Desentralisasi kewenangan atas hutan di belahan dunia saat ini sedang berjalan cepat, disertai implikasi positif dan negatif bagi masyarakat dan hutan itu sendiri. Penelitian terbaru dari beberapa negara di Wilayah Asia-Pasifik dalam buku ini menyajikan pengalaman desentralisasi yang sangat kaya dan beragam, sehingga bisa menjadi pelajaran berharga bagi wilayah lain. Dimulai dengan tinjauan sejarah dan geografi, bab-bab selanjutnya dalam buku ini mengulas secara mendalam negara-negara di wilayah ini.

CIFOR's ACM program has been carrying out participatory action research with local communities to devise models for forest management by multiple stakeholders. One of the early requests by communities has been for the mapping of their villages. This report describes the facilitation team's observations during the process of mapping these territories (villages along the Malinau river, Kalimantan, Indonesia). Central theme is the question what caused conflicts within and between villages and how were these handled and overcome by the communities.

This report refers to the follow-up activities in Mamberamo developed by CIFOR and CI in 2006. The new activities included additional socio-economic surveys in three villages. The accuracy of the participatory maps of the natural resources and important landscape features were improved using GPS ground checks. Participatory maps of territorial land claims and land use by clans were also drafted. Additional information was then collected on local biodiversity monitoring and control of the land and resources.