Ilocos Norte [Philippines] Charcoal-makers and salt-makers' community-based resource management practices

Cayabyab et.al. (MMSU) documented the Community-based resource management practices of selected forest-user groups in Ilocos Norte specifically charcoal makers and salt makers. The study aimed to describe the socioeconomic conditions of the resource users and to identify their resource utilization, harvesting, and cultural management practices. This study also aimed to find institutions influencing the charcoal- and salt-makers' use of the forest resources. In addition, the study attempted to identify issues or concerns for the formulation of policy implications or recommendations. The study was conducted from January 2005 to December 2007. Findings of the study revealed the following: Observations from the study revealed that harvesting practices were generally sound, such as felling of dead trees and pruning of branches. Silvicultural practice was limited only to coppicing. Results also showed charcoal- and salt-makers who utilized trees undertook tree planting in integrated social forestry (ISF) areas but rarely in private woodlots. Those who gathered wood from public forests were found to be not practicing resource management measures. The charcoal-maker compared to the salt-maker posed a greater threat to the forest resources. This was due to the following reasons: 1) a great number of charcoal-makers lacked lawful access to wood sources, either as woodlot owners or ISF beneficiaries; 2) alternative materials for wood as fuel in making salt were available locally, whereas wood remained to be the only practical and readily available raw material for charcoal production; 3) charcoal-production required wood of better quality than salt-making, as seen from the greater number of charcoal-makers harvesting living trees of preferred size and gathering main roots of dead trees; and 4) charcoal-makers showed low compliance to forest laws and regulations. Similarly, indigenous institutional arrangements even informal ones related to resource use had not evolved between the two groups. Nonetheless, to some extent, formal institutions such as forest laws and regulations had guided their use of the public forests, even if their knowledge of these laws and regulations was unlimited. Knowledge of these ranged from very general to ambiguous. Major recommendations of the researchers were enumerated.