Supporting Community Forest Management and Enterprise: Eight Lessons from Twenty Years of Global Experience

Our early experience supporting established community forest enterprises in Mesoamerica has long informed our forest strategy in other parts of the world. As our work has expanded to regions where forest rights are less secure and community forestry is a more incipient practice, we recognize the need for a holistic approach that aligns with our commitment to landscape-scale action. Our resulting pathway for Integrated Community Forest Management (ICFM) is an articulation of this holistic, inclusive, context-based approach. As we work with partners to operationalize our vision in the field, the time is ripe for an analysis of past experience with community forest management and enterprise development supported by the Rainforest Alliance, with the aim of learning lessons that can inform ICFM efforts in the future. This summary paper outlines eight key lessons learned.