Climate Change and Forest Governance: A Qualitative Review of Local Community Engagement in Rural East Africa

Abstract

Community engagement plays a critical role in effective forest governance and climate change adaptation in East Africa. This qualitative review synthesizes evidence from 22 peer-reviewed studies published between 2010 and 2024, using participatory governance theory to examine how rural communities engage in forest management amid climate pressures. The analysis centers on three themes: forms and levels of participation, barriers to meaningful engagement, and implications for climate-resilient forest governance. Findings indicate that while frameworks such as Participatory Forest Management (PFM), Collaborative Forest Management (CFM), and Community Forest Associations (CFAs) have broadened community roles, genuine participation is limited. Across the reviewed literature, over 70% of studies reported that engagement remained superficial due to centralized decision-making, insecure land tenure, elite capture, and inequitable benefit-sharing. Conversely, customary institutions were highlighted in nearly half of the studies as offering adaptive, context-specific governance solutions—yet these systems are often sidelined in national policies. Additionally, climate finance mechanisms like REDD+ were noted in 8 studies to risk deepening exclusion if local voices are not meaningfully integrated. The review brings to light the need for transformative engagement rooted in secure rights, equitable power-sharing, recognition of indigenous knowledge, and strong accountability mechanisms. Moreover, these findings contribute to ongoing regional and global debates on climate justice, decolonizing conservation, and the future of community-based natural resource management in East Africa.