This volume brings together selected papers presented and discussed at the Conference on Conservation of West and Central African Rainforests, held in Abidjan, November 5-9, 1990.

Comment peut-on analyser la gouvernance forestière en Afrique centrale aujourd'hui ? Les nombreuses contributions scientifiques montrent que, même mal en point, même mise régulièrement à rude épreuve, la gouvernance forestière en Afrique centrale continue de se construire de manière incrémentale. Cette réflexion riche, collective et interdisciplinaire sur la forêt et sa gouvernance en Afrique centrale fait de ce volume un ouvrage de référence.

Many countries around the world are engaged in decentralization processes, and most African countries face serious problems with forest governance, from benefits sharing to illegality and sustainable forest management. This book summarizes experiences to date on the extent and nature of decentralization and its outcomes, most of which suggest an underperformance of governance reforms, and explores the viability of different governance instruments in the context of weak governance and expanding commercial pressures over forests. Findings are grouped into two thematic areas: decentralization, livelihoods and sustainable forest management; and international trade, finance and forest sector governance reforms. The authors examine diverse forces shaping the forest sector, including the theory and practice of decentralization, usurpation of authority, corruption and illegality, inequitable patterns of benefits capture and expansion of international trade in timber and carbon credits, and discuss related outcomes on livelihoods, forest condition and equity. The book builds on earlier volumes exploring different dimensions of decentralization and perspectives from other world regions, and distills dimensions of forest governance that are both unique to Africa and representative of broader global patterns. Authors ground their analysis in relevant theory while attempting to distill implications of their findings for policy and practice.

Environmental Management - Pollution, Habitat, Ecology, and Sustainability includes sixteen chapters that discuss pressing environmental issues in diverse locations around the world. Chapters discuss methods, technologies, analyses, and actions that may enlighten and enable decision-makers and managers in their quests for control of environmental problems. The authors present the facts and the challenges behind the assorted issues and offer new perspectives for contending with natural, social, economic, and political aspects of management.

Key messages Decision-making initiatives led solely by external forest stakeholders (organizing local community stakeholders) can make the meaningful involvement of women and marginalized groups difficult, if not impossible.Self-initiated community groups, however, are able to leverage authentic collaborative engagements, empowering women to speak up when decisions are being made.To ensure effective participation, women need to be empowered to become agents of change through taking on, both formally and informally, strategic roles in community groups making forest-related decisions.Forest certification requires new approaches to ensure the effective participation of all stakeholders; this includes promoting the use of gender quotas as a transitional mechanism, not as an end-goal; the development of local gender-sensitive leadership pathways; and taking a human rights approach to participation.

Sacred Natural Sites are the world's oldest protected places. This book focuses on a wide spread of both iconic and lesser known examples such as sacred groves of the Western Ghats (India), Sagarmatha /Chomolongma (Mt Everest, Nepal, Tibet - and China), the Golden Mountains of Altai (Russia), Holy Island of Lindisfarne (UK) and the sacred lakes of the Niger Delta (Nigeria). The book illustrates that sacred natural sites, although often under threat, exist within and outside formally recognised protected areas, heritage sites. Sacred natural sites may well be some of the last strongholds for building resilient networks of connected landscapes. They also form important nodes for maintaining a dynamic socio-cultural fabric in the face of global change. The diverse authors bridge the gap between approaches to the conservation of cultural and biological diversity by taking into account cultural and spiritual values together with the socio-economic interests of the custodian communities and other relevant stakeholders.