(HCVF) Toolkit for Malaysia - HCV Resource Network

Appendix 9. Guide to identifying forest areas fundamental to meeting basic needs
of local communities (HCV 5) and/or critical to local communities’ traditional cultural
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identity (HCV 6) .
The following four steps can be used as part of a facilitated participatory approach to identifying HCV
5 and HCV 6 for a particular community. Facilitators should preferably have experience in Participatory
Rural Appraisal (PRA), speak the local language and be accepted by the local communities.
STEP 1: Identify sub-groups in each village based on their livelihood pattern
Villages may comprise several sub-groups with different ethnic origins, livelihood patterns, age and gender.
Before starting to identify the importance of forest values, facilitators need to divide each village into subgroups
along the lines of Table 1. This information can be obtained by conducting a rapid appraisal to
identify these key informants in order to avoid relying on a group whose views may be biased.
Table 1 – Identification of sub-groups within one village community
No. Ethnic group/origin Main sources of
livelihood
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Other key
characteristics (e.g.
history, location of
dwelling, etc.)
Approximate
No. of
Households
% of village
population
Any group which belongs to indigenous groups and/or represents at least 15% of the village population
should be considered as a significant sub-group and should be interviewed separately – either through
individual interviews or through group interviews in which care is taken to make sure that only one subgroup
is represented.
Regarding gender, it is important to obtain the participation of women, since they usually have a different
share in the resource use. Women may be more involved in the gathering of particular forest products,
such as medicinal plants, and may then have a different perspective on how fundamental they are. In
Malaysia, mixed gender group discussions tend to be dominated by men. In order to get an appropriate
representation of women’s point of view, separate group discussions with women only can be organised.
In such cases, the facilitator should be female.
STEP 2: Identify how each sub-group meets its basic needs
For each sub-group, Table 2 is proposed as a guide for individual or group interviews. The purpose of
this table is to identify how each of the basic needs of the sub-group is met by different types of sources,
including forest and alternative sources such as agriculture, the sea, the market, or aid by the government,
forest company development programs or other third parties, such as NGOs.
This table can be used in individual interviews. However, conducting such interviews can take a long time.
It is more efficient in terms of time to use the table with small groups of villagers gathered for a group
consultation. The ideal size would be between 5 to 15 people. About one hour should be enough to fill the
table with a small group of participants (5 to 15).
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Adapted from ‘Identifying, Managing and Monitoring High Conservation Value Forests in Indonesia: A Toolkit for Forest
Managers and other Stakeholders (2003). Available from www.hcvnetwork.org
These tables are generic guides: local groups or researchers should modify the approach where appropriate.