Qualitative Forest Quality Assessment Through Local Knowledge Integration and Co-Creation: A Participatory Study in Northern Malawi

Forest ecosystems in many low-income tropical countries experience high rates of degradation. Often, remote sensing and forest surveys are used to assess the degradation, neglecting local knowledge in the evaluation and management responses. In this study, we integrate scientific and local knowledge to co-create customized indicators for qualitatively plumb forests and identify suitable management strategies. We used the Drivers-Pressures-Stressors-Condition-Responses framework to guide this collaborative process. Working with 100 farmers in 10 communities, we used in-depth interviews, historical narratives, photography, and geospatial methods to conduct extensive “forest walks” to measure forest quality. Participants described their perception of forest quality based on seven co-created indicators and the impacts of human-environment interactions. We found that co-created indicators of forest quality generally align with indicators used in ecological science, highlighting synergies for collaborative assessment. Perception of forest quality is based mostly on intrinsic value placed on ecosystem services and the degree of human impacts on forest condition. Local knowledge integration and co-creation in forest quality assessment uncovered nuances of the drivers of forest deforestation, which aids in the development of customized co-management strategies for regeneration and conservation. Overall, the study underscores the importance of bottom-up collaboration in bridging the science-policy-practice gap to address forest degradation.