If one is of the mindset that the world is fundamentally chaotic and irrational, then the discpline of economics probably has little to offer. But if one accepts the notion that there is some method to the apparent madness of individuals, governments and organizations, then economic inquiry does have no some contributions to make. In this excercise, we argue that economic criteria and indicators of sustainable forest management should reflect the dimensions of efficiency, equity and sustainability, and need to look beyond the forest stand to institutional and policy issues.

This proceedings contains a summary of national seminars on social forestry in Indonesia. It covers history of social forestry in Indonesia, principles of social forestry, and the different types of social forestry initiatives in Indonesia. There are similar problems faced in forestry sector such as forest boundaries, land tenure. Other problems in social forestry are: a) national forest policy (2) Decentralisation and space for social forestry; (3) Multistakeholder arrangements in social forestry; and (4) strengthening institutions and collective learning processes.

Big-leaf mahogany was studied on nine mixed-species stands that became established naturally between 2 and 75 years ago after catastrophic disturbances (hurricane blowdown, fire, or bulldozer clearing). More than 50% of adult big-leaf mahogany trees had survived a severe hurricane, leaving 2.8 seed trees ha-1. After fire, 29% to 100% of adult Mahogany trees survived, leaving an average of 1.4 seed trees ha 1. Thirty or more years later, postdisturbance mahogany trees were found at densities of 18 ha-1 after fire, as compared to 6 ha-1 after a hurricane.

Rights to large areas of forest have been granted to communities and indigenous peoples in Latin America, offering these groups an opportunity to participate in REDD+ initiatives. However, tenure is not always secure, and security of tenure alone is insufficient to guarantee positive outcomes for both forests and livelihoods. The question of carbon tenure rights has only just begun to be addressed, and even less attention has been given to liabilities. REDD+ initiatives provide an opportunity to consolidate indigenous territories but present a risk to those without secure land rights.