance locally
controlled forestry assets, chiefly the supply of finance and the development
of human resources and practical management systems.
Under the right conditions, locally controlled forestry can be a strong
contributor to local livelihoods and sustainable development. Often it requires
improved investment to reach this potential, yet this investment can be lacking
or misplaced. Work needs to be done on this – to understand the issues and
find solutions to the problems. Recognising that considerable work has been
done on these issues, but that key dilemmas and constraints remain as yet
unresolved, we propose a dialogue process, so as to in part, identify some
specific in-country inputs to make progress.
Initially, TFD and GFP will convene a scoping dialogue to identify the key
challenges and opportunities for improving investment in locally controlled
forestry.