Joint Forest Management in Katanino, Zambia: Inappropriate Property Regime Change?

This research study reports on a Joint Forest Management (JFM) program in Katanino Area, Zambia. Data was collected through a questionnaire survey, unstructured group interviews, focus group discussions, key informant interviews, and field observations. Results show that forest resources from Katanino Forest contributed only 3% to the total household incomes while 40% of respondents reported not obtaining any forest resources from Katanino Forest. Only 12 residents were involved in JFM activities while 60% of the respondents reported never having attended a meeting where JFM issues were discussed. Despite the weak institutional framework, we found the Katanino Forest to be in a good physical condition. The good condition of the forest could be seen as an indication of the success, to some extent, of the previous property regime and the redundancy of a property regime change at the time, especially for an area where the local communities had alternative sources of forest resources.