Restoring lives and landscapes: how a partnership between local communities and the state is saving forests and improving livelihoods in Guinea

This booklet tells the story of a project that has had a profound influence on the management of four large forest areas in Guinea. The Landscape Management for mproved Livelihoods (LAM L) project has also done much to improve the welfare of local people. ndeed, the two – better forest management and improved livelihoods – are inextricably linked. The World Agroforestry Centre, the Center for nternational Forestry Research (C FOR) and their partners in the LAM L project have developed a system of co-management, involving local communities and government agencies, which is generating considerable interest in Guinea and throughout the region. Not long ago, these forests were managed by government agencies. Local people were forbidden from using them. As a result, the forests were widely abused, and the authorities were able to do little to stem the tide of illegal logging, poaching and land clearance. Under co-management, in contrast, local people derive real benefits from the forests, and in return they have shown their willingness, and ability, to manage them sustainably.

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