importanceYear after year, governments are allocating large areas of forest land for use by commercial logging, oil palm, mining, and other economic interests. In the process, governments grant commercial operators the de facto right to deforest, as the approved allocations of forest land often lead to massive clear-cutting and conversion of forests to non-forest uses. As a consequence, a community may permanently lose its forest without any consultation—in some cases, people are even subjected to intimidation or manipulation. These actions not only hurt forest communities, deforestation contributes to climate change.
By working with communities to strengthen their forest rights, rather than undermining them, governments can ensure numerous sustainable development benefits. Strong community forest rights help communities protect their forests, reducing CO₂ emissions from deforestation and improving forest health. Strong forest rights also provide communities with secure access to forest products for housing, medicine, and other local uses as well as income from the sale of timber and non-timber forest products