Community-led reserve designation
A workshop was organized for communities to decide about the appropriate organizational scheme and elaborate drafts of the management rules of forest resources. Then a preliminary participatory demarcation of the forest was made with community members at the frontline. The boundaries were materialized by painting marks on trees. Later, a survey led by governmental authorities allowed confirming that most local residents agreed to go forward with the classification of the demarcated portion of the forest as a community reserve.
A consensus on the boundaries of the area dedicated to conservation must be obtained to avoid later conflicts amongst stakeholders. In this case, communities decided about the boundaries of the area to be dedicated to conservation. No existing farm was included inside the future reserve.
Communities must be well informed about the implications of their decision before the conservation area is demarcated. They must lead the process entirely and must receive only technical support in the production of maps. The survey conducted by governmental authorities to confirm the absence of any competing interest must be as inclusive as possible.