The purpose of this field guide is to make thinking about the future easy and empowering. It was written specifically for natural resource dependent communities and the people who work with them. The field guide begins with a brief discussion about communities that depend on natural resources, thinking about the future and why it is important for communities to think ahead. Next, we briefly introduce four methods for thinking about the future, describing hypothetical situations where each might be applied. We provide a comparative matrix to make it easier to decide between methods in a given context. We then discuss concepts such as participation, mental maps, uncertainty and complexity. In the second section “Getting Ready” we explain how to plan for an exercise in thinking ahead in a community, with suggestions for organizing an event, selecting participants and monitoring progress. The third section “Facilitating the Methods Step by Step” delves into the details.
Publication year
2006
Authors
Evans K; Velarde S J; Prieto R P; Rao S N; Sertzen S; Davila K; Cronkleton P; De Jong W
Language
English
Keywords
partnerships, community forestry, natural resources
