The Shareholder Corporation Contract

A Tool for Strengthening Co-operation and Accountability in Community Forestry

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In British Columbia, community forest agreements can be held by a variety of community based organizations and institutions. This guide is specifically intended for the shareholders and directors of community forest corporations. It explains how a well-written contract will help communities to clarify their roles and responsibilities, and ultimately lead to accountability and collaboration at all levels of the organization. Our purpose here is to provide a tool (a contract template) for use by both new and existing community forests that will help them establish appropriate rules and practices to manage the business relationship between their shareholders and the corporation. Along the way, we outline some of the background on effective community forest governance, explaining why it is best kept at arm’s length from community politics.