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Tropical Forest Research Network |
Research priorities
and working group discussions
Group 2 - Community Level
Group 2 considered inventory needs at the community level. The Group was chaired by Kathrin Schreckenberg and the rapporteur was Evelyn White.
Discussion of main issues
The objective of the group was to consider whether the toolbox of NTFP inventory methodology was sufficiently well stocked to meet needs at the community level. The group started out by looking through the questions under the topic on sampling. The group then attempted to set criteria for selecting sampling methods at community level. This raised the question of how important biometric rigour is for communities. It was agreed that this was not a question to answer within this forum but that the toolbox should contain methods for less rigorous as well as biometrically correct studies.
The Group felt that it is important for local communities to have the tools to undertake assessment themselves as this level of involvement is empowering. In identifying appropriate methods for local level NTFP inventory it is necessary to first understand:
It is then necessary to understand the local and external information requirements (i.e. as requested by national forestry authorities, trade organisations and potential certification bodies). Note that the type of information required by a community to manage its own resources might be of a different kind from that required by a government administration (e.g. to justify the establishment of a community forest), or by a trade group interested in promoting trade in particular local products (possibly certified). Where there are gaps or inadequacies in existing community methods in meeting the identified information requirements, appropriate ‘new’ methods need to be identified or developed for local use.
The Group agreed that this kind of research needs to be complemented with other activities that will help communities to control and manage their resources. For example there is a need to help communities express their knowledge in an ‘acceptable’ form. In addition it is necessary to convince policy makers to accept community information. There is also a need to provide training to people within communities to enable them to work at a higher level, to establish what are the gaps in people’s understanding and to help to fill the gaps. Clearly such work goes hand in hand with the development of ‘acceptable’ inventory methods as these are being developed to link community activities and community information needs with external (regional and national level) information requirements.
From this discussion it became clear that a single programme approach would be the best means of addressing the methodological needs at the community level. Work on the development of NTFP inventory tools can continue but whilst the specific gaps at the community level are unknown it is not possible to start to select and adapt methods to community needs.
Research Programme
The following outline research programme was agreed.
MATCHING LOCAL KNOWLEDGE WITH INFORMATION NEEDS
Activities
Potential Collaborators
Potential Funders
Dissemination