Challenges in managing forest genetic resources for livelihoods: examples from Argentina and Brazil

This book presents the project activities that were undertaken within a framework that integrated socioeconomic, policy, population genetic and ecological features of four different forest ecosystems spread across South America, through a participatory and multidisciplinary research approach. Project implementation was a true learning event for all the parties involved. It resulted in unexpected problems, unforeseen delays, communications difficulties, and coordination and implementation challenges that turned the project into a pioneering experience. In view of the above, we all felt it was important to share the experiences of the project partners with the broader community so that others could learn from the mistakes that were made as well as from the positive outcomes. I would thus like to summarize a few of the key learning experiences, more details of which are found in subsequent chapters of this publication. First and foremost is the importance of involving key stakeholders as equal partners, from the initial stages of project planning through to the interpretation of results. It was felt that no compromises should be made and that the project proposal should adequately reflect this in the activities and budgets that correspond to this critical phase. A second, related point is the need to allow sufficient time for individual research partners to engage rural community stakeholders in the implementation of the activities that they had agreed to undertake. This required flexibility in project implementation, sometimes more than current practices allow. Thirdly, as the approaches need to be truly 'bottom up' in order to allow and ensure the required commitment and true participation of all stakeholders, it was necessary to facilitate this essential participation through adequate budgetary arrangements. It is not sufficient to assume that stakeholders have the means to participate 'at their own expense'.