Forest tenure changes in Africa: making locally based forest management work

Francesca Romano is a consultant in the Forest Policy Service, Forestry Department, FAO, Rome. Forest tenure systems in Africa are characterized mainly by public ownership, with most forests under the direct control and management of government. However, shifts are taking place, in particular to locally rather than State-run forest management. This article, based on a recent study conducted by FAO (see Box, following page), examines some specific examples and analyses enabling and constraining factors for the success of alternative tenure systems. It focuses on those alternative systems that have demonstrated particular success in addressing local needs and supporting sustainable forest management because tenure is secure and appropriate tenure diversification processes are in place, favouring locally based forest management. It reinforces the importance of security of tenure as a building block for sustainable forest management. WHAT FOREST TENURE IS, AND WHY IT MATTERS Forest tenure is the combination of legally or customarily defined forest ownership rights and arrangements for the management and use of forest resources. Forest tenure determines who can use what resources, for how long and under what conditions. Legally, tenure is a bundle of both rights and obligations: the right to own, hold, manage, transfer or exploit resources and land, but also the obligation not to use these in a way that harms others. Tenurial rights include but are not equivalent to ownership. Absence of full ownership does not preclude the possibility of other tenure rights over a