Abstract
Local people's participation toward natural resource management was examined based on approaches and influence of two conservation and development oriented support projects in sixteen communities of Ambohilero forest. Community members were interviewed in order to understand their activities, organization and individual participation. Community group from development oriented projects had a higher involvement in management activities than members from the conservation project. Access difficulties and lack of livelihood incentives from the conservation project after implementation of management contract have raised limitations of households' participation in the sustainable use of resources, while development projects creates incentives through the community forest logging. It is argued that depending on how the support projects implement the participatory process and empower the community, they create restraints, provide opportunities differently.
