Participatory forest management cooperatives as an institutional alternative

Abstract

Academics and practitioners have proposed many alternative systems of management of forest resources. Hence, an attempt has been made in this paper to explore and critically analyse the suitability of cooperatives to manage the fairs i resources in Ethiopia The study was carried out with the following objectives: I) to examine the rationale of cooperauve management of forest resources; n) to review the current status of cooperatives engaged in the management of forest resources; and in) to propose a cooperative model to manage the forest resources. Both secondary and primary data were used for the purpose of this study The results show that theoretically and ideologically, the cooperative mode of forest resource management seems to be (he best Furthermore, cooperauves are politically and socially more acceptable in most societies and nations than any other alternative. Due to die encouragement given by the present government, as of 30 June 1998 EC, there are 23 forest production and conservation primary cooperatives and one union functioning in Ethiopia. Considering the existing domestic and international experience, the author suggests a model for die cooperative management of forest resources.