Community Forest Management (CFM)

The document advocates for Community Forest Management (CFM) as a holistic approach to territorial governance that prioritizes the 'Good Living' of indigenous and peasant communities over capitalist development. It asserts that CFM is more effective at reducing deforestation than absolute protection regimes and is essential for maintaining biodiversity and climate stability. The report warns against 'commercial logging' disguised as sustainable management and rejects REDD+ and carbon markets, arguing they centralize power and commodify nature. It recommends strengthening community land tenure, investing in local capacity building, and shifting international finance away from fossil fuels toward community-led conservation.

• Community Forest Management (CFM) is more effective at preventing deforestation than absolute protection regimes. A comparative study of 40 protected areas and 33 CFM experiences across Mexico, South America, Africa, and Asia found that CFM areas had an annual deforestation rate of 0.24%, compared to 1.47% in areas under absolute protection.
• The 'Good Living' paradigm challenges capitalist notions of progress and development, proposing instead a model based on harmony with nature, social equality, and the preservation of ancestral knowledge and community coexistence.
• Commercial logging is often falsely presented as 'sustainable forest management' or 'community forestry' to facilitate corporate resource extraction. This practice leads to forest degradation, soil compaction from heavy machinery, and the creation of roads that facilitate further colonization and deforestation.
• REDD+ and carbon markets are viewed as threats to CFM because they tend to recentralize forest governance, prioritize individual over collective rights, and incentivize the commodification of carbon, which can lead to land grabbing.
• Clear and secure land tenure is a primary determinant of success for CFM. In the Sarawak region of Borneo, the Penan people's efforts were undermined when the government declared their community forest a reserve to grant concessions to the logging corporation Shin Yang.
• Forests managed by communities provide critical protection against climate-related disasters. For example, the presence of a lush green mangrove forest in Ranong, Thailand, resulted in minimal damage during the December 2004 tsunami, while other regions suffered catastrophic losses.
• Gender equity is essential for successful CFM, as women often possess specialized ancestral knowledge of forest resources. In Cameroon, women are the primary collectors and processors of Moabi oil, making them the strongest opponents of the commercial destruction of the Moabi tree.
• The report identifies a massive disparity in global energy investments, noting that in 2013, $1,100 billion was invested in fossil fuel extraction, transport, and refineries, while renewable energy investments reached only $250 billion.

APA

Baltodano, J. (2018). Community Forest Management (CFM). Friends of the Earth International. https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Community-forest-management_an-Opportunity_EN-1.pdf

Chicago

Baltodano, Javier. Community Forest Management (CFM). Friends of the Earth International, 2018. https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Community-forest-management_an-Opportunity_EN-1.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Baltodano |first1=Javier |title=Community Forest Management (CFM) |publisher=Friends of the Earth International |date=2018 |url=https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Community-forest-management_an-Opportunity_EN-1.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{baltodano2018community, author = {Baltodano, Javier}, title = {{Community Forest Management (CFM)}}, institution = {Friends of the Earth International}, year = {2018}, url = {https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Community-forest-management_an-Opportunity_EN-1.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }