POR QUÉ EL MANEJO COMUNITARIO DE BOSQUES ES IMPORTANTE

The report advocates for community forest management (CFM) as a superior strategy for environmental conservation and social justice. It provides evidence that forests managed by indigenous peoples and local communities often have lower deforestation rates and higher carbon storage than state-protected areas. The document identifies secure land tenure, local autonomy in decision-making, and strong social capital as critical success factors. It also warns against 'false solutions' like REDD+ and the financialization of nature, which it claims can lead to land grabbing and the erosion of traditional knowledge. The report concludes by recommending that governments prioritize collective land rights and traditional knowledge over market-based conservation mechanisms.

• Community forest management (CFM) is often as effective or more effective at preventing deforestation and biodiversity loss than strictly protected areas. A meta-analysis of 40 protected areas and 33 CFM experiences across Mexico, South America, Africa, and Asia found that CFM areas generally have lower annual deforestation rates and less variability in those rates.
• In Brazil, the recognition of indigenous and community land rights significantly reduced deforestation. Between 2000 and 2012, deforestation in community indigenous forests was less than 1%, compared to 7% in areas outside them. It is estimated that deforestation in these areas would have been 22 times higher without legal recognition.
• CFM contributes significantly to climate change mitigation through high levels of carbon storage. In Brazil, indigenous forests contain 36% more carbon per hectare than other areas of the Brazilian Amazon, and carbon emissions from deforestation in these areas are approximately ten times lower than in surrounding areas.
• CFM supports climate adaptation by protecting populations from extreme weather events. Examples include mangrove forests in Ranong, Thailand, which helped prevent deaths and destruction during the December 2004 tsunami, and sustainable farms in Nicaragua that suffered less erosion and economic loss after Hurricane Mitch in 1999 due to better soil conservation and forest cover.
• The success of CFM depends on several key variables: secure and clear land tenure, local autonomy in decision-making, effective enforcement of rules, strong local organizational capacity, and the presence of social capital (trust and common norms).
• Market-based mechanisms and 'false solutions' pose significant threats to CFM. The report argues that REDD+ and the financialization of nature can lead to land grabbing by foreign investors, the imposition of risky long-term contracts on communities, and the transfer of control from local communities to corporate interests.

APA

Friends of the Earth International (2015). POR QUÉ EL MANEJO COMUNITARIO DE BOSQUES ES IMPORTANTE. https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Community-Forest-Management-ES1.pdf

Chicago

Friends of the Earth International. POR QUÉ EL MANEJO COMUNITARIO DE BOSQUES ES IMPORTANTE. 2015. https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Community-Forest-Management-ES1.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Friends of the Earth International |title=POR QUÉ EL MANEJO COMUNITARIO DE BOSQUES ES IMPORTANTE |date=November 2015 |url=https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Community-Forest-Management-ES1.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{friendsoftheearthinternational2015por, author = {{Friends of the Earth International}}, title = {{POR QUÉ EL MANEJO COMUNITARIO DE BOSQUES ES IMPORTANTE}}, institution = {Friends of the Earth International}, year = {2015}, month = nov, url = {https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Community-Forest-Management-ES1.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }