Title: Exploring the implications of social inequalities in community forestry: emerging lessons from two forests in Indonesia

Authors: Digby Race; Bugi Sumirat

Addresses: The Fenner School of Environmental and Society, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, 0200, Australia ' Forestry Research and Development Agency (FORDA), Ministry of Forestry, Makassar, South Sulawesi, Indonesia

Abstract: Community forestry has been developed internationally as a policy response to reduce deforestation and to improve the livelihoods of forest-dependent communities. This article discusses the social dimension of community forestry, and uses the concept of social capital to analyse the implications of social inequalities in two community forestry initiatives in Indonesia. The article concludes with some revealing insights about the: 1) temporal nature of social capital in community forestry; 2) ways social capital can entrench inequalities; 3) role of 'outsiders' assisting the development of community forestry.

Keywords: community forestry; forests; social capital; social inequalities; Indonesia; deforestation; livelihoods; forest-dependent communities; outsiders.

DOI: 10.1504/IJSD.2015.070233

International Journal of Sustainable Development, 2015 Vol.18 No.3, pp.211 - 228

Received: 26 Feb 2013
Accepted: 20 Aug 2013
Published online: 01 Jul 2015 *

Full-text access for editors Full-text access for subscribers Purchase this article Comment on this article