| 
Use
of Sustainable Livelihoods Approaches
Diverse portfolio of livelihood alternatives based on forest
resources which were previously available to poor forest based
communities is being eroded by unsustainable forest management
practices. These only provide short-term benefit to a small
minority and are leading to the disappearance of forest resources.
The strategy includes:
-
Promoting multi-stakeholder participation in policy making
directed at interests of poor forest based communities.
-
Supporting effective accountability mechanisms for forest
users and investors.
- Improving
attitudes and awareness leading to more inclusive policy
decision making.
- Helping
to improve capacity of service delivers to focus on forest
management practices that benefit the poor.
-
Supporting better documentation and communication, including
shared learning, about most appropriate forest policy and
practice.
Use of holistic analysis [evaluation] such as the SL
framework allows us to identify:
-
how the livelihood strategies of communities are
being affected;
- which
policies, explicit or implicit, impinge on those livelihood
strategies;
- which
forest management practices affect livelihood assets and
outcomes;
- partners
that would be most effective in identifying and influencing
policies that would improve access to livelihoods assets
strategies and outcomes
Central
focus is on "people" and "poverty" focus. Main objective is
to enhance livelihood outcomes of poor forest based communities
and these are what form the starting point of the SL analysis.
Principal entry point is at the level of policies, institutions
and processes.
Objective is to work at all levels in order to strengthen
micro/macro linkages to improve the extent to which the experience
of poor forestry based communities informs and influences
policy making.
This is undertaken by establishing relationships with institutional
partners at all levels, especially those with direct experience
of people centred community level problems, and supporting
the use of that experience to influence policy. Partners will
therefore include those who are:
- with
extensive experience of forest communities
- opinion
makers and linkers
- influential
policy gatekeepers.
In
this way it is hoped to:
- reduce
vulnerability context for poor forest based communities
- improve
access to and utility of different forms of livelihood
assets
- promote
agreement of all parties on best practices in forest
management to improve livelihood outcomes
- improve
contribution of forests to environmental sustainability
|
