Rainforest Alliance

Kleinhans Fellowship for Community Forestry Research

The Kleinhans Fellowship provides support for research that addresses real-world problems faced by community forest enterprises (CFEs). As governments increasingly devolve decision-making authority over natural resources to local communities, many CFEs struggle to manage forest resources sustainably while making a profit and ensuring equitable use of financial returns. The fellowship supports research oriented toward solving these challenges, with planning, implementation and dissemination of research results carried out in a participatory manner to ensure practical value for communities. Research topics include markets for lesser-known species and non-timber forest products, biodiversity management practices, social organization and governance, and multi-community enterprises. The fellowship provides a two-year stipend to support research conducted in Latin America that helps inform technical assistance for local development and guides action plans for community forestry.