Bottom-up implementation after Rio: Rural community participation in Scottish forestry

Abstract

From the Earth Summit in Rio in June 1992 came Agenda 21 and the Forest Principles, both of which stress the importance of the participation of local communities and indigenous peoples in the process of sustainable development. Rio paved the way, in principle at least, for a more bottom-up approach to policy implementation. This contrasts starkly with the style of Conservative¹ government, which adhered explicitly to a strong top-down approach. There are at present in Scotland a number of initiatives concerned with involving rural communities with their local forests and woodlands. In particular the Scottish Rural Development Forestry Programme is notable for its attempt to initiate a genuinely bottom-up process of development in rural Scottish communities. This may be compared with other governmental initiatives aimed at increasing local involvement in forestry. The progress of these different approaches to date, along with various policy statements and documents, paints a picture of contradiction and tension with regard to this policy area.