Youth and the future of community forestry
Date
2020
Authors
Robson, James P.
Wilson, Sarah J.
Sanchez, Constanza Mora
Bhatt, Anita
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Land
Abstract
Forests managed by Indigenous and other local communities generate important benefits
for livelihood, and contribute to regional and global biodiversity and carbon sequestration goals.
Yet, challenges to community forestry remain. Rural out-migration, for one, can make it hard
for communities to maintain broad and diverse memberships invested in local forest commons.
This includes young people, who can contribute critical energy, ideas, and skills and are well positioned
to take up community forest governance and work, but often aspire to alternative livelihoods and
lifestyles. Through an initiative called the Future of Forest Work and Communities, we sought to
connect researchers and practitioners with young people living in forest regions, and explore whether
community forestry is, or could be, a viable option for them in a globalising world. We achieved this
through two phases of qualitative research: youth visioning workshops and questionnaires conducted
in 14 forest communities and regions across 9 countries, and a more in-depth case study of two
forest communities in Oaxaca, Mexico, using participant observation and semi-structured interviews.
We found important synergies across sites. Youth held strong connections with their communities
and local forests, but work and/or study aspirations meant many would likely leave their home
communities (at least for a time). Community forestry was not seen as an obvious livelihood pathway
by a majority of youth, although interest in forest work was evident through participation in several
workshop activities. As community leadership and support organisations consider community
forestry as an engine of local development, the research highlights the importance of engaging local
youth to understand their interests and ideas, and thus identify practical and meaningful ways to
empower them as community and territorial actors.
Description
Keywords
forests, youth, youth aspirations, community forestry, migration, mobility, rural-urban linkages, cultural norms, livelihoods
Citation
Robson, J. P., Wilson, S. J., Mora Sanchez, C., & Bhatt, A. (2020). “Youth and the future of community forestry.” Land, 9(11), 406. https://doi.org/10.3390/land9110406