Proponents of community forestry from around the Pacific Rim will meet at UVic's Dunsmuir Lodge, Oct. 19-24 to discuss this ecologically sustainable approach to forestry and issue an international proclamation on community forestry at the close of the conference.
The hand-picked group of delegates are academics, activists, community and aboriginal leaders, foresters and forestry practitioners, policy makers and analysts from Asia, Latin America and North America.
"What the delegates have in common is a commitment to community forestry which is both ecologically and economically sustainable," says Cheri Burda, senior researcher with UVic's eco-research chair in environmental law and policy, which is sponsoring the conference. "It is a diverse group ranging from people working at ground level in communities to those working at regional and national levels to promote political change necessary to enable community-based forestry."
"In many jurisdictions, community forestry alternatives are not feasible due to existing land and tenure arrangements," says Dr. Michael M'Gonigle, eco-research chair. "This workshop will examine the types of actions and policy shifts which are necessary at the local, national and international levels to further community forestry and facilitate an ecological approach."
The conference will also provide the 90 delegates with an opportunity to share expertise, skills, strategies and approaches to community forestry. Besides drafting the international declaration, participants will also create a North-South Pacific Rim network of experts with community forestry as a common goal. As well, they will explore how such a network and movement can assist with local activist groups in implementing ecosystem-based community forestry.
"In North America, community forestry is less established than it is in many countries in the South," says M'Gonigle. "As community forestry gains popularity and attention in Canada, there is an opportunity for northern representatives to network with, and learn lessons from, participants in the south."