Forest governance is under reorganisation in many European countries, because of the changes in property and forest tenure rights. Portuguese community-based forestry is an interesting research subject from a New Institutional Economics perspective. Community forests (an important part of community lands known as baldios) cover half a million hectares in the north and the centre of the country and are owned by local communities. Their average size of over 400 hectares and diversity of resources underscore their value, and their management contributes to rural development. Recent laws intend for the complete transfer of their tenure rights to communities and local authorities. In this study, we analysed the transformational processes of Portuguese community-based forestry. To structure this analysis and shed light on forest management-related problems, we followed the 'four-level institutional analysis' developed by Williamson. Particular attention was paid to the first three levels. The first concerned social practice and informal rules. We are describing the history of baldios, their use by rural populations, and the subsequent occupation by the State for afforestation. The second level addressed the institutional environment and formal rules. Here, we focused on the recognition of baldio community properties and their legal framework development. The third level addressed management and the interaction of actors in transaction cost savings. Here, we examined the current community-based management models and future trends. In our analysis, we identified the causes underlying baldio management problems at different levels, which highlight the importance of new governance models and economic activities. The analysis showed that overall, the Portuguese community forest governance is a flexible structure capable of adapting to political and demographic changes and offering valuable support for the development of rural areas in the north and centre of the country. Additional empirical research is needed to improve knowledge on the impact of institutions on the management of community forests, both nationally and internationally.

由于财产和森林使用权的变化，许多欧洲国家的森林治理正在重组中。从新制度经济学的角度来看，葡萄牙社区林业是一个有趣的研究课题。社区森林（被称为baldios的社区土地的重要组成部分）在该国北部和中部占地半百万公顷，归当地社区所有。它们的平均面积超过400公顷，资源丰富，彰显了它们的价值，其管理有助于农村发展。最近的法律打算将其权属权利完全转让给社区和地方当局。在这项研究中，我们分析了葡萄牙社区林业的转型过程。为了构建此分析并阐明与森林管理相关的问题，我们遵循了威廉姆森（Williamson）提出的“四级制度分析”。特别注意了前三个级别。首先是社会实践和非正式规则。我们正在描述秃头鱼的历史，农村居民使用秃头鱼的情况以及国家随后进行的植树造林活动。第二层是制度环境和正式规则。在这里，我们着重于对巴尔迪奥社区财产及其法律框架发展的认识。第三级涉及交易成本节省中的管理和参与者的互动。在这里，我们研究了当前基于社区的管理模型和未来趋势。在我们的分析中，我们在不同层次上确定了Baldio管理问题的根本原因，这些问题凸显了新治理模式和经济活动的重要性。分析表明，总体而言，葡萄牙社区森林治理是一个灵活的结构，能够适应政治和人口变化，并为该国北部和中部农村地区的发展提供了宝贵的支持。需要进行更多的经验研究，以提高对机构在国内和国际上对社区森林管理的影响的认识。葡萄牙社区森林治理是一个灵活的结构，能够适应政治和人口变化，并为该国北部和中部农村地区的发展提供了宝贵的支持。需要进行更多的经验研究，以提高对机构在国内和国际上对社区森林管理的影响的认识。葡萄牙社区森林治理是一个灵活的结构，能够适应政治和人口变化，并为该国北部和中部农村地区的发展提供了宝贵的支持。需要进行更多的经验研究，以提高对机构在国内和国际上对社区森林管理的影响的认识。