Study on developing local participation in decision making for forest management in the Liukuei Experimental Forest
Journal
Taiwan Journal of Forest Science
Journal Volume
15
Journal Issue
2
Pages
245-255
Date Issued
2000
Author(s)
Abstract
This study evaluated the capability of public participation in forest management by analyzing the interactions between the Liukuei and Maulin villagers and the managing agencies of local forest resources. The study was carried out by reviewing historical documents and collecting secondary official statistics and field studies. Four major sets of data, including local demographic and industrial structures, location characteristics, changes in land use, and public opinions on local forest related issues, were gathered and analyzed to assess local villagers' attitudes and tendency to engage in collective actions. The opinions collected by personal interviews in field studies were relevant to 5 local issues: fishery restrictions, settlement of aboriginal reserves, land reclamation movements of aboriginal people, protests against local scenic area development projects, and compulsory tree planting on river banks. The study results show that residents of Maulin have a higher tendency than those of Liukuei to engage in collective actions due to their tighter social structure, and the analysis of public opinions illustrated that the local Dona community was capable of engaging in public participation. We suggest that public participation is necessary for successful forest management in order to avoid problems with management decisions and to ensure the achievement of the management goal of social fairness.
Subjects
Collective action; Forest management; Liukuei; Maulin; Public participation
SDGs
Other Subjects
Collective action; Historical documents; Industrial structures; Liukuei; Management decisions; Maulin; Official Statistics; Public participation; Forestry; Land reclamation; Reforestation; Rural areas; Decision making
Type
journal article