**4. Conclusion**

The future for participatory approaches in Uganda that includes CFM on gazetted forest reserves, community forests and private forests is bright. The struggle though remains incorporation of such initiatives in the bigger Environment and Natural Resources sector, mainstreaming it into the Poverty Eradication Action Plan (PEAP) pillar (now National Planning Authority Master Plan) on natural resources. Making sure it is in the Non-sectoral Conditional Grants, mainstreaming in the District Development Plans and making sure there are resources for implementing activities that make participatory approaches a success. It is clear that: (i) Communities need to move from positions as subordinate beneficiaries, receiving a share of access, products or other benefits, into positions where they may themselves regulate this source of livelihood and with longer-term perspectives; (ii) CFM promotes good governance and accountability in the management of gazetted forests. Collaborative Forest Management reduces the ills associated with policing, and provides for access rights and may serve as an insurance against degazettement of Forest Reserves.
