Building networks for sustainable community-based forest management: Lessons from the assessment of selected CBFM projects in the Philippines

Sustainable forest management could be achieved through the Community-Based Forest Management (CBFM) strategy designed to organize and empower local communities to responsibly utilize natural resources. In the context of the Philippines, there are two underlying concepts that form the foundation of such strategy: (1) the organization of a “community” that relates to the security of tenure; and (2) the responsibility of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), local government units (LGUs), and other government agencies to collaborate with non-government organizations and the private sector in providing an enabling environment to support and strengthen local communities.