Making sure the world’s forests are in the right hands

In a report published Wednesday the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) states that reforming forest tenure systems and securing forest ownership rights can significantly improve peoples’ livelihoods and enable them to gain income from forest products.
The guide titled Reforming Forest Tenure was launched at the Forest Tenure, Governance and Enterprise Conference taking place in Lombok, Indonesia, from 11 to 15 July, attended by around 200 representatives from international and regional organizations, private sector, non-governmental organizations, civil society and researchers.
Fred Kafeero Forestry Officer at FAO says “around 80 percent of the world’s forests are publicly owned, but forest ownership and management by communities, individuals and private companies are increasing – more in some countries than in others”.
He says that in Venezuela and French Guiana, for example, almost all forests are under public ownership, whereas in Paraguay, Honduras, Guatemala, Costa Rica and Chile more than 30 percent of forests are under private ownership. In Peru, Guyana and Costa Rica, more than ten percent of forests are owned by indigenous people.
Kafeero adds that "A more diversified tenure system could result in improving forest management and local livelihoods, particularly where state capacities to manage forests are weak". Listen