This study tells the story of how a small community based organisation in the mountains of Puerto Rico became a driving force for a bottom up process of policy change that has reshaped the way the country’s forest resources are perceived and managed. At the most basic level, it is a story about the creation and management of a new forest reserve in Puerto Rico, the Bosque del Pueblo, or the People’s Forest. But it is also a larger story, one of tenacity, wise choices, some mistakes and plenty of courage. It documents the results of a process of self-reflection carried out by the story’s chief protagonist, an organisation called Casa Pueblo and facilitated by the Caribbean Natural Resources Institute. International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) Policy That Works for Forests and People 12 http://www.iied.org/pubs/pdfs/13503IIED.pdf
