{"title":"Colonial legacies in tropical forestry hinder good management","authors":"Benedict Odhiambo, Rosa C. Goodman","doi":"10.1038/s41558-025-02288-z","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p>Forest restoration and management have huge potential to contribute to climate, biodiversity and sustainability goals; and countless projects to plant trees and conserve forests are underway on the African continent. Unfortunately, forest management and governance are plagued by policies and practices handed down from colonialism that impede innovation and progress.</p><p>To colonial powers, natural forests were sources of luxury timber for export, and forestry departments were sources of revenue<sup>1</sup>. Colonial forestry laws and codes were not created to manage forests sustainably, but to define who could access the benefits (that is, harvest, transport and market commercially valuable timber)<sup>2</sup>. Local people were seen as competition and relegated to only subsistence use of forest resources<sup>2,3</sup>. Forestry departments were primarily administrative — issuing permits and penalties<sup>2</sup>.</p>","PeriodicalId":18974,"journal":{"name":"Nature Climate Change","volume":"56 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":29.6000,"publicationDate":"2025-03-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Nature Climate Change","FirstCategoryId":"89","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41558-025-02288-z","RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Forest restoration and management have huge potential to contribute to climate, biodiversity and sustainability goals; and countless projects to plant trees and conserve forests are underway on the African continent. Unfortunately, forest management and governance are plagued by policies and practices handed down from colonialism that impede innovation and progress.
To colonial powers, natural forests were sources of luxury timber for export, and forestry departments were sources of revenue1. Colonial forestry laws and codes were not created to manage forests sustainably, but to define who could access the benefits (that is, harvest, transport and market commercially valuable timber)2. Local people were seen as competition and relegated to only subsistence use of forest resources2,3. Forestry departments were primarily administrative — issuing permits and penalties2.
期刊介绍：
Nature Climate Change is dedicated to addressing the scientific challenge of understanding Earth's changing climate and its societal implications. As a monthly journal, it publishes significant and cutting-edge research on the nature, causes, and impacts of global climate change, as well as its implications for the economy, policy, and the world at large.
The journal publishes original research spanning the natural and social sciences, synthesizing interdisciplinary research to provide a comprehensive understanding of climate change. It upholds the high standards set by all Nature-branded journals, ensuring top-tier original research through a fair and rigorous review process, broad readership access, high standards of copy editing and production, rapid publication, and independence from academic societies and other vested interests.
Nature Climate Change serves as a platform for discussion among experts, publishing opinion, analysis, and review articles. It also features Research Highlights to highlight important developments in the field and original reporting from renowned science journalists in the form of feature articles.
Topics covered in the journal include adaptation, atmospheric science, ecology, economics, energy, impacts and vulnerability, mitigation, oceanography, policy, sociology, and sustainability, among others.
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