International standards can help businesses fill gaps in national law but addressing issues at scale requires systematic governance reform. Law is part of the problem as often are governments. In many countries features of the law facilitate dispossession. It is often not technical capacity that is missing but the political power to confront vested interests. The challenges are steep but need to be confronted.
Women’s participation in decision making at the user-group level and in forest committees has been demonstrated to have a positive impact on forest sustainability. For example, women’s participation enhances forest regeneration and reduces illegal harvesting through improved monitoring. Their presence in forest user groups increases the groups’ capacity to manage and resolve conflicts, which in turn increases the likelihood that resource users will comply with and respect harvesting and use rules.
The Mau Forest Complex forms the largest closed canopy forest ecosystem in Kenya and is an asset of great national and regional importance. The complex supports a wide range of environmental services crucial for the socioeconomic development of the region. Despite its critical importance in sustaining current and future economic development, the forest has been adversely affected by extensive illegal, irregular and ill-planned settlements, in addition to illegal forest resources extraction.
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