Community based NRM
Nkhalango!: a social forestry model: expereinces from Blantyre city fuelwood project in southern Malawi
Local natural resource management in urban Malawi
Authors:
R. Kaarhus; I. Jørgensen; J. Kamoto; R. Mumba; M. Sikwese; S. Ferrar
Publisher:
Noragric, Department of International Environment and Development Studies, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, 2003
This book records the successes and failures from the Blantyre City Fuel Wood Project (BCFP) in Southern Malawi. It focuses on the transfer of responsibilities for plantations and indigenous forests to newly created village institutions set up to manage these assets sustainably.
It presents a model of best practice, NKHALANGO! and describes step by step guidelines for implementation as a guide to others trying to establish community-based management of forest programmes
The model aims at sustainable use of forest resources through providing assistance to communities in building their capacity. The ultimate aim is that income and benefits derived from the forests are equitably shared among community members. The resources found necessary for the model to work are:
- Enabling policies: a framework of national and local policies, supported by corresponding laws and regulations, which should provide for decentralisation, full devolvement of management power, empowerment of communities
- Natural resources: local people must have formalised access to the forest resources, and there must be a market for forest products
- Social resources: the work of a village institution depends strongly on good local leadership and a basic level of social capital in the community
- External resources, finance and expertise: which can come from Government at district level (social/development funds), from NGOs, international donors, or any other facilitating agency
- Supporting management structures : by forestry authorities, district or regional administration, locally established NGOs or aid agency
