Forest tenure in Africa and south and southeast Asia: Implications for sustainable forest management and poverty alleviation

Based on recent studies conducted by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) on forest tenure systems in Asia and Africa, the paper presents an overview of the present situation, characterized by the predominance of public forests under the direct control and management of governments. The paper reviews the achievements of various forest tenure systems in relation to sustainable forest management and poverty alleviation, with a particular focus on locally based forest management. The importance of security of tenure and the need to diversify current tenure systems..