Sanrim-gye: A Local Community that Contributed to Reforestation through Public-Private Partnership

Among Korea’s old village traditions was dure—a cooperative labor system designed to facilitate mutual assistance and mitigate the hardships of agricultural life. In addition, to manage limited forest resources efficiently, villagers established song-gye (松契), communal associations dedicated to the organized procurement of fuel and timber. Following the nation’s liberation, in an effort to restore the devastated forests, the government encouraged—on a legal basis— the formation of sanrim-gye (山林契), village-based forestry cooperatives. The sanrim-gye independently established rules to maintain local order, including mountain patrols, the prevention of illegal logging, and the conservation of forest ecosystems. These associations also oversaw the systematic production of green manure and the collection of fuel. The establishment of fuelwood forests and the reforestation of village hillsides were carried out directly by the sanrim-gye; meanwhile, the government provided essential inputs—such as seedlings and fertilizer—free of charge and utilized the Saemaul Undong to educate the public on the imperative of forest restoration. To incentivize reforestation and strengthen the sanrim-gye, the government introduced several institutional measures: for private forests, profit-sharing and entrusted forest schemes; for public forests, forest-leasing schemes; and for national forests, a free-transfer scheme. These measures provided strong economic incentives for sanrim-gye, generating significant momentum for active tree planting and forest management across different forms of ownership. Large-scale, government-led erosion-control projects also mobilized labor through the sanrim-gye, and, by paying wages, created employment for poor members. Such forms of public–private cooperative governance laid the groundwork for the government’s First and Second 10-Year Forest Rehabilitation Plans (1973–1987) to proceed smoothly and ultimately achieve nationwide reforestation. The effectiveness of these arrangements demonstrates that the sanrim-gye system closely aligns with Elinor Ostrom’s principles for successful common-pool resource (CPR) management, illustrating the capacity of local communities to govern shared resources effectively. The inscription of Korea’s reforestation records on the UNESCO Memory of the World Register in April 2025 provides international validation of Korea’s reforestation efforts as a model case within the global environmental movement, underscoring both the historical nsignificance and organizational strength of the sanrim-gye. Given its high degree of universality, objectivity, and transparency, Korea’s sanrim-gye offers a robust framework that can be adapted to developing countries with different traditions and cultures.