Report
Understanding diversity: a study of livelihoods and landscapes in Liberia
International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)
2009
Abstract
Report prepared for Livelihoods and Landscape Strategy Forest Conservation Programme IUCN (The International Union for Conservation of Nature). Community forestry is high on the forest policy agenda in Liberia. However, relatively little is known about the diverse variety of customary forest management institutions and arrangements. Similarly, while the importance of forests and forest products in rural livelihoods is generally acknowledged, there has been little systematic study and analysis of just how forests fit into rural livelihoods. There is a danger that community forestry policy will be based on a false assumption that there is some sort of vacuum of institutional arrangements in rural areas and that standardized models of community forestry management will be developed and imposed on diverse existing community forestry management practices. This was an issue because international experience has shown beyond any doubt the risks associated with imposing standard models where local contexts are highly varied and especially the risks of imposing new management arrangements without understanding what already exists. These risks include the potential to undermine existing customary management arrangements.
Details
- Title
- Understanding diversity: a study of livelihoods and landscapes in Liberia
- Authors
- Aiah Lebbie (Author)Robert J Fisher (Author)Francis Odoom (Author)Wollor Topor (Author)Joe Flomo (Author)Garvoie Kardoh (Author)
- Publication details
- 80
- Publisher
- International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)
- Date published
- 2009
- Organisation Unit
- Tropical Forests and People Research Centre; University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland; Forest Research Institute
- Language
- English
- Record Identifier
- 99448751402621
- Output Type
- Report
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