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A guide to investing in locally controlled forestry

In a newly published guide, author Dominic Elson starts from the premise that people should not be seen simply as "labor" or people who are in the way of "capital" and need to be paid off, but rather co-investors in the creation of wealth from forest investments.

At COFO, back in September 2012, he sat down with PROFOR to explain this paradigm shift (see diagram and video interviews here).

The Guide to Investing in Locally Controlled Forestry was published in January by The Growing Forest Partnerships initiative, in association with FAO, IIED, IUCN, The Forests Dialogue and the World Bank. It is downloadable from the IIED website.

More information from the publishers:

"The guide emerged out of 11 international dialogues that assembled more than 400 people to discuss how to make investing in locally controlled forestry (ILCF) happen. It is primarily a tool for practical action – providing guidance on how to structure enabling investments and prepare the ground for asset investments that yield acceptable returns and reduced risk, not only for investors, but also for local forest right-holders, national governments and society at large. After providing strong justification for this approach, the guide sets out a framework for structuring investments with tactical advice for building the partnerships necessary for successful ILCF.

The core of the guide is a roadmap to successful ILCF that covers the business stages of proposition, establishment, validation, preparation, negotiation and performance management – with practical advice for both investors and forest right-holder groups. Case studies of successful ILCF and a range of useful templates and sources of further information are provided."

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