Indigenous and local communities, particularly in forest areas, are increasingly affected by environmental degradation and deforestation, which is often the result of unsustainable land use and global demand for commodities and mineral resources.
A growing number of public and private actors and conservation NGOs, are setting up enterprises and cooperating with local or indigenous forest communities. Often, the main goal is to support socio-economic development without compromising the environment.
Partnerships with local communities look good on paper. Yet some raise concerns that they are unableto provide lasting solutions. Several studies express increasing concern that multi-actor collaborationin the tropics is falling short of expectations.
On the basis of lessons learned from past projects, this policy brief compiles strategies for establishing effective partnerships with local communities who use or own forest land. The brief is written by Torsten Krause, PhD in Sustainability Science at LUCSUS, Lund university.