Local forests' management bears fruit

More proof that management of forests works best when based on local concepts and perceptions is provided by Paul Kerkhof in Local forest management in the Sahel. As long as management is more representative of the most important users, it will be more efficient and just than government-run forestry organisations are. Instead of addressing forest management in compartimentalised aspects of agro-ecological and socio-economical features, Kerkhof takes reality as the starting point. He describes concrete forestry management techniques, such as the tigre system in Niger (tigerskin-like patches of forest), as well as the role of pastoralists and livestock in the management of forests. The role that trees, woods and forest by-products play in family's and community's survival strategies is also well covered. Most examples are derived from projects in Mali, Niger and Sudan, and data from Burkina Faso and Chad are incorporated. The books stands out for its clarity and pithiness. Local forest management in the Sahel. Towards a new social contract By P Kerkhof and edited by G Foley, SOS Sahel, London. 2000. 83 pp. ISBN 1 901459 28 4 Copies available on request. SOS Sahel International 1 Tolpuddle Street, London N1 0XT, England Fax: +44 20 7837 0856 Email: mail@sahel.org.ukLocal forest management in the Sahel. Towards a new social contract By P Kerkhof and edited by G Foley, SOS Sahel, London. 2000. 83 pp. ISBN 1 901459 28 4 Copies available on request