Opportunities for forest managers to gain knowledge and skills in participatory resource management processes are still limited. A recent survey by IUCN has brought this out where a third of PA managers indicated that one of the areas priority training areas for them was related to sustainable development. Recognising the need for such training, a number of organisations including CARE, FAO, MSTCDC, RECOFTC and WWF initiated a series of workshops and training courses on different facets of this topic.
This tranual manual is the integration of these training initiatives that took place in Africa and Asia between 2002 and 2005. Some of the sessions in the manual were developed through the CARE/WWF/GEF-UNDP/MSTCDC Integrated Conservation and Development Training Programme for Eastern Africa in 2002. Further support for developing the manual was received in 2003 through the FAO programme on Strengthening Participatory Approaches in Forest Management in Uganda, Ghana, and Guyana. Additional training activities and case studies were added during the 2004 training course on Participatory Management of Protected Areas held at RECOFTC.
