Pyramid structure of management institutions
The management committees from each village constitute the bottom of the pyramid; they are responsible for implementing the action plan for the management of the forest as decided by the two paramount associations; they identify management activities to submit for approval to their paramount association; they are also responsible for designing and implementing the village development Plan. The two paramount associations coordinate the work programs of the management committees; they elaborate policy guidelines for the management of the forest; they consolidate the village development plans and are also responsible for fundraising. The federal association (at top of the pyramid) will be the official manager of the Tanoé forest on behalf of the villages of the project area.
All management committees and the two paramount associations have been established following the requirements and procedures of the national administration. Their bylaws and organizational schemes have been officially registered by the appropriate governmental authorities. The same procedures will be followed for the establishment of the "federal association" that will be the official interlocutor of the government.
It is important that local institutions are formed in compliance with the country’s laws and administrative procedures. In this case the process took some time because villagers needed to be well informed about the procedures and to be trained in elaborating the bylaws of their associations. Also the project focused on capacity building on the governance of local associations so that these associations become definitively functional.