Participatory Forest Management is a new strategy for the Forest Departments of Kenya and Zambia. Over the last five years or so, an increasing number of small project initiatives have been supported in both countries to test this model. Progress has been slowed by a lack of policy and legal frameworks, as well as management reluctance to take responsibility for new ideas and ways of engaging with multiple stakeholders. The authors argue that both of these governments as well as the international donors need to collaborate to develop suitable systems for monitoring and assessing progress towards improvements in resource utilisation and livelihoods.