African State-Society Linkages in Transition: The Case of Forestry Policy in Mali

Abstract

In Africa, new natural resources management (NRM) policies and practices are emerging that redraw the boundary between state and civil society. Policy frameworks that allocate sole responsibility for NRM to the state bureaucracy have failed to promote sustainable NRM. In the forestry sector in the Sahel, many countries are in the process of revising both NRM policies and institutional arrangements to reflect a co-management strategy that includes local communities, often with non-governmental organizations as intermediaries. This article examines the case of Mali, reviewing the history of forestry policy, current reforms, and the prospects for successful implementation. The conclusions highlight the importance of stakeholder commitment to reform, redefining the role of the state to fit with institutional capacity and incentives, and the need to manage the reform process strategically.