Over the past 5 years, the debate about participation in forest management has focused on:
• Identifying the appropriate degree/type of participation in different aspects of forest management.
• How to understand, bring together and reconcile the interests of all the parties with a legitimate interest in forests and their resources.
• How to design and implement the legislative, policy and institutional changes needed to achieve effective and equitable forest management.
• How to facilitate the required staffing, structural, cultural and budgetary changes to make state forestry organisations more participatory.
• The gender and other equity impacts of different forest management options.