• Programmes
  
  
• Thematic Programmes
  
  
  • Forests and livelihoods
    
    
• Forest and Livelihoods Regional Conference
  
  
• Improving policy and institutional capacity for participatory forest management
  
  
• Practices and policies that improve forest management and the livelihoods of the rural poor
  
  
• Building capacity for participatory forest management for good governance in the Caribbean region
  
  
• The sustainable forest management planning project
  
  
• Regional knowledge sharing initiative on improved governance and influencing policy for community forestry and sustainable forest-based livelihoods
  
  
• Capacity building for watershed management stakeholders in Trinidad and Tobago
  
  
• Technical Assistance Projects
  
  
• Coastal and marine governance and livelihoods
  
  
• Strategy Programmes
  
  
• Issue Programmes

FORESTS, LIVELIHOODS and GOVERNANCE

Programme vision
Improved livelihoods and reduced levels of poverty through participatory institutions for forest management that facilitate conservation, wise use and the equitable distribution of forest goods and services that are critical to development.

Programme goal
To improve livelihoods and contribute to poverty reduction by promoting and facilitating sustainable use and management of forests, building effective institutions and facilitating collaboration between key stakeholders, using participatory action research, capacity building, and promoting use of lessons learned.

Programme objectives

1. To conduct research that contributes to building effective, collaborative forest management institutions, through a better understanding of:
   1. approaches to participatory forest management that work well in Caribbean islands;
   2. how to effectively build and maintain institutions and collaboration between key stakeholders;
   3. how participatory approaches to forest management can contribute to equity, livelihoods and conservation of forest resources and under what circumstances;
   4. how participatory processes can equitably address the sometimes competing demands of conservation and livelihoods, particularly of the most disadvantaged;
   5. how to communicate lessons to a variety of audiences to effect change in policy and practice;
   6. how different mechanisms can be used to build capacity for and encourage and support innovative approaches to the sustainable management and use of forests.
      
      
2. To enhance capacity for effective, collaborative participatory forest management in the Caribbean, at regional, national and local levels through:
   1. workshops, engaging stakeholders in action research and learning, small grants, technical assistance and facilitation of organisational and institutional development processes (including mentoring and peer support), and exchange visits;
   2. demonstration and application of research lessons at local, national and regional levels;
   3. wide dissemination of research findings in formats that are relevant and accessible to all key stakeholders and provide tangible guidance for policy and action;
   4. management and expansion of CANARI’s Information Centre in the area of Forests and Livelihoods and promotion of its use.

Forests and Livelihoods Action Learning Group
Programme development and implementation is coordinated by CANARI in conjunction with a Forests and Livelihoods Action Learning Group (ALG), comprising ‘change agents’ from government, civil society and the private sector, with expertise in fields such as forestry, tourism, agriculture, rural development, community development, and organisational development.

Projects

• Who pays for water? (2004-2006)
• Participatory Forest Management: Improving policy and institutional capacity for development (2006-2010)
• Practices and policies that improve forest management and the livelihoods of the rural poor in the insular Caribbean (2007-2010)
• Participatory evaluation of the Integrated Forest Management Development Programme (IFMDP) in St. Vincent and the Grenadines (2010)
• Case studies in community forestry initiatives in the Caribbean (2011)
• Assessing the impacts of climate change on community based sustainable use of forest resources in the Caribbean
• Policy for the forestry sector in the Commonwealth of Dominica (2006)
• Forestry research in the Caribbean workshop (2009)
• Pawi species recovery strategy workshop (2011)
• Building capacity for participatory forest management for good governance in the Caribbean region
• Regional knowledge sharing initiative on improved governance and influencing policy for community forestry and sustainable forest-based livelihoods (2012)

• Capacity building for watershed management stakeholders in Trinidad and Tobago (2012 - 2014)

• Sustainable forest management planning: Piloting community-based management planning for the sustainable use of forest resources in Trinidad and Tobago
• Field testing an approach to support forest-based community businesses in the Caribbean (2013-2014)

Key Publications:

• "Participating in managing forest:  A guide to community forestry in the Caribbean islands (English/ French/ Spanish)"
• On the air: A "how-to" guide for use of radio in communications in the Caribbean
• Case studies in community forestry initiatives in the Caribbean: Regional synthesis of community forestry case studies
• Policy Brief No. 11: Community forestry in the Caribbean
• Policy Brief No 12 : Building capacity to facilitate stakeholder participation in forest management inthe Caribbean islands
• Poster 1: For people, by people, with people
• Poster 2: Forests are our backyard
• Poster 3: Managing everyone's forest
• Poster 4: Life of quality, Livelihood surety
• Toolkit: Facilitating participatory natural resource management: a toolkit for Caribbean managers
• Paper on Participatory forest management in the Caribbean in ETFRN News Towards productive landscapes.

Key News Items:

Facebook

YouTube:

• Sharing experiences and lessons learnt on approaches to facilitating participatory forest governance workshop Interviews of participants
• Forest managers tell of their experiences of climate change

CANARI staff working on this programme:

Neila Bobb Prescott, Senior Technical Officer: [email protected]

Nicole Leotaud, Executive Director: [email protected]

CANARI Programme Advisors:

Dr. Howard Nelson, University of the West Indies, St. Augustine

Marilyn Headley, Jamaica Forestry Department