Developments in the international institutional context and in the capacity of governments to ensure sustainable forest management in Central Africa lead to new approaches to participatory management being explored. The author reviews current initiatives in this field in Congo Brazzaville, Gabon, Cameroon, Central African Republic and Equatorial Guinea. Such initiatives are still in an experimental stage and aim at answering issues linked with conventional forest management as well as meeting prerequisites imposed by international organisations for granting aid to development.

La République du Congo a adopté une loi forestière en 2000 qui met l’accent sur le secteur forestier industriel à grande échelle orienté vers l’exportation. Le bois d’oeuvre tiré d’une exploitation à plus petite échelle et tourné vers le marché intérieur a été négligé. Ce bois n’est pas enregistré dans les statistiques officielles et il est essentiellement produit sans titre valide. Or le Congo a paraphé en 2009 puis signé en 2010 l’Accord de partenariat volontaire (APV) avec la Commission européenne qui l’engage à assurer la légalité de toute la production nationale de bois d’ici à 2013.

Cette etude a ete realisee en 1997-98 par le CIFOR en collaboration avec les institutions et les chercheurs camerounais, grace a l'appui financier du DFID du Royaume-Uni. Son objectif general est de compendre les causes qui expliqueraient le taux de deforestation beaucoup plus elevependantla crise economique (qui commenca en 1986) par rapport a ala periode avant le debut de la crise. Le project de recherche a examine les effects de la crise sur les migrations, les systemes de cultures, la division sexuelle du travail et leur incidence sur le couvert forestier.

Forest governance is now recognized as a critical factor for effective resource management and enhancing livelihood outcomes. This paper recognizes the need for having learning element in the governing process, for which there has to be a continuous monitoring process in place. Based on recent studies, the current monitoring system at different layers in Nepal's community forestry is reviewed, and opportunities for improved micro-macro linkages and forest governance are identified.

The author highlights conceptual, substantive and methodological aspects of participatory action research (PAR) into adaptive collaborative management (ACM) of community forest in some selected FUGs in the Hills of Nepal. Three main concepts of ACM identified as the core of research include: collaboration among stakeholders, conscious social learning and application of learning feedback to management. Ten specific elements have been recently innovated around the three broad areas of ACM, and the research team uses them as a basis to assess and facilitate action research at local level.