The role of the youth in community forestry in Gabon

In the wake of the creation of the first community
forests in Gabon, the village associations in charge
of these forests are handicapped by their own
working capacity. Affected by rural exodus,
communities however rarely integrate the youth
(between the ages of 16 to 24) who reside
permanently in the village in village associations.
The youth are generally excluded from the decision
making process of elders. In fact, the youth that
reside permanently in the village do not generally
hold any diploma and have no professional
qualification. Consequently, they are hardly
respected by the people around them and their
opinions are not taken into account. They are left out
of any activity conducted by the associations unless
these activities are remunerated. However, the involvement of the youth in village associations is
necessary, not only to increase the work capacity,
but also to ensure the perpetuation of interventions
since the youth will be the first and future
beneficiaries of the community forest.