Practice before policy : an analysis of policy and institutional changes enabling community involvement in forest management in eastern and southern Africa

There is growing recognition that centralized forest regimes, which exclude local knowledge and customary practices, have not achieved sustainable forest management. Most countries of Eastern and Southern Africa are reviewing and revising policies and laws and restructuring their agencies to accommodate emerging forest management imperatives. This study discusses the evolution of community involvement in forest management (CIFM) in Eastern and Southern Africa, and analyses the policies and laws being established by the countries of this region to both accommodate and promote this involvement.