Establishing a “Community Forest”: Insights from the Collaborative Process in Migdal HaEmek, Israel

Abstract

The basic principal in the establishment of "community forests" is the involvement of the proximate communities in its management and maintenance. The Balfour Forest, enveloping the Israeli town of Migdal HaEmek, was ignored by the local community who viewed it as a potentially dangerous no-man's land. The Jewish National Fund (JNF), Israel's forestry agency, initiated a process to engage the Migdal HaEmek community in developing and taking responsibility for the forest and serve as a model for the development of community forests in Israel. Between 2008 and 2009, the collaborative structure was designed and established, and community activists identified, recruited, and empowered to create a team of "forest trustees" whose activities continue to impact ties among the community and the forest. This article evaluates the process dynamics, outcomes, and impacts and examines their implications for intergovernmental relations, community empowerment, and environmental and development issues.

Enhancing Environmental Quality and Sustainability through Negotiation and Conflict Management: Research into Systems, Dynamics, and Practices

“…These cases have been described and evaluated, but they await analysis to derive process elements that travel well and others that cannot be implemented away from the contexts in which they evolved. Two of the articles in this issue, the first by Gasul and Shmueli () and the second by Matsuura (), extend this literature by examining processes that grow from endogenous conditions found in Israel and Japan.…”

“…The idea of multiple publics rather than a single unifying one pointed to the possibility of resolving public conflict in a transparent manner. By 1969, Sherry Arnstein's “A Ladder of Citizen Participation” (one of the most cited article ever published in the Journal of the American Institute of Planners and its successor Journal of the American Planning Association ) argued persuasively that participation was used too often as a form of placation, while its real potential lay in enabling citizen empowerment (see Gasul and Shmueli () in this issue for a fuller discussion of Arnstein's thesis). Jacob's, Davidoff's, and Arnstein's propositions in turn generated considerable debate within the planning and public administration professions and across activist communities seeking meaningful participation.…”

“…“Establishing a ‘Community Forest’: Insights from the Collaborative Process in Migdal HaEmek, Israel,” by Gasul and Shmueli (), uses analysis of a case coupled with single‐case evaluation methods to examine the impact of collaborative community involvement in the establishment and implementation of a community forest in Israel. The Balfour Forest, enveloping the town of Migdal HaEmek, was initially ignored as a potentially dangerous no‐man's land, but eventually integrated into the activities, identity, and management responsibilities of the community.…”

The Role of Experts and Scholars in Community Conflict Resolution: A Comparative Analysis of Two Cases in China

“…This is a “relative approach” (Chi, ) to the study of experts and scholars. For example, compared to local famers and other social actors, reporters and civil rights activists often have more knowledge and information and often play improve roles as ES in many events in contemporary China (Gasul & Shmueli, ; Yang, ; Yang & Wu, ). In ancient China, these people were often called shi , meaning educated gentlemen.…”