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European Tropical Forest Research Network
ETFRN NEWS 30ETFRN-News is a publication of the European Tropical Forest Research Network that appears threetimes a year:Editor: Willemine Brinkman Guest editors: Kate SchreckenbergEditorial assistance:Evelyn Whyte
CONTENTS
EditorialETFRN and European Commission NewsOrganisations, Institutions and Projects
RESEARCHABLE CONSTRAINTS IN PARTICIPATORY FOREST MANAGEMENTFOREST GOVERNANCE AND LOCAL INSTITUTIONS: KARNATAKA, INDIASOCIO-ECONOMIC ASPECTS OF COMMUNITY FORESTRY IN NORTHEASTERNTHAILAND - A CASE STUDYECONOMIC ANALYSIS OF STAKEHOLDER INCENTIVES IN PARTICIPATORYFOREST MANAGEMENTTHE DYNAMIC OF CHANGE AND DEVELOPMENT AMONGST THE BULU: PASSIVE-AGGRESSIVE RESPONSES TO AN ICDP IN THE DJA RESERVE, SOUTHERNCAMEROONPARTICIPATORY RESEARCH FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF FORESTMANAGEMENT PLANS IN THE MIDDLE CAQUETA REGION OF THE COLOMBIANAMAZONA PARTICIPATORY GIS FOR COMMUNITY FORESTRY USER GROUPS IN NEPALFOREST USER GROUPS FOREST MANAGEMENT PROJECT (FFMP)NATURAL FOREST MANAGEMENT AMONG INDIGENOUS PEOPLE IN LATINAMERICAPROMOTING SUSTAINABLE MECHANISMS IN JFM THROUGH NGOS IN ANDHRAPRADESHLEARNING TO LEARN: WORKING WITH LOCAL PEOPLE TO DEVELOP TIMBERAND NON-TIMBER FOREST PRODUCTS. EXPERIENCE FROM NEPAL
Research Cooperation SoughtInternet FeaturesOther NewsJob OpportunitiesPublications
ETFRN Coordination Unitc/o The Tropenbos FoundationP.O. Box 2326700 AE Wageningen/ The NetherlandsTel.:+31-317-495516Fax:+31-317-495521E-mail: [email protected]
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ETFRN News 30Editorial
Dear Readers,The last decade has seen a sea-change in attitudes. Today it is hardly possible to conceive of anytropical forest being managed without some kind of involvement by local people. This can range fromjoint forest management schemes in which state foresters still play a dominant role to situations inwhich decision-making power is fully devolved to indigenous people. But what constitutes successfulparticipatory forest management? Although popular and recognised as being the most promising wayto ensure that forests are conserved while continuing to meet the needs of the poor, implementationof the concept of participatory forest management (PFM) is still lagging far behind the optimisticrhetoric.
As illustrated by the contributions in this issue from Africa, Asia and Latin America, effective PFM stillfaces many challenges. Examples from India show that, even after several years of implementation,many community members are unaware of the Joint Forest Management schemes in their villages.This lack of involvement is particularly true in the case of women, whose participation needs to bepromoted more actively with training and exchanges of experience between communities. Successfulimplementation must recognise and work with traditional social structures. This means that there is nosimple PFM model that can be copied from one project to another - rather it is necessary in everycase to be aware of local power systems and to identify all stakeholders with their often conflictingagendas. In particular we need a better understanding of the costs and benefits of PFM to eachgroup of stakeholders in order to be able to provide the appropriate incentives for them to participatemore actively.
While there has been much focus on the socio-economic and institutional challenges facing PFM, weshould not forget the more technical silvicultural issues. Many PFM projects begin with a focus on arelatively passive use of forest products, predominantly for subsistence. We now need to take thenext step and help communities move towards more active forest management to meet bothsubsistence and commercial needs. The use of simple software and technology such as aerial photoscan help to combine qualitative and quantitative information, providing resource information relevant tocommunities' needs at the same time as presenting it in a form acceptable to forest administrations.
The greatest need perhaps is for better communication. At the level of individual PFM projects thismeans better dialogue between scientific research and the often very detailed indigenous knowledgeavailable amongst local people. At a regional level, networking of communities involved in PFM canhelp to ensure the sustainability of the system by providing support and locally relevant information.Finally, at the global level, as this issue shows, we are seeing a very rapid accumulation of PFMexperience. It is essential that we continue to share this information, assess it constructively, and findmore ways of making it available to the growing number of foresters and communities embarking onPFM activities.
Kate Schreckenberg, Overseas Development Institute, United Kingdom
We are grateful to Kate Schreckenberg for editing this issue of the ETFRN News. Please note thethemes and deadlines for the next issues on the back cover and I look forward to receiving yourcontributions.
Willemine Brinkman
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ETFRN Coordination Unitc/o The Tropenbos FoundationPO Box 232, 6700 AE WageningenThe NetherlandsTel: +31 317495516Fax: +31 317495521Email: [email protected]://www.etfrn.org/etfrn
Editor: Willemine BrinkmanGuest Editor for this issue: Kate SchreckenbergEditorial assistance: Evelyn Whyte
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ETFRN News 30ETFRN and European Commision News
EC NEWSBy Willemine Brinkman
INCO DEV call for proposalsOn 15 March 2000 the European Commission's Directorate for research (ex DG12)published this year's call for proposals under the sub-programme 'Confirming theInternational role of Community research', also known as INCODEV. The callincludes many opportunities for forest research in the tropics and subtropics. Theavailable budget for this call is 85.5 million Euro. Next year's call for proposals willfocus on urbanisation and rural-urban interfaces; it will provide few if anyopportunities for forest-related research.
The objectives of INCO DEV are:
1. · To tackle challenges faced by DCs;2. · To mobilise the European S&T community jointly with DCs S&T
communities;3. · To use RTD co-operation to support EU development co-operation policy;4. · To strengthen and add value to ongoing research activities in the EU and
DCs;5. · To reduce the isolation of DC scientists;6. · To enable them to work at an international level while based in their own
institutions.
The target regions of INCO DEV are Africa, Caribbean, Pacific (ACP); Asia; LatinAmerica; Mediterranean (in particular Mediterranean Partner Countries).
INCO DEV is structured as follows:a) policy research to determine the conditions for sustainable development - thisyear's call themes include Natural resource use and economic production:adaptation to globalisation while ensuring harmony with the environment.b) systems research on complex issues involving many interacting components -here the current call specifies research on ecosystem management, including studyof processes involved in obtaining goods and services from natural ecosystems;analysis of socio-economic factors; as well as establishment and validation ofcriteria and indicators for sustainability.c) 'Tools' research on specific scientific and technological problems to generatetools for sustainable development. One of the current themes under this call headingis technologies for sustainable crop and animal production, focussing on cash cropsand forestry; breeding; pest and disease management; agricultural practices,
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including agroforestry; afforestation techniques for restoration of woodlands andenrichment of degraded stands; environmentally friendly and more efficientprocessing technologies for storage, quality, use and marketing of products. Pleasenote that specific cash crops are listed per region.
Under each of these headings, the call text specifies specific areas or themes whichwill be eligible for funding. Proposals need not be restricted to one of theseheadings, but should address the themes specified in the call text.
Competition for funds is open; no part of the budget is earmarked for work onspecific themes or region. Evaluation of proposals is a two-step process. The firststep is conducted by a panel of subject matter experts and screens proposalsagainst scientific and technological excellence, as well as other criteria specified inthe evaluation manual; the second step is carried out by one of four 'regional panels'(Africa, Asia, Latin America, Mediterranean). Equity of management and resourcesbetween DC and EU counterparts is very important in this step.
The call relates to proposals for the following types of actions:
1. · shared cost actions (research projects) - minimum of two partners fromEuropean Union Member States (EU-MS), or Associated Countries (ACs), anda minimum of two partners from different Developing Countries (DCs)(preferably in the same region);
2. · concerted actions (actions to improve coordination and linkages betweenresearchers and existing research projects) - minimum of 3 partners from 3different EU-MS or ACs, and 3 partners from 3 different DCs;
3. · thematic networks - intended to cover additional costs of bringing together allstakeholders, i.e. researchers and users of research results, around a theme,mainly to promote distribution of research results - minimum of 3 partners from3 different EU-MS or ACs, and 3 partners from 3 different DCs.
Proposals for bursaries may be included with research proposals - to enable DCscientists to work at a European partner institution for up to 6 months.
Research proposals for any of these three types of action must include the followingto be considered eligible for funding - please review the guide for proposers, partsone and two, for details.
Part A - Administrative Information; please note that the forms provided in theinformation pack only refer to this part;Part B - Scientific part, description of work; this includes title page, objectives,contribution to programme objectives, innovation, work plan;Part C - Policies, Impact, Management; this must be structured as follows: title page;community added valueand contribution to EU policies; description of consortium;background information on partners; project management; environmental impactand ethical considerations; economic development and scientific technicalprospects; ongoing projects; previous and related proposals; cost summary.
If any of these parts are missing, the proposal will be considered not eligible, andwill not be included in the evaluation procedure outlined above.
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The call text and all other documents needed to submit a proposal can bedownloaded from the following web page:http://www.cordis.lu/inco2/calls/200001.htm
Information packages may also be requested from:European CommissionDG RTD -E-4200 Rue de la LoiB-1049 Brussels, BelgiumEmail: [email protected]
The call identifier is: ICFP500A4PR02
Closing date for the call: 15.09.2000*******************************************
For readers interested in trade issues:, the European Commission announced thesuccessful conclusion of negotiations between the European Union and China on itsaccession to the World Trade Organisation. A special web page has been createdwith details on the mainagreement:http://europa.eu.int/comm/trade/bilateral/china/wto.htm
ETFRN NEWSBy Willemine Brinkman
New phase for ETFRN: 2000 - 2003The European Commission's Directorate for Research has signed an agreementwith the Tropenbos Foundation for a new phase for the ETFRN Coordination Unitfrom July 2000 to December 2003. The Coordination Unit will receive funding for thenew phase from the INCODEV Accompanying Measures programme. The currentfunding phase was extended till 30 June 2000, enabling the implementation of threeETFRN workshops and an ETFRN INCODEV dissemination meeting, as well as thecurrent issue of the ETFRN News.
The annual budget for the Coordination Unit will be slightly lower in the new phase,unless additional funds are found. Also, more emphasis will be placed on facilitatingresearch collaboration on development questions, and on strengthening linksbetween research and research clients through workshops with a specific thematicfocus. One of the implications is that from 2000 onwards, three instead of fourissues of the ETFRN News will be published per year.
Steering CommitteeThe ETFRN Steering Committee met in Paris last February 25 and 26, hosted byECOFOR. The meeting discussed strategy and plans for the new phase, as well asactions to be taken before the end of the current funding phase. The SteeringCommittee agreed that as network tasks and activities were expanding, a morecollegiate approach was called for, whereby national focal points, and possibly alsoother participants in the network would take on responsibility for specific tasks suchas organising a workshop, or providing a guest editor for an issue of the newsletter.The draft guidelines for ETFRN workshops were discussed, and it was agreed thatthese guidelines remain a working document, to be reviewed and amended as
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needed. The ETFRN workshops planned before 30 June would serve as 'test cases'for the guidelines. A programme for the ETFRN News was approved, and guesteditors and themes were identified for all issues till 2002.
The actions to be taken before 30 June 2000 included the following:
1. · All national focal points should have established a website; the ETFRNcoordination unit should provide assistance if needed.
2. · A communication strategy to make the ETFRN website more widely knownwas to be developed – a Steering Committee task force consisting of Jan deBrabandere (Belgium) and Erik Lammerts van Bueren (the Netherlands) wouldtake the lead.
3. · A task force led by the French focal point would take the lead to develop astrategy to quantify European research capability in tropical, subtropical andMediterranean forest research.
4. · An INCODEV dissemination meeting was to be organised5. · Two ETFRN workshops were planned for the period, and a decision on co-
funding a third workshop was to be taken. Details on the INCODEV meetingand the workshops held are provided below.
As her one-year term of office had ended, Ms Jane Thornback (United Kingdom)stepped down as Chairman of the ETFRN Steering Committee.Over the past two years, first during her term as Vice Chair, and then as MadameChairman, Ms Thornback has spent much time and effort to make ETFRN asuccess. The Coordination Unit has greatly benefited from her strategic thinking,support and practical advice. We are thankful that she has agreed to remain amember of the ETFRN Executive Committee for one more year.
Olavi Luukkanen (Finland) was welcomed as the new Chairman of the ETFRNSteering Committee. Jochen Heuveldop (Germany) was unanimously elected asVice-Chairman. Anders Malmer (Sweden) also agreed to join the ETFRN ExecutiveCommittee. Support for his nomination was unanimous.
Unfortunately, Raul d'Albuquerque Sardinha (Portugal) was not able to attend theSteering Committee meeting due to ill health. Professor Sardinha has served on theETFRN Executive Committee for three years, first as Vice-Chair, then as Chairman,and a third year as member. His commitment, support and contributions to strategicthinking and development of the network are much appreciated.
INCODEV Dissemination meetingOn March 31, 2000 the ETFRN Coordination unit organised a one-day meeting inBrussels to provide information on EC opportunities for forest research funding inthe tropics, subtropics and Mediterranean, paying particular attention to theINCODEV call for proposals, which was published 15 March 2000. The meeting wasattended by over 60 people, researchers from all over Europe as well asrepresentatives from forest research networks in Africa and Asia. The head of theINCODEV unit in the European Commission's DG Research, Mr Jaak Sinnaeve,provided a brief introduction to INCODEV, highlighting how this programme differsfrom the preceding programme, INCO DC. Mr Alain Darthenucq, also from theINCODEV Unit, presented details about the programme. Mr Darthenucq had kindly
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agreed to stand in for Ms Nicole Riveill-Bounaga, who is the INCODEV Unit contactperson for most of the forest-related projects funded by INCODEV was unfortunatelyabsent due to ill-health.In the afternoon Ms Anne de Ligne and Mr John Bazill of DG Development providedinformation on the EC Communication on Tropical Forests and on the currentsituation regarding the tropical forest budget line.
For a copy of the meeting report, please contact the ETFRN Coordination Unit.
For details on the recent ETFRN workshop on NTFP Biometrics, please see theETFRN website.
WORKSHOP: LEARNING FROM RESOURCE USERS - A PARADIGM SHIFT INTROPICAL FORESTRY?By Anna Lawrence
The Austrian National Node of the European Tropical Forest Research Networkorganised an international workshop on the above theme on 28-29 April at theInstitute for Forest Ecology in Vienna. It brought together 33 people representing abroad range of natural resource research and management expertise, to shareexperiences and explore the commonalities and divergences of scientific andindigenous knowledge, and the implications for the ways in which forestry researchis conducted. The first day was devoted to presentation and discussion of boththeoretical and case-study papers. This was followed by work in groups on thesecond day to discuss the following questions, in groups which focused on theimplications within forestry research, and between forestry researchers and thewider community especially policy makers:
What is changing in forestry?What needs to change further?What action should we take to make this happen?
Among the conclusions of the workshop, the participants felt it was important toemphasise the multidisciplinarity of contemporary forestry. Those who work with theusers of forest resources come from diverse backgrounds, and this has profoundimplications for forestry education and institutions. All the discussion groupsrecognised a real shift of power over resources, to the more local level, but felt thismust go further in recognising and involving local institutions and enhancingparticipatory learning processes. This was expressed as the need not only to learnfrom the resource user, but to learn with the resource user. The issues ofcommunication between different stakeholders, and in particular betweenresearchers and policy makers, were raised repeatedly. There was a strong call forimproved networking, and ETFRN is responding to this with plans for an interactiveweb page on participatory forestry.
The following papers were presented:
1. · A. Lawrence: Overview of the issues: role of local knowledge in forestryresearch
2. · K.F. Wiersum: Comparing indigenous and professional forest management
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3. · B. Muraille: Managing the forest with villagers: joint forest management inLaos
4. · S. Gram: Local way of life and timber management5. · D. Schmidt-Vogt: Indigenous knowledge and the use of fallow forests in
Northern Thailand6. · H. Gibbon: Learning to learn: working with local people to develop timber and
non-timber forest products. Experience from Nepal7. · G. Lettmayer: 'Learning to respect' - about cooperation with resource users8. · R. Singhal: Indigenous knowledge: potentials and limitations for sustainable
forest management9. · U. Ite: Indigenous agro-ecological knowledge, tropical forest and
conservation in Southeast Nigeria10. · F. Sinclair, H. Dixon et al.: General patterns in local understanding of
ecology: issues of scale in relation to perception and knowledgeacquisition/WinAKT
11. · A. Basha: Sub-sector study of the wood-cutting industry of two communitiesaround Jozani Forest, Zanzibar
12. · J. Wells/D. Wall: Learning from local people about how they produce andmarket timber in Tanzania
Abstracts of all the papers can be found at the workshop website at:http://nuf.boku.ac.at/workshop42000/abstracts_e.htm
The full papers will be peer-reviewed and then published together as the first issuein a new series of ETFRN publications. This series intends to promoteunderstanding of specific tropical forest research topics by providing an overview ofcurrent research and by identifying gaps for future research.
For more information about the workshop, please consult the website:http://nuf.boku.ac.at/workshop42000/ws42000info.htm.or
Ms Julia RoetzerOeGWEBInstitute for Forest EcologyUniversity of Agricultrual Sciences - BOKUPeter Jordan Strasse 821190 Vienna, AustriaTel. +43 1 47654 4124Fax. +43 1 4797896Email: [email protected]
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ETFRN News 30Organisations - Institutions - Programmes
RESEARCHABLE CONSTRAINTS IN PARTICIPATORY FOREST MANAGEMENTFOREST GOVERNANCE AND LOCAL INSTITUTIONS: KARNATAKA, INDIASOCIO-ECONOMIC ASPECTS OF COMMUNITY FORESTRY IN NORTHEASTERNTHAILAND - A CASE STUDYECONOMIC ANALYSIS OF STAKEHOLDER INCENTIVES IN PARTICIPATORY FORESTMANAGEMENTTHE DYNAMIC OF CHANGE AND DEVELOPMENT AMONGST THE BULU: PASSIVE-AGGRESSIVE RESPONSES TO AN ICDP IN THE DJA RESERVE, SOUTHERN CAMEROONPARTICIPATORY RESEARCH FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF FOREST MANAGEMENTPLANS IN THE MIDDLE CAQUETA REGION OF THE COLOMBIAN AMAZONA PARTICIPATORY GIS FOR COMMUNITY FORESTRY USER GROUPS IN NEPALFOREST USER GROUPS FOREST MANAGEMENT PROJECT (FFMP)NATURAL FOREST MANAGEMENT AMONG INDIGENOUS PEOPLE IN LATIN AMERICAPROMOTING SUSTAINABLE MECHANISMS IN JFM THROUGH NGOS IN ANDHRAPRADESHLEARNING TO LEARN: WORKING WITH LOCAL PEOPLE TO DEVELOP TIMBER ANDNON-TIMBER FOREST PRODUCTS. EXPERIENCE FROM NEPAL
RESEARCHABLE CONSTRAINTS IN PARTICIPATORY FOREST MANAGEMENT
by Anna Lawrence and Kate Green
This research was funded by the Department of International Development'sForestry Research Programme (FRP) through project ZF0118. However, the viewsexpressed in this article are entirely those of the authors, and are not necessarilyshared by DFID.
In 1999 the Forestry Research Programme (FRP) of the UK's Department forInternational Development (DFID) commissioned AERDD (Agricultural Extensionand Rural Development Department, University of Reading) to survey and analysethe researchable constraints encountered in a range of participatory forestmanagement (PFM) projects. 'Researchable constraints' are interpreted asconstraints that can be overcome by the creation of new knowledge, or improvedaccess to and application of existing knowledge. Furthermore, in the context ofFRP's interests, the focus was on constraints that have benefits for the livelihoods ofthe poor.
The survey used an open questionnaire approach, combined with scores attachedto priorities for research. An initial questionnaire distributed to key informants (KIs)was modified and distributed to research collaborators in Bolivia, Brazil, India,Nepal, Philippines and Tanzania, who interviewed staff and forest users in selected
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PFM projects. The complementary qualitative and quantitative approaches allowedissues to be identified, discussed and evaluated despite the distance and number ofrespondents involved.
Overall, a total of 165 questionnaires were completed: 45 from key informants, 59from project staff and 61 from forest users. The results from these show that the topfour broad issues prioritised by respondents are communication and extension,organisation and partnerships, silviculture, and sustainability. However there were marked differences between different groups of stakeholders.For example, silviculture was a higher priority at local level (project staff and forestusers) than at international level (KIs) and the high priority accorded to benefitdistribution by KIs was not echoed by local respondents.
There were also some key differences between countries, notably a high prioritygiven to market research in Bolivia and Brazil, where communication was not ratedhighly (reflecting a preoccupation with management for commercial timberproduction); and in Tanzania a high priority for conflict management and tenurecontrasted with the low priority given to silviculture (reflecting the fact that most ofthe projects surveyed were in protected areas).
The most significant result is the very high level of agreement among differentstakeholders from different countries, that communication constraints are bothwidespread and researchable. This is an issue which links in with many others,notably policy (low awareness at field level, lack of consultation at policy-makinglevel); silviculture (poor dissemination and implementation of research results); andbenefit distribution (related to monitoring and evaluation of participation andbenefits). These problems are closely tied to the most frequent comments made inthe questionnaires, that project staff lack appropriate extension tools and methodsfor PFM. High importance was attached by respondents to organisation, with commentsindicating that this relates strongly to interactions between partners in PFM. There isa need for a more comprehensive study to document the pros and cons of differentinstitutional interactions, and their suitability within different social and politicalcontexts.
The difference of opinion between KIs and local respondents over the priority forsilvicultural research is an important one, and indicates a disjunction between fieldexperience and international opinion. We interpret this as a need not only for betterdissemination of existing silvicultural methods and practice, but perhaps moreimportantly, a need for methodological guidelines on local adaptation of silviculturalpractice, and experimentation with cultivation of lesser-known indigenous speciesand Non-Timber Forest Products. The different problems associated with silvicultureidentified in the various countries suggest that research to develop such guidelineswould need to take place in a range of countries, not only India and Nepal wheresuch methods are currently most advanced. Furthermore, responses suggest thatthe methodology should not make rigid assumptions about the type of forestresource to be managed, as distinctions between 'community forest', 'private forest'and 'farm trees' may discourage interest in improved tree management.
Analysis of the cross-cutting issues raises the importance of monitoring andevaluation as an issue for research, by linking it with organisation/partnership and
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stakeholder collaboration; policy implementation and transparency of decision-making; and benefit distribution. These are all issues that need particular attention ifexisting resource distribution patterns are to be modified to strengthen the access ofthe poor to natural capital. Pluralistic methods will be required both to ensure thatbenefits of PFM are available to the poor, and to make more visible the decisions(and the effect of decisions) taken by more powerful actors.Finally markets appear to be a particularly high priority in the South Americancountries included in the study, reflecting the generally higher commercial value offorests brought under local management in those countries. The emphasis onsustainable timber production there contrasts with the other focus countries anddraws attention again to the need for PFM strategies to be adapted to local contexts.Elsewhere, however, income generation is an issue widely considered to beneglected in PFM policy and project design.
The study provided an opportunity to understand perceptions of research by PFMpractitioners, and suggests that conventional research is held in low regard by manyfield workers who see it as irrelevant, external and long-term. The value of suchresearch is further undermined by poor dissemination of its results. Such views arelinked to the traditional model of research which KIs in particular distinguish fromaction research; they advocate the latter for its ability to respond to locally identifiedproblems, adapt to emerging results and empower participants.
The analysis of results concluded by outlining five key areas where FRP caneffectively address the knowledge constraints identified in the study: developingcommunication and extension guidelines for PFM; developing participatorysilvicultural research methodologies; testing the role of participatory forest resourceassessment in facilitating government approval of management plans; developingand enhancing the use of pluralistic M&E methods in PFM; and developingguidelines for the structure and management of organisations and partnerships inPFM.
For further information please contact:Dr Anna Lawrence, Snr Research AssociateCentre for Natural Resources and DevelopmentGreen College, University of OxfordWoodstock Rd, Oxford OX2 6HGUnited KingdomEmail: [email protected]:+44 1865 284796, Fax: +44 1865 274796
Kate Green, Research FellowAERDD, University of Reading3 Earley Gate, Whiteknights RoadReading RG6 6ARUnited KingdomTel: +44 118 9316514Fax: +44 118 9261244Email: [email protected]
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FOREST GOVERNANCE AND LOCAL INSTITUTIONS: KARNATAKA, INDIA
by Adrian Martin
This project is a study of a participatory forestry project in the Western Ghats ofKarnataka, South India. The Karnataka Forest Department, in partnership with theBritish government's international aid programme, has implemented a policy of JointForest Planning and Management (JFPM) which involves local people sharingresponsibility for the protection and improvement of their local forests. This studyconcentrates on the institutional basis of this new policy by focusing on thedevelopment of Village Forest Committees. These committees consist of villagers aswell as representatives from the Forest Department. They are responsible forproducing forest management plans, organising plantation, harvesting andprotection works, and distributing benefits. Fifty percent of the products fromdesignated forests go to the Village Forest Committee and in this way it has thepotential to become self-financing and sustainable.The first phase of the project involved interviews in seven villages, in the districts ofUttara Kannada and Dakshina Kannada. Interviews were qualitative and exploredthe ways in which local people perceived and responded to the ongoing changes inthe management of local resources. The project focused on some of the leastpowerful communities, explaining the causes of their vulnerabilities and the ways inwhich policy implementation both limited and exacerbated their personal risks. Theimplementation of JFPM was encountering several problems. Research found thatthe policy encountered the greatest obstacles where its implementation overlookedvernacular systems of power, and where there was the greatest cultural and spatialdistance between villagers and the implementing agents. Whilst there was someevidence of target and process-oriented successes, there were also manyincidences of local behaviour that ran counter to the project objectives. Failure tounderstand the local context of forest use often meant that the project was not likedby some groups of villagers and led to low participation rates and even destructiveactivities. Communication was also a big problem. In some villages, the majority ofpeople knew nothing of JFPM despite the fact that the Village Forest Committee hadbeen running for three or four years. Women were particularly likely to be excludedfrom participation.
The first phase of the field research was completed in 1997, four years after JFPMwas introduced into the villages, and at a time when many 'teething problems' werestill coming to light. I now want to conduct a second phase of this project. The firstobjective of this is to add a longitudinal aspect to the study, such that the operationof Village Forest Committees will have been researched in the same villages atperiods of four and eight years after project implementation. I am hopeful that thiswill provide valuable information about the dynamics of local institutionaldevelopment and the process of building the capacity for local governance. Suchdetailed, longitudinal case-work is vital to understanding the complex situations inwhich participatory management is introduced. The first phase was mainly written upas a PhD thesis and I am currently negotiating a book contract for writing up thecombined, longitudinal findings.
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I am also hoping that a second objective can be introduced into phase two of thisstudy, by linking up with individuals and groups who have been conducting similarresearch in other areas. This might involve a synthesis of previous research, newresearch work or an edited volume that brings together a number of works.
For further information, please contact:
Dr. Adrian Martin, Human GeographyFaculty of Humanities and Social SciencesDe Montfort University37 Lansdowne RoadBedford MK40 3TX, United KingdomTel: +44 1234 793408Fax: +44 1234 350833Email: [email protected]
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SOCIO-ECONOMIC ASPECTS OF COMMUNITY FORESTRY INNORTHEASTERN THAILAND - A CASE STUDY
by Rainer Schwarzmeier and Franz Heidhues
The SettingThe following research project was carried out within the framework of a PhDProgramme on 'Socio-Economic Aspects of Forest Use in the Tropics andSubtropics' at the Albert-Ludwigs University of Freiburg, Germany. Within thisprogramme, empirical research was conducted by twelve PhD students in Thailandand Venezuela. The study reported here also contributed to a Thai researchprogramme on 'The Ecology and the Socio-economic Importance of CommunityForests in North East Thailand' coordinated by the Rural Development Institute ofKhon Kaen University and financed by the Ministry of Science and Environment.
BackgroundIn the early 1990s, Thailand's Government launched an ambitious but widelycriticised 'Forest Programme' to protect the remaining forest and to rehabilitatedegraded forest areas. The 1993 Thai Forestry Sector Master Plan stated that thecountry should maintain 40% of its total land area as forest.
In recent years several community forest bills have been introduced and have beenwidely discussed by governmental organisations, NGOs, academics and farmers'organisations. Even though the ideas of these organisations still differ on manypoints, there seems to be a growing consensus that the protection and managementof natural forests should also be carried out at village community level.
Research TopicThe research project investigated the socio-economic importance of communityforests for rural villages and their contribution to the household/village economy. Itsobjective is to qualitatively and quantitatively analyse the diversity and intensity of
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community forest use at household and village level, and to identify factors thatdetermine community forest use. The following specific issues were addressed:
The socio-economic contribution of community forest products/activities to thehousehold/village economy;A comparative analysis of alternative socio-economic activities athousehold/village level;The specific interests of village groups in the community forest;Which measures/activities are preconditions for sustainable 'Community forestprogrammes'.
Research MethodsThe field research took place in the southern part of Northeast Thailand. The mainresearch site for the case study was the Non-Yai Community Forest in the District ofPotisrisouan, Sri Sa Ket Province. This community forest exemplifies a kind of'forest development' typical for the northeastern part of Thailand in which therehabilitation of severely degraded forests is assured by locally initiated communityforest projects/activities.
The research was carried out primarily by applying standardised quantitative andqualitative interviews at household level. These interviews took place on severaloccasions during the field research phase and followed the seasonal workingschedules of the households (farmers). Where appropriate, interviews weresupplemented and cross-checked with other techniques like RRA and PRA whichwere also used to gather information on the relationship between village-level socio-economic factors and community forest activities.
Expected ResultsThe project aimed to contribute to the ongoing discussion on whether and howcommunity forests can be an integral part in forest policies and contribute to theprotection and management of forest resources in both the short and long-term.
The Non-Yai Community Forest is described as Mixed Decidious Forest and coversabout 350 ha within an area of 2,700 ha which were declared a National ForestReserve in 1971, several decades after most of the area had been cleared foragricultural use. More than a decade ago five villages decided to stop farming theirfields and restore a natural forest area under their close supervision. The decisionwas in part the result of external pressure as the land was earmarked for aeucalyptus plantation under private, village-external control, as well as internalconcerns that the land might not be suitable for long term agricultural use due to itspoor conditions and the need for non-timber forest products respectively.
Nowadays a community forest committee with ten representatives of each village isresponsible for the supervision of the community forest area which is conducted withsupport by the Sri Sa Ket Provincial Office of the Royal Forest Department. Themain concerns of the villagers are unresolved problems regarding their land titles,the insecure status of the community forest and questions regarding the use ofcommunity forest products.
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The preliminary results of the research project indicate that villages with communityforests have a wide array of income-generating activities to choose from, theoutcome being a balance between forest dependent and non-forest dependentactivities.
Products used from the forest can be classified as food (mushrooms, roots,vegetables, fruits or insects), herbal medicine and fuelwood. The use of forest landas grazing area is steadily declining. There seems to be a growing demand forconstruction wood. Limitations are the lack of trees with usable size and governmentregulations that prohibit logging. Most of the products are collected for self-consumption. Distribution or marketing of community forest products plays a minorrole and in most cases takes place within the villages.
The collection of minor forest products tends to be on the decline for householdswith access to secure and attractive income generating activities. However, farmerswith limited access to these activities, due to moderate land holdings, lack ofeducation and or ageing family demographic structures, still depend on communityforest activities. If the community forest concept is to be a successful measure inrestoring Thailand's forests, it seems to be necessary to increase the economicattraction of community forests. Preconditions include secure land rights for villageson their community forest land and regulations that allow the implementation ofsustainable forest management measures.
For further information, contact:
Rainer SchwarzmeierInstitute for Agricultural Economics and Social Sciences in the Tropics and SubtropicsUniversity of Hohenheim (490a)70593 Stuttgart, GermanyEmail: [email protected]
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ECONOMIC ANALYSIS OF STAKEHOLDER INCENTIVES IN PARTICIPATORYFOREST MANAGEMENT
by Jonathan Davies and Michael Richards
This research was funded by the Department of International Development'sForestry Research Programme (FRP) through project R6914. However, the viewsexpressed in this article are entirely those of the authors, and are not necessarilyshared by DFID.
Project objectiveIt is widely recognised that tropical forestry without participation is generallyunsustainable. Experience shows that the poor understanding of the costs andbenefits to different stakeholders, and their incentives, limits the capacity to identify
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effective project interventions. Socio-economic impact assessment has also beenweak. Such problems result partly from the lack of appropriate economicmethodologies for use throughout the project cycle. The main objective of thisresearch will be to prepare a manual containing a toolbox of economicmethodologies based upon a literature review and field case studies. In-countrytraining will build capacity in the use of the manual.
Project activitiesA literature review was carried out prior to the field cases. The review suggestedthat economic methods have tended to be applied in a top-down fashion, with biastowards global and national stakeholders and relative neglect of equity, livelihoodand institutional issues. The use of conventional economic tools has been greater inproject preparation than in later stages of the 'project cycle'. Nonetheless, there ispotential to combine these conventional tools with participatory research methods.An 'economic stakeholder analysis' methodology was outlined, and elements testedin the case studies. (Jonathan Davies and Michael Richards, 1999, 'The Use ofEconomics to Assess Stakeholder Incentives in Participatory Forest Management: AReview', See Publications section of this issue for details).
Fieldwork has been carried out in Nepal, Ghana, Zimbabwe, Mexico and Bolivia. InNepal a methodology was developed to enable forest user groups to assess forthemselves the changing costs and benefits associated with the introduction ofcommunity forestry. A study was made of the economic incentives to tend trees oncocoa farms in Ghana. In Zimbabwe a head-to-head comparison of participatoryand conventional methods was undertaken in relation to the Ilala palm. (Richards,M., Davies, J. & Cavendish, W. 1999. Is PRA better than neo-classical tools in thecollection of economic data? A non-timber forest product case study fromZimbabwe. PLA Notes 36: 34-40). The Mexican study looked at the currentincentives for forest management from the point of view of forest communities fortimber and non-timber forest products (chicle). In Bolivia a study was made of thereturns to alternative land use practices for colonist farmers, including themanagement of small forest blocks.
The manual and in-country training will be completed during 2000.
For further information contact:
Michael RichardsForest Policy and Environment GroupOverseas Development InstitutePortland House, Stag PlaceLondon SW1E 5DP, United KingdomTel:+44 20 7393 1600,Fax: +44 20 7393 1699Email: [email protected]
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THE DYNAMIC OF CHANGE AND DEVELOPMENT AMONGST THE BULU:PASSIVE-AGGRESSIVE RESPONSES TO AN ICDP IN THE DJA RESERVE,
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SOUTHERN CAMEROON
by Hilary Solly
Anthropological research was undertaken over an 18-month period in a village inThe Dja Reserve, South Cameroon amongst the Bulu population (who belong to thebasaa-beti (béti-fan) ethnic group). The Reserve, created in 1950, occupies some530,000 hectares of tropical forest. Since 1992 it has been jointly managed byECOFAC (Conservation et Utilisation Rationelle des Ecosystèmes Forestiers enAfrique Centrale), a project funded by DG Development of the EuropeanCommission, and MINEF (Ministère de l'Environnement et des Forêts). The projectis one of an increasing number of Integrated Conservation and DevelopmentProjects (ICDPs). One of its main concerns is the control of commercial bushmeathunting which is seen as a major threat to maintaining biodiversity in the Reserve.
The research is now being written up as a PhD thesis, which will:
Describe and analyse the different perspectives of the stakeholders involved inthe Dja Reserve conservation and development project (local population,members of the elite, local administration, national government, national andinternational NGOs, European Delegation, Commission and Parliament, etc).Demonstrate the impact the different concepts and attitudes held bystakeholders have on their relations with an Integrated Conservation andDevelopment Programme (ICDP).Argue that these different attitudes amongst stakeholders need to beunderstood and taken into account when planning and running an ICDP.
It will look at all stakeholders (local, national and international), but due to the natureof the study (the majority of the research took place in the village of Mekas in theReserve) the focus will be on the local Bulu village population. A major part of thethesis will be an understanding of their history, culture and economy, placed withinthe context of the regional, national and global systems.
The work is based on the following hypotheses:
The social, economic, historical and cultural backgrounds of the localpopulation in the project area have a major influence on the management ofthe protected area.The various stakeholders implicated in ICDPs have different perceptions,priorities and expectations of these projects. This leads to a conflict of interestsand ideas between, and at times within, these different groups.
The Main Research Question: Conservation and development projects are failing to achieve their objective ofsuccessfully integrating conservation and development programmes to thesatisfaction of the local population, national government and international donors.Why?
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Discussion will circulate around the following themes and issues:
The history of Bulu relations with Europeans/Europe and the question ofpower.The consequences of living in an 'unjust system' and the question ofcorruption.Differing visions of development (Local, National and International).Differing visions of conservation (Local, National and International).Traditional systems and the limits placed on development and change.
Since its outset, the project managing the Dja Reserve (ECOFAC), has talked of theimportance of involving all stakeholders and particularly the local population in themanagement process. However, now in its ninth year and preparing its third phase,relations with the wide range of stakeholders are becoming increasingly complex.Genuine participatory management is not a simple process and involves a hugeamount of work with few visible results. The thesis will attempt to describe thecomplexity of the situation, explaining the pressure that the project is under in orderto satisfy the different stakeholders needs as well as the errors they have made onthe way.
As is so often the case, it is the local population - supposedly those who should bebenefiting the most from the project - who end up being the most disadvantaged. Inthis case, losing the freedom to hunt and sell bushmeat and yet having noequivalent alternative form of income. At the same time the local population shouldnot be seen as innocent victims. The situation is highly politicised and certainmembers of the local population are more than willing to play their role in this game.The argument of the thesis is not one of villains and victims but rather the need tounderstand the multi-layered and multifaceted nature of the situation.
This research was funded and undertaken as part of APFT (Avenir des Peuples desForêts Tropicales), a multidisciplinary project funded by the DG Development of theEuropean Commission.For further information contact:
Hilary Solly 60 Ave de la BrabançonneBruxelles 1000, BelgiumTel: +322 734 68 32 Email: [email protected]
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PARTICIPATORY RESEARCH FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF FORESTMANAGEMENT PLANS IN THE MIDDLE CAQUETA REGION OF THECOLOMBIAN AMAZON
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by Carlos Rodriguez
Forests are now perceived in a much more holistic manner, with less focus ontimber exploitation and more on their ecological and conservation role and theirimportance as a source of multiple uses, including non-timber forest products. Thisshift in perception has highlighted social factors and the role of local communities inresource management, leading to the development of new ideas around the conceptof participatory forest management.
In Colombia the role of indigenous communities in the management of forests hasacquired great importance and has been recognised by the government through thecreation of indigenous territories with a collective property right. At the same timethe importance of traditional management for conservation of the amazonian foresthas been recognised.
In order to contribute to knowledge about indigenous management models, aninterdisciplinary and intercultural research project has been carried out within theframework of Tropenbos Colombia to study indigenous forest management alongthe Middle and Lower Caqueta River. This article presents some of the insightsgained so far, including the role of traditional knowledge and its current status, theuse of participatory research methodologies, the role and applicability of scientificresearch, the dialogue between different knowledge systems and the generation ofeducation materials on the management of the forest and its resources.
Traditional management: forests for lifeOne of the most remarkable aspects of indigenous communities is their extensiveknowledge of the forest based on complex symbolic models developed throughdetailed observation over many generations. The perception of the forest as ahuman being gives rise to a whole set of relationships with plants and animalswhich, as natural beings, are seen as 'people' and therefore thought of in socialterms.
Indigenous communities see the forest as the home and source of life and theirrelationship with nature is therefore ruled by a whole set of ecological principleswhich ensure the continuity of forest cover. The use of resources takes place withina context of recycling of vital energy between all living beings. Care is taken to avoidaccumulation as the resulting imbalance would cause illness and death.
Interventions in the forest are carried out in the context of permanent ecologicalrestoration, an indicator of which is the excellent state of the forests in indigenousterritories. These traditional principles of interaction with the forest are beingseriously affected. Contact with the western world and market economy hasprovoked substantial changes in human settlement patterns, use of the territory andof its resources.
Current management of the forest and its resources Taking into account the differences between the traditional patterns of use,management and control of natural resources, and the present situation, it has beennecessary to generate new approaches in order to understand current resource use.Through its project, Indigenous Management of the Forest, Tropenbos Colombiahas, therefore, been developing participatory methodologies for a quantitative study
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of resource use at the level of indigenous communities, in order to provide theinformation needed for the design and implementation of resource managementplans.
One of the project's greatest successes has been the development with localcommunities of a participatory research methodology, based on daily consumptiondiaries which record information on agricultural activities, hunting, fishing andgathering of forest products. Recording is carried out by members of eachhousehold in a process co-ordinated by the traditional leader of the ethnic group.The results are discussed with the communities in local workshops and havegenerated a wide debate on the use of the resources. This has inspired a process ofrecovering traditional knowledge about consumption norms, the role of seasonalchanges and the traditional calendar, which together regulate resource use. In thissense, the internal dynamics generated by the analysis workshops are helping toreinforce the cultural processes at work in indigenous communities.
Tropenbos researchers analyse the information from a scientific point of view, takingan interdisciplinary social and natural science approach. The diaries are entered intoa database in order to analyse the pressure on the resources and the long-termsustainability of current use patterns. With this information a dialogue between thetwo knowledge systems has been established leading to a better understanding ofthe two contexts, their complementarity and potential of use and application for bothparties.
Through this research process the communities have appropriated elements ofanalysis that are helpful for the definition of natural resource management plans fortheir territories. This experience, developed with some communities, has been usedas a model at regional level. Tropenbos Colombia has, therefore, been invited by theregional indigenous organisation to participate in the formulation of a naturalresource management plan for their area of influence which covers approximately 3million ha.
Participatory management: a two-way processAs a general policy the research programme of Tropenbos-Colombia is trying toestablish a better rapport between researchers and indigenous communities in orderto facilitate a dialogue that allows a better understanding of research processes, andthus a greater implementation of the results. In contrast to the disciplinaryperspective taken by most research, the project intends to stimulate a moreinterdisciplinary vision and better integration of all research.
One of the most outstanding results of working with the indigenous communities hasbeen the elaboration of educational materials on the management of the forest andits resources for use in community education projects and the local indigenousschools. These were formulated in collaboration between indigenous 'experts',teachers, researchers and students. In this manner, thematic compilations written byindigenous people, booklets with traditional information and its pedagogicalapplications, didactic games and posters, are all part of a proposal for disseminationof results with a high level of acceptance among local communities and institutionsthat work with education, especially indigenous education.
This approach - combining traditional knowledge and scientific research - will also
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provide information for the formulation of management plans which respond to thecurrent social, cultural and economic needs of the indigenous communities.
For more information, contact:
Carlos RodriguezTropenbos-Colombia ProgrammeCra. 21 #39-35Santafé de Bogota, ColombiaTel: +57 1 3203502, Fax: 57 1 3203319Email: [email protected]
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A PARTICIPATORY GIS FOR COMMUNITY FORESTRY USER GROUPS INNEPAL
by Gavin Jordan
IntroductionThere is an increasing interest in the use of Geographic Information Systems (GIS)and other spatial technology in a participatory context. This contribution exploressome of the benefits and concerns of using GIS as a participatory tool, using acommunity forestry case study from Nepal. The key objective of the work was todetermine whether integrating spatial methods within a participative frameworkwould provide an approach for gathering the information necessary for communityforest management. Participatory techniques have been the primary tool for obtaining community andresource information, and can be highly effective at obtaining qualitative and socialdata. Increasingly there has been a need to obtain more quantitative information forcommunity forest management purposes in Nepal and elsewhere. These resourceinformation needs do not replace the need for social information, but extend therange of information that has to be collected, analysed, and collated. Much of thisinformation has a spatial component, and GIS has been increasingly used for datamanagement and analysis.
A common problem with the use of GISDistrict or National level studies often use GIS for mapping socio-economicindicators, commonly called 'indicators of development', although the peopletargeted for the development process are entirely unaware of these indicators.Indicators are used for policy planning to identify both development priorities andgeographic regions of activity. Therefore the 'developmental' role of GIS is often oneof disempowerment of local people, involving a very low level of participation. Itencourages the separation of the planning process from the people affected. Thereis little or no consultation with communities. Their needs have not been identified,and the information gathered does not reflect their requirements. An observationmade nearly a decade ago for developmental work in sub-Saharan Africa still holdstrue today; most GIS applications are driven by a desire to demonstrate thetechnological capability rather than a desire for real life problem solving.
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The StudyA study was initiated in Nepal, with the aims of assessing the applicability andrelevance of a Participatory GIS in this context. Initially, it was felt that a technicalevaluation of GIS and the associated means of data collection were the mostpressing needs. However, as the study progressed it became apparent that a moreprocess-orientated approach was necessary. The focus shifted towards examining asystematic approach for participatory forest management. This interdisciplinaryapproach combined the use of social science participatory techniques withgeomatics technology and participatory assessment procedures. The methodologyis at the interface between social approaches to community forestry and moretraditional quantitative techniques to resource assessment. A greater emphasis hasbeen placed on the means of collecting and disseminating information than on thetechnical design of the GIS database, as it is believed that a Participatory GIS isfundamentally dependent on obtaining community needs, perceptions and ideas.
Participatory sessions with the FUG examined their specific informationrequirements. These included:
maps of the community forest for boundary dispute issuesinventory information to assist in planning sustained yield harvesting forcommercial purposes the sustained yield of fodder (grass, leaves and shrubs for stall-fed livestock)when they could start removing fuel woodthe general condition of their forest.
Once the information needs of the FUG were established the data collectionprocess was developed. This was based around a participatory forest resourceassessment. The resource assessment procedure contained one or more of thefollowing elements: a participatory photo mapping session, a participatory inventory(always conducted) and a Global Positioning Systems survey of internal andexternal boundaries. Of these methods, perhaps the least known is participatoryphoto-mapping. This is similar in philosophy to Participatory Sketch Mapping (PSM),but uses a large-scale aerial photograph as a participatory tool. This has theparticipatory advantages of PSM, but greatly increases the spatial accuracy ofinformation obtained.The information was organised using a GIS and other basic software. Descriptiveinformation obtained from the participatory research was recorded, such asindigenous management, and FUG requirements and problems. Inventoryinformation was entered into a database, and the spatial information was enteredinto a GIS. For a given FUG the GIS had:
a georeferenced boundary of the community forest, with the area of the forest(something that is in itself often unavailable for community forests);internal community designated boundaries;associated basic information, such as key species;the sustained yield;recommended management practices;
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community uses;the importance of spatial areas of the resource for the community.
For the FUGs, images and management information was used to form the basis of avisual report/management plan, which the FUG committee could use for its forestmanagement. Initial work indicated that FUGs regarded the maps as a tool thatcould help them in their negotiations with the Forestry Department. The FUGs askedto have the inventory information converted into basic management information,which allows them to participate in discussions with the forest ranger and DFO.
This feedback is of critical importance: a Participatory GIS is there for its users, theparticipants. Some FUGs have been very satisfied with its role, but the evaluationprocess is not yet complete. It should be noted that although the initial evaluationwas based on the ability to produce and organise data for FUG use, this is only onebenefit. The participatory work involved in community consultation, obtainingresource information, and the feedback meetings gave the FUG a sense ofownership and involvement with the process. This acted as an agent ofempowerment, raising community expectations of what the FUG and individualscould achieve. These 'social' processes are felt to be of great importance, andshould not be ignored by concentrating solely on the technical performance of theParticipatory GIS.
ConclusionsThe use of GIS enhanced the participatory process in this work. It allowedquantitative and qualitative information to be combined, to provide resourcemanagement information that was both relevant to the communities' needs anddetailed enough to determine sustainable yields. Whether a participatory GIS isgoing to benefit the participatory process needs to be examined at an early stage.
All the findings converge with the need to view a Participatory GIS as a systemsbased process. As with any good participatory methodology, the focus has to be onthe people, the participants. This has been the key problem with using GIS, wherethe focus has usually been on the technology. The following five points need to beconcentrated on when developing a participatory GIS:
1. Evaluate why GIS should be used, and what the use of GIS adds to theparticipatory process. If there is no defined need for it, don't use it!
2. The participatory process (including the collection and dissemination ofinformation) is more important than the 'technical' GIS issues. A good participatoryframework and practices are fundamental.
3. Concentrate on having the decision-making processes within the community. Ifinformation is taken away and put into the GIS, outputs should be used to enablethe FUG (or other stakeholders) in their decision making.
4. Consider who owns the information, how it is going to be stored, who has access,can it be used for purposes the participants may not want?
5. Is there the infrastructure and institutional support to obtain participatory
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information, input it into a GIS, analyse it, and return to the participants in a way theycan use it?
AcknowledgementsThis paper is based on work that was conducted whilst working with the People andResource Dynamics Project (PARDYP), at the International Centre for IntegratedMountain Development (ICIMOD), Kathmandu, and the Nepal Australia CommunityForestry Project (NACFP).
More information can be found at:http://www.ncgia.ucsb.edu/varenius/ppgis/papers/jordan.pdf
or by contacting Gavin Jordan at:
Department of Agriculture & ForestryNewton Rigg Campus, University of Central LancashirePenrith, Carlisle, CA11 1OH, United Kingdom Email: [email protected]
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FOREST USER GROUPS FOREST MANAGEMENT PROJECT (FFMP)by Yam Malla and Peter Branney
IntroductionThe Forest User Group Forest Management Project (FFMP) is a collaborativeresearch project involving the University of Reading's Agricultural Extension andRural Development Department (AERDD) in Reading (UK) and the Nepal UKCommunity Forestry Project (NUKCFP) in Kathmandu. The project works withselected forest user groups in the middle hills region of Nepal. It is funded from theUK government's Department for International Development (DFID) ForestryResearch Programme (R6918) and has been operating since 1997.
The focus of the research project is to develop a methodology for participatoryaction learning by forest user groups (FUGs) that will contribute to improvedmanagement of their community forests. In particular this should increase the supplyof forest products, make their distribution among FUG members more equitable andshift the position of FUGs from being concerned predominantly with forest protectionto engaging in sustainable, productive forest management.
Transfer of forest areas to FUGs generally leads to improved forest condition as aresult of better protection. Frequently, however, community forests are not fullyutilised to meet their productive potential. Pressure for forest products may thensimply be transferred to other areas, especially to non-community forest sites,leading to their subsequent degradation. In addition, under-utilised forest maydevelop a structure better oriented towards longer term timber production thanmeeting the more immediate multiple forest product needs of the FUG members,particularly those of the poor.
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Participatory action learning methodologyThe process of developing a methodology, which enables FUGs to move frompassive to more active forest management through "learning by doing" is now welldeveloped. This requires certain key interventions by external facilitators (such asForest Department, field project staff). A critical stage in this process is forinformation generated (for example from harvesting sites) to be fed back to all FUGmembers for their interpretation and consequent action. We have found that simplesoftware tools can be used to generate pictorial or graphic material, which is muchmore readily understandable to FUG members, particularly for non-literatemembers, than conventional numeric or tabular data. The final action learningmethodology will be written up and incorporated into training materials for supportstaff before the end of the project, and should be of interest to other agenciesworking closely with local groups on forest management issues. We have alsoreached the conclusion that FUGs can carry out their own research. While this maynot be considered as research in the conventional sense, it is a practical method ofproblem solving which is directly applicable to their own forest managementsituation and as such it encourages the move towards more productive forestmanagement.
Forest product supply and demand relationshipsDevelopment of the process of action learning by FUGs has generated muchinteresting information which has enabled us to gain a better insight into therelationship between the forest product requirements of FUG member households,and the ability of the community forest to meet these needs. For example, althoughannual fuelwood requirements are very similar in different FUGs - about 2.8 tonnesper household - the proportion of this being met from the community forest variesfrom 1 to 37 percent in different FUGs. To a certain extent this is a function of thenumber of households in the FUG and the size and condition of the communityforest, but invariably it has been found that this proportion can be increased throughmore intensive and systematic harvesting activities carried out by the FUG.
Under predominantly protection oriented forest management the annual woodybiomass (fuelwood) yield from community forests in three FUGs averaged 1.38tonnes/ha/year. This could be increased to as much as 6.4 tonnes/ha/year underactive harvesting (depending on the actual harvesting regime used) and there is acorresponding increase from 22% to 77% in the proportion of household fuelwoodneeds which can be met from the community forest. In reality the situation is morecomplicated than indicated by these simple figures, since fuelwood is notnecessarily the only product which FUGs wish to get from their community forest.Production of timber or poles on a longer rotation, or alternative annual productssuch as grass or NTFPs, may also be a management objective in which case acompromise has to be reached possibly involving less fuelwood production.
SummaryForest management for multiple products and multiple stakeholders is usuallycomplex and may be difficult to achieve. FFMP is generating methodologies andinformation which can start to provide FUGs with a range of management optionsfrom which they can learn and develop their more detailed management practices tomeet their specific site requirements.
For further information please contact:
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Dr Yam B. MallaAgricultural Extension and Rural Development DepartmentThe University of ReadingReading, Berks, RG6 6AR, United Kingdom Email: [email protected]
Peter Branney5 Little RoadEdinburgh, EH16 6SH, United KingdomEmail: [email protected]
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NATURAL FOREST MANAGEMENT AMONG INDIGENOUS PEOPLE IN LATINAMERICAby S. Gram
The concept of integrating conservation and development has been widely appliedin rainforest projects during the last decade. But projects carried out by indigenousforest dwellers involving commercial exploitation of timber resources are still fairlyuncommon and their results have been mixed. As early as 1988, an extensive studycarried out for ITTO concluded that political, economic and social obstacles tosustainable forestry are more important than technical ones. Nevertheless, wecontinue to see an abundance of technical forestry studies.
To gather socio-economic experience from local forestry projects, a research studysupported by the European Commission and the Royal Veterinary and AgriculturalUniversity in Denmark carried out case studies in Latin American rainforests. Theseincluded the Yanesha Forestry Cooperative in Peru, the Pacaya Samiria IntegratedProgramme for Conservation and Development in Peru, the Forest ProductionEjidos of the Mayan Zone in Mexico and the Proyecto Forestal Chimanes in Bolivia.
The results are presented in a report which deals with socio-cultural, economic, andorganizational aspects of natural forest management. It discusses how the socio-cultural characteristics of indigenous forest dwellers influence projects and give riseto particular priorities and barriers that should be considered in the planning,implementation, and social organization of locally based management projects.
The report presents a thorough analysis of local knowledge of the forestenvironment, traditional occupation and settlement structure, social organization,and power structures among indigenous people. It discusses how projects can beorganized to be more in line with traditional structures and how to benefit from localknowledge and experience.
The results points to the fact that projects successfully implemented among non-indigenous forest dwellers cannot be copied in areas inhabited by indigenouspeople. Nevertheless, in determining project structures, donor organizations seldomdistinguish whether local populations are indigenous or not. The poor results ofprojects promoting timber management by indigenous people are mainly due to an
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inadequate analysis of the social structure in the local communities. Both in projectsinvolving timber and non-timber forest projects, donor organizations have shownthemselves unwilling to cede decision-making authority to indigenous people, torespect traditional culture and to incorporate local knowledge. Furthermore, projectsare routinely based on overly optimistic economic calculations.
For further information consult the full report, published in: The Research Series, Vol24, 1998, available from: Danish Forest and Landscape Research Institute,Hoersholm Kongevej 11, 2970 Hoersholm, Denmark. Tel: +45 4576 3200, Fax: +45 4576 3233Email: [email protected]; or contact: Soeren Gram, Project Manager,The Danish Board of TechnologyAntonigade 4, 1106 Copenhagen, DenmarkEmail: [email protected]
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PROMOTING SUSTAINABLE MECHANISMS IN JFM THROUGH NGOS INANDHRA PRADESHby D. Suryakumari
IntroductionFollowing a circular issued in 1990 by the Indian Ministry of Environment andForests supporting the involvement of village committees and NGOs in theregeneration, management and protection of degraded forests, the way was openfor concerned State Governments to formulate policies involving people in themanagement of forests. In Andhra Pradesh, Joint Forest Management (JFM) wasinitiated in 1993-94. It is particularly concerned with providing access to and controlover resources to people and achieving large-scale involvement of women inresource management programmes. It also provides for the involvement of NGOs tohelp local communities. Community organizations called VSSs (Vana Samrakshana Samithis/VillageProtection Committees) were formed at village level. They include all local peopleand have an elected executive committee and chairperson. A certain extent offorestland (25 to 300 ha) is demarcated for the VSS and a Memorandum ofUnderstanding between the Forest Department (FD) and the VSS outlines what canbe done on the land. The VSS has to protect the area and in return is entitled toenjoy usufruct rights. Funding required to carry out work on the land is provided bythe Forest Department while the VSS members have to carry out the work as perthe prepared plans. The funds are transferred into a joint account to which the VSSchairperson and an FD official are signatories.The Andhra Pradesh Forest Department has so far formed about 6,575 VSSs in 22districts. In all, about 250 NGOs are involved across the State. A key player is theCentre for World Solidarity (CWS) which provides support to 32 local NGOs in 8districts, thus guiding about 450 VSSs . The CWS project has been funded byNOVIB, a Dutch Development Agency, since 1996. During Phase I of the project,CWS mainly concentrated on identification of suitable local NGOs, encouragingvillage communities to form into VSSs, facilitating interaction with concerned Forest
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Department officials, awareness building on National forest policy and JFM,encouraging women to participate in the programme and providing managementtraining to VSS chairpersons.
The Phase II Project ProposalA five-year second phase of the project begins in April 2000. Entitled 'PromotingSustainable Mechanisms in Joint Forest Management through NGOs in AndhraPradesh', it has been formulated to strengthen the initiatives taken up during Phase Iand to put in place appropriate institutional mechanisms in order to make theprogramme sustainable. Addressing gender concerns and achieving sustainability(for JFM as a programme and VSSs as an institution) are the twin goals of theProject. The work components contemplated are:
Gender ConcernsResearch carried out in the first phase indicated that the government requirementfor at least 30% of VSS committee members to be women was not being met, thatwomen who were committee members were often not aware of this fact or had littleidea of what their role required, that women generally knew very little about theprogramme, and that women and men are not paid equal wages even when doingthe same work involved. The following actions have been proposed, therefore, toenhance women's participation and level of involvement:
Achieve 50% representation by women in VSS Executive Committees;Ensure that VSS committees send at least two women to participate in trainingcourses for every man; Promote 50% representation by women in all Networks and their executivecommittees.
NetworkingOnce implementation of the JFM Programme by the FD concludes, there is often adanger of the collapse of the VSS institution. To prevent this, it is proposed tonetwork VSSs as follows:
At the NGO level, where the local NGO will facilitate the formation of a networkof 15-30 VSSs guided by it;At the Forest Range level (consisting of 20-45 VSSs), where the NGO levelnetwork influences the other VSSs in the range and promotes the formation ofa range level network;At the State level, where representatives from all the 32 range level networkscan form into a State level network.
The VSSs will also be encouraged to build up a fund locally to take care of futureneeds. Both the VSSs and the Networks will be encouraged to take up programmeson their own which increase levels of responsibility and promote the sustainability ofthe institutions. Specific Training Programmes on VSS management and economicactivities will be organised for VSS committee members. Networks will beencouraged to meet regularly to work out common strategies for forest protection,collection and marketing of non-timber forest products, etc. Workshops will beorganised to facilitate lateral learning and also to create common understanding.The project proposes to carry out action research, so that the drawbacks if any, in
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policies and/or implementation can be identified at an early stage and correctivemeasures quickly taken. This provides scope for the communities to understand thesituation in a better way and enables them to participate more fully. Documentation, information dissemination, publication of relevant resource materialand policy lobbying are other components of work proposed in the project. At theend of the project it is intended to establish a People's Sustainable Forestry Instituteto extend support services to the State level VSS network and other VSSs.
Acknowledgements The author expresses her deep sense of gratitude to Sri.M.V. Sastri, Convenor, andto Mr. K. Ramarao, Executive Secretary, of the Centre for World Solidarity for theirguidance and encouragement. The concern shown by Ms. Wenny Ho, ProgrammeOfficer for India and the Himalayas of NOVIB, is gratefully acknowledged.
For further information, contact:Dr.D.Suryakumari, Programme Officer Joint Forest ManagementCentre for World Solidarity12-13-445,street No 1Tarnaka, Secunderabad-17500 017 Andhra Pradesh, India
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LEARNING TO LEARN: WORKING WITH LOCAL PEOPLE TO DEVELOPTIMBER AND NON-TIMBER FOREST PRODUCTS. EXPERIENCE FROM NEPALby S.P. Dahal, H. Gibbon, G. Kafle and R. Subedi
The Nepal UK Community Forestry project is currently operating in seven districts inthe middle hills of Nepal. It has been supporting the government's communityforestry programme over the last seven years and is about to enter a second phasewhich is likely to last a further ten years. A number of project staff, together withother local stakeholders, have been actively supporting local communities throughvillage level forest user groups to explore and enhance their forest managementpractices.
A paper with the above title was presented at the workshop on 'Learning fromResource Users - A Paradigm Shift in Tropical Forestry?' in Vienna in April 2000(see Announcements section for details). The paper examines two themes: thedistribution and availability of local knowledge and the manner in which 'insiders' and'outsiders' need to interact in order to promote enhanced development outcomes.Pilot experiences with three main non timber forest products are discussed:Girardinia diversifolia, Edgeworthia gardneri, Swertia chirayita.
For more information, contact:Hugh GibbonNatural Resources InstituteChatham Maritime ME4 4TB, UKTel:+44 1634883409, Fax:+44 1634883959
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Email: [email protected]
SP Dahal, G Kafle, R Subedi can be contacted on: [email protected]
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ETFRN News 30Research Cooperation Sought
RESEARCH PARTNERSHIPS ON BAMBOO AND RATTANS OFFERED BYINBAR IN BEIJING
The International Network for Bamboo and Rattan (INBAR) is a non-profit,international organisation established in 1997 by Treaty. By January 2000, INBAR'sEstablishment Agreement had been signed by 21 countries: Bangladesh, Benin,Bolivia, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Cuba, Ecuador, Ghana, India, Indonesia,Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Peru, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Togo andVietnam. INBAR's mission is to improve the well being of producers and users ofbamboo and rattan within the context of a sustainable bamboo and rattan base byconsolidating, co-ordinating and supporting strategic and adaptive research anddevelopment.
Over the past couple of years INBAR has been working intensively with 44 projectleaders in 22 countries. One project is studying production, distribution, marketingand consumption of bamboo and rattan products. INBAR is now interested inworking closely with socio-economists in generalising this information. It isparticularly interested in generalisable policy information.
INBAR has also assembled the beginnings of a 'cook-book' of techniques that havebeen used to manufacture products from bamboo and rattan. 24 such items havebeen assembled. INBAR is interested in working with field-based scientists to add tothis information base. It is interested in forming links with field-based NGOs to assistwith technology transfer.
INBAR is therefore open to a wide range of partnership possibilities and will considerall proposals seriously. For example INBAR is very interested in being an activepartner in INCO proposals with European Institutions and in making its network ofcollaborators available for such an exercise. INBAR is particularly willing to entertainstaff on sabbatical detachments. INBAR has, at its Beijing headquarters, in northcentral Beijing (approximately 20 km from Tienanmen), comfortable well-equippedoffice space and a library of source material. INBAR has well-appointed one and twobedroom apartments which it is prepared to make available at no cost. Day-to-dayliving costs in Beijing are very moderate. INBAR is located in the Asian GamesVillage with excellent shopping facilities all around. Nevertheless INBAR wouldassist with transport around the city. Beijing in the 21st Century is an experience notto be missed.
For further information, please contact:
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International Network for Bamboo and Rattan (INBAR)Branch Box 155PO Box 9799Beijing 100101, P R ChinaTel: +86 10 64956961/64/78/82Fax: +86 10 64956983/62Http://www.inbar.org.cn
FOREST GOVERNANCE AND LOCAL INSTITUTIONS: KARNATAKA, INDIA
I would like to link up with individuals and groups who have been conducting similarresearch in other areas (for details see Organisations section of this Newsletter) tocollaborate on a synthesis of previous research, new research work or an editedvolume that brings together a number of works.
Dr. Adrian MartinHuman GeographyFaculty of Humanities and Social SciencesDe Montfort University37 Lansdowne RoadBedford MK40 3TX, UKTel: 01234 793408Fax: 01234 350833Email: [email protected]
RESEARCH COOPERATION SOUGHT IN THE AREA OF FOREST POLICYDEVELOPMENT
Beltra Resources is interested in collaboration with others to formulate researchproposals in the area of forest policy development. In particular the area of agro andcommunity forestry is of interest. Any of the regions in Asia, Africa or South Americawill be considered. Beltra Resources is skilled in the writing of proposals andbudgets. Skills sought include technical and scientific, experience in dealing withNGOs, community organisations and forest ownder associations.
Please contact:
Beltra Resources, IrelandTel: +353 98 41424Fax: +353 98 41110,Email: [email protected]
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ETFRN News 30Internet Features
by Jelle Maas
The following internet sites include information of relevance to participatory forestmanagement.
The Forest Trees and People Network at http://www-trees.slu.se/ is designed toshare information about improving community forestry activities and about initiativesof interest to its members. It is coordinated jointly by FAO and a number of regionalnodes, each of which has its own web-site:
* The FTP East African site is hosted by the Forest Action Network in Kenya.http://www.ftpp.or.ke/
* The Asian FTP node is provided by RECOFTC (Regional Community ForestryTraining Center) in Thailand which has a large programme of training and outreachon community forestry both within Thailand and the wider region. It has a very activewebsite.http://www.recoftc.org/
* The South Asian node for FTP is hosted by WATCH (Women Acting Togetherfor Change) based in Nepal.http://www-trees.slu.se/nepal/watchindex.htm
* The FTP Latin America web-site (in Spanish) is based in Peru.http://www.cnr.org.pe/fao/index.htm
* The Central American node for FTP is based in Costa Rica with a very activeSpanish website http://polux.sdnp.org.pa/~rfc
Community Forestry Unit at FAO, Rome:Participatory forest management, collaborative management and community forestryare increasingly being considered and supported by governments around the world.FAO activities in community forestry promote locally based, legally recognizedsustainable management of forest resources.http://www.fao.org/forestry/FON/FONP/cfu/cfu-e.stm
Rural Development Forestry NetworkThe RDFN has recently updated its web-site to include copies of all its past papers(in English, French and Spanish), including many dealing specifically withparticipatory forest management. Publications by the Forest Policy and Environment
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Group at the Overseas Development Institute are also available on-line.http://www.odi.org.uk/fpeg
CONSERFORHThe organisation for the Conservation and Silviculture of Honduran Dry ForestSpecies facilitates forest interventions that benefit the local populations who dependon the forest products of the dry woodland zone of Honduras through appliedforestry research and technology transfer. The site includes useful information onappropriate indigenous and exotic species for the region.http://www.geocities.com/RainForest/4075/
INFCThe International Network of Forests and Communities was established in 1998during the International Workshop on Ecosystem-Based Community Forestry. TheNetwork works to actively promote and support ecosystem-based communityforestry worldwide, and in the global arena.http://www.forestsandcommunities.org/
INEFThe International Network on Ethnoforestry aims to document and disseminateindigenous knowledge on forest management and support its integration with formalforestry science. For more details see the 'Other News' section of this issue. http://www.egroups.com/group/inef/
People and PlanetThis magazine on people and their relations with different ecosystems includes anumber of articles relating to forestry.http://www.peopleandplanet.net/
IUCNThis part of the World Conservation Union site deals with people and theirenvironments. It includes information on special programmes on the economics ofbiodiversity, education and communication, and social policy.http://www.iucn.org/2000/communities/content/index.html
Urban and Community Forestry Resource Materials GuideTargeted at a North American audience, this site provides a list of resourcematerials (from books to videos and courses) that can help to empower individuals,groups and communities to develop, manage and protect their urban forestresources.http://www.ag.uiuc.edu/~forestry/guide/index.html
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ETFRN News 30Other News
MIOMBO FORUM
Miombo woodlands are the world's largest continuous dry deciduous forests. Theyextend across Angola, DR Congo, Malawi, Mozambique, Tanzania, Zambia andZimbabwe. The objective of Miombo Forum is to empower miombo peoples tomanage their woodlands responsibly through provision of information, expertise andfinance.
Miombo Forum is an initiative of the UK's Forest Management Foundation and willbe launched at a conference on "Alternative trade and ecolabelling in miombowoodlands" in Kabompo, Zambia in June 2000. Uchi Mukula Trust, a local NGO, willhost the event. The remote location of Kabompo was chosen for the launch becauseof milestone achievements by local Alternative Trading Organisations:
In 1990 North Western Bee Products launched the world's first certifiedorganic bee products;In 1998 Muzama Crafts achieved Forest Stewardship Council certification for 1million hectares of community managed woodlands. This was the firstcommunity managed forest to be certified in Africa and the largest area ofcertified community managed forest world wide.
Attendance will be by invitation only because of limited infrastructure but theconference proceedings will appear on our website. The conference will considerhow the Miombo Forum should develop.
The conference sponsors are the Ford Foundation and HIVOS. SNV are providinglogistical support and IUCN assisted with fundraising.
For more information contact:
Ben Masumba RobertsonConference Coordinator, Miombo ForumEmail: [email protected] check out the Forum's website at www.miombo.com
NEW MAILING LIST ON AFRICAN BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY AND INDIGENOUSKNOWLEDGE
A new mailing list 'africadiv' has been launched by the Indigenous Knowledge andBiodiversity Working Group at the Environment Liaison Centre International (elci) in
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collaboration with Nuffic-CIRAN, Centre for International Research and AdvisoryNetworks. The Africa Diversity mailing list is devoted specifically to the sustainableuse of biological diversity and indigenous knowledge in Africa.
The loss of traditional knowledge about resource use is one of the central problemsof our times because the loss of knowledge ultimately contributes to the loss ofbiological diversity including the plants for food and plants used to make medicines.The purpose of this discussion list is to promote the advancement of knowledgeabout biodiversity and indigenous knowledge in Africa - invite the participation ofnatural and social scientists, governmental and non-governmental organizations,and any other entity with an interest in biodiversity and indigenous knowledgeissues; share research materials, event announcements, funding, job and trainingopportunities, relevant newsletters, and news in general regarding sustainable useand conservation of biodiversity and indigenous knowledge. The moderators wantthis to be an opportunity for frank exchange of differing views and experiences, in away that challenges, stimulates and enlightens. They expect this exchange will helpstakeholders to further enhance the sustainable use and conservation of biodiversityand indigenous knowledge for sustainable development.
If you are interested and want to join this mailing list you can send a message [email protected] and write subscribe africadiv yourfirstname yourlastname in thebody of the message, leaving the subject blan.
Source: NTFP-Biocultural-Digest Vol. 04, No. 3. (now NWFP-Digest-L). Tosubscribe please send an email to: [email protected] with the message:subscribe NWFP-Digest-L
INTERNATIONAL NETWORK ON ETHNOFORESTRY
IntroductionA new network was set up in 1999 to promote the Equity of Knowledge betweenindigenous communities and formal forestry scientists around the world. TheInternational Network on Ethnoforestry (INEF) is a peer group of concernedforesters, scientists, international agencies and non-governmental organizationsworking for the documentation and dissemination of indigenous knowledge on forestmanagement and its integration with formal forestry, in various cultures andindigenous peoples in different parts of the globe. INEF is based at the IndianInstitute of Forest Management (IIFM), Bhopal (India), and receives additionalsupport from the Asia Forest Network and RECOFTC. The network is coordinatedby Deep N. Pandey assisted by 30 faculty members at IIFM.
INEF currently has around 300 members in 100 countries. Members understandethnoforestry within the wider context of traditional ecological knowledge andbelieve that the philosophy of sustainability is basic to many indigenous knowledgesystems. By helping to integrate context-specific indigenous knowledge on forestrywith formal forestry science, INEF aims to promote the equity of knowledge andcontribute to improved livelihoods for indigenous people as well as sustainableforest management by local communities.
Current INEF activities include the compilation of an annotated bibliography on theglobal status of ethnoforestry, a research project on ethnoforestry in India, and
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collaborative training for stakeholders on ethnoforestry. The most important activityis the INEF mailing list which has brought together for the first time variousstakeholders who are helping in the retrieval, transmission and field application ofindigenous knowledge on forests around the world.
Networking technology INEF initiatives is using the simple technology of an e-group mailing list withprofound impact. This project aims to achieve Equity of Knowledge betweenindigenous communities and formal forestry science. The project is unique in that itaddresses the concern for equity of knowledge at the worldwide scale and istargeted at an audience that has the potential to alter the course of developmentinterventions in the field of natural resource management. For the first time, agathering of individuals and organisations is attempting to convince those whomatter in the policy implementation sector that knowledge is the key toempowerment of poor and marginalised local communities. The project is alsounique in that it has established arrangements for a free flow of information frominternational bodies to the village level in order to apply knowledge that haspreviously been restricted either to academic circles or communities. Poolingtogether the knowledge of communities and foresters, and integrating it for fieldimplementation, can yield rich dividends for communities, effectively helping toaddress the problems of deforestation and threatened livelihoods. INEF has shownthat both knowledge systems are compatible and that simple computer-basedmailing lists can have a profound impact on any developmental project that is aimingto address the integration of knowledge systems.
Interaction of INEF with usersEvery-day users of INEF are foresters, policy makers, scientists, students, villageforest protection and management committees, NGOs, anthropologists, sociologists,wildlife experts and international agencies. Typically interaction occurs through asimple e-mail list for sharing information and research findings. People needinginformation also have recourse to the archives of the mailing list and can use theURL links to access useful websites.
Achievements and resultsThe most important achievement of the INEF so far has been the wide realisationamong the various stakeholders that it is easy to retrieve, transmit, integrate andapply indigenous knowledge on forests. It has fulfilled the need of the internationalcommunity involved with indigenous knowledge and also of the village communitiesamong whom these scientists have been working. The INEF initiative has beeninstrumental in catalysing the development of similar initiatives in other countries(e.g. Nepal) in the form of foresters' associations. The entire body of research of its270 core members is readily available to any interested user. The success of thenetwork can be assessed by the large number of hits (over 10,000) received by ourvarious sites, the active flow of e-mails between members, the scale of pooledknowledge submitted for inclusion in the databank (in the form of 300 URL sites),and the over 500 documents contributed for the compilation of Global Status ofEthnoforestry.
Lessons learnedSome of the lessons we have learned include:
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Equity of knowledge is possible. It is also essential to stop the exploitation ofthe rural poor who are the holders of local knowledge. Small resources and simple technology may have a profound impact on thedevelopment sector. Sharing of knowledge by willing participants can be speedy, fruitful andproductive through internet and e-mail.
Challenges we faceOur major constraint is the non-availability of the internet to a very large audience indeveloping countries, the very people who also tend to have a rich body ofindigenous knowledge on forests and natural resources. This problem has beenpartially overcome in certain cases where members receive e-mail information andthen share it with the people of the villages in which they work. In addition, INEF hasstarted to collect a large body of literature on ethnoforestry through the e-mail listand this will soon be published in several local languages. A CD ROM is also beingdeveloped for users who have a PC but do not have a reliable e-mail connection.
A second constraint is the high level of illiteracy in the third world. A third constraintis the dominant thinking of decision-makers such as foresters, policy makers andscientist, the majority of whom do not really believe that village communities areequally knowledgeable.
Our futureINEF has planned the following activities, in part dependent on the availability ofresources:
Publication of the proposed journal Ethnoforestry;Possibly working on a proposed intercontinental collaborative project on"Integration of Indigenous Knowledge on Forests and Formal Forestry" and"Equity of Knowledge";Organising the proposed "First International Congress on Ethnoforestry";Establishing a regular website for INEF.
Overall, it is hoped to promote further transfer of the pooled information to practisingforesters and communities and to help them implement it in the field. This may bepossible through a series of training courses and workshops.
For further information, contact:Deep Narayan PandeyIndian Forest ServiceINEF-International Network on Ethnoforestry.Indian Institute of Forest Management PO Box. no. 357, Nehru Nagar,Bhopal, India-462003 Tel:+91 755775716, Fax:+91755772878 INEF http://www.egroups.com/groups/inefIIFM http://www.iifm.org/
ARCHIVE OF TROPICAL FOREST INFORMATION - ATROFI-UK
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ATROFI is a meta-database of historical tropical and sub-tropical forest inventorydatasets held in the UK that has been developed under a DFID Forest ResearchProgramme project (R7277). The database contains basic information of thelocation, extent and protocols used in each inventory along with contact details ofthe data holders and owners. The intention is to make historical (1950s to 1990s)forest datasets available to researchers and others interested in tropical forests. Thefollowing data types are included:
Volume functions for natural forest and plantation speciesRepeated permanent sample plot data for natural forest and plantationsOne-off inventory data for natural forest
Website: http://www.atrofi-uk.com
Please visit the site and let us know:
if you have any datasets you wish to share with other researcherswhat type of data you are looking for, andwhat analyses you would hope to do on the data
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ETFRN News 30Job Opportunities
An up-to-date list of job opportunities can be seen on the ETFRN website at:http://www.etfrn.org/etfrn/resource/info-vacancies.html
THE EUROPEAN FOREST INSTITUTE IS INVITING TWO YOUNG PROMINENTSCIENTISTS ON FOREST ECONOMICS FOR A THREE MONTH SCIENTIFICMISSION TO EFI
It is expected that both visiting young scientists have a PhD or equivalent in foresteconomics or general economics with particular knowledge either on forest productstrade, forest sector analysis or forestry socio-economics. A good command ofwritten and spoken English is a necessity, as well as a capability to work inmultinational and multidisciplinary context.
The applicants are expected to participate in:
i.Preparing a research article or report in the field of the scientist's earlier workfocusing on a selected issue of forest products trade, forest sector analysis orforestry socio-economics
ii.Preparing a proposal for future research collaboration or joint research action fromthe field of forest economics.
EFI provides an unique opportunity for young scientists to work in an internationalenvironment and a chance to build up a solid link to future research efforts of theInstitute.
Further information can be obtained from:
Dr Anssi Niskanen (Programme Manager, Email: [email protected]) or Dr RistoPäivinen (Deputy Director, Email: [email protected]).
Applicants should apply in writing before the end of July 2000, with salaryexpectation, CV and a short description or a plan how to fulfill the objectives.Applicants can use the application form for EFI members' scholarship found athttp://www.efi.fi/efinews/open_posts/1999/memberscholars_form.html
CALL FOR CVs
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Jaakko Pöyry Consulting AB, Sweden, is engaged in development and consultingactivities related to the forestry, forest industry, nature conservation and ruraldevelopment sectors. We are a member of the international Jaakko Pöyry Group.We anticipate an increase in project tendering in the coming years. If you areinterested in participating in our bids, you are most welcome to send us your CV. Inyour CV, please state clearly your key qualifications, contact details and presentoccupation. CVs can be sent to:
Jaakko Pöyry Consulting ABPO Box 1130181 22 LidingöSwedenTel: +468 731 45 00Fax: +468 767 63 15
CVs can also be sent by email to:[email protected]
JOB OPPORTUNITY SOUGHT: FIELD EXPERIENCE IN COMMUNITY BASEDNATURAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
I have a BA in International Relations and a MSc in Environmental Economics. Ispeak English, Italian and French fluently, and have a working knowledge ofSpanish and Portuguese. Since 1996, I have worked as a consultant for theSustainable Development and Forestry Departments of FAO, covering a wide rangeof technical areas from environmental impact assessment to bio-gas technology.More recently I have developed a strong interest for activities related to CommunityBased Natural Resource Management. Last year, for example, I carried out a sixmonth study in Mozambique on Marketing of Non-Wood Forest Products for an FAOCommunity Forestry project.
I am currently working in the Mountains and Watershed Management Group toprepare the information campaign for the International Year of Mountains (2002),including designing and writing the contents for the IYM flyer, web site andnewsletter.
In the next stage of my career, I would like to focus on building field experience inplanning and developing activities that ensure sustained income generation for ruralcommunities and at the same time ensure environmental conservation (e.g.production and trade of NWFP and handicrafts, or development of tourism services).
Contact:
Alexia BaldasciniEmails: [email protected]; [email protected]
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ETFRN News 30Publications
by Peter Sips
JOINT FOREST MANAGEMENT: POLICY, PRACTICE AND PROSPECTSPRINCIPLES AND PRACTICE OF FOREST CO-MANAGEMENT: EVIDENCE FROM WEST-CENTRAL AFRICATHE USE OF ECONOMICS TO ASSESS STAKEHOLDER INCENTIVES IN PARTICIPATORYFOREST MANAGEMENT: A REVIEWCOMMUNITY FORESTRY NETWORK NEWSLETTERREFRAMING DEFORESTATION. GLOBAL ANALYSIS AND LOCAL REALITIES: STUDIESIN WEST AFRICAPRIVATE INVESTMENT IN SUSTAINABLE FOREST MANAGEMENTREDUCED IMPACT TIMBER HARVESTING IN THE TROPICAL NATURAL FOREST ININDONESIAMALESIAN DIPTEROCARPS. FORESTERS' CD-ROM MANUALLA GESTION DE FORETS DENSES AFRICAINES AUJOURD'HUIROADSIDE BIO-ENGINEERING. SITE HANDBOOK AND REFERENCE MANUALTHE FUTURE OF OUR LAND. FACING THE CHALLENGEFOREST RESEARCH CAPACITIES IN 18 EUROPEAN COUNTRIESASSESSING THE INTERNATIONAL FOREST REGIMERISK ATTITUDE AND RISK PERCEPTION IN AGROFORESTRY DECISIONS: THE CASEOF BABATI, TANZANIAECONOMIC INSTRUMENTS FOR TROPICAL FORESTS: THE CONGO BASIN CASERURAL LIVELIHOODS AND CARBON MANAGEMENTMORE TECHNICAL NOTES ON TREE SEEDS FROM PROSEFOR
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JOINT FOREST MANAGEMENT: POLICY, PRACTICE AND PROSPECTS
A. Khare, M. Sarin, N.C. Saxena, S. Palit, S. Bathla, F. Vania & M. Satyanarayana(2000)
India's bold central policy change for joint forest management between governmentand communities has resulted in regeneration of considerable areas of forest, andhas expanded the policy community through inclusion of more stakeholders. Butthese successes are matched by concerns that forestry departments are still callingthe shots, whilst in some cases, serious local inequities are being exacerbated. Thisreport describes the evolution of powers over policy – the legacy of colonial forestry,the inertia of 'fortress forestry' institutions, the favoured forest industries and theprotectionist agenda, which seeks to lock away forests from people's use. Thesepowers need to be tackled openly and concertedly for the ideal of joint forestmanagement and the potential of farm forestry to be fully realised. The report shows
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how this can be done through policy processes, instruments, programmes andinformation which foster productive and equitable forest management.
This is the most recent of six country case studies (the others are Costa Rica,Ghana, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea and Zimbabwe) published as part of the'Policy that works for forests and people' series of the International Institute forEnvironment and Development. The papers contributing to the India case studyhave also been published separately (and can be obtained from IIED at the addressbelow):
Forest policy in India by N.C. SaxenaStructural changes in forest departments by S.PalitPolicy goals and JFM practice: an analysis of institutional arrangements andoutcomes by M. SarinExternalities impinging on participatory forest management in India by S.Bathla
142pp. ISSN 1028 8228. Policy that works for forests and people series no. 3,WWF-India and IIED. Order from: International Institute for Environment andDevelopment, 3 Endsleigh Street, London WC1H 0DD, UK. Tel: +44 20 7388 2117,Fax: +44 20 7388 2826, Email: [email protected]
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PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICE OF FOREST CO-MANAGEMENT: EVIDENCEFROM WEST-CENTRAL AFRICA
David Brown (1999)
The involvement of local communities as well as the state in forest management isnow an important principle of tropical forest policy and practice, and a majorcomponent of most international forestry aid programmes. This paper focuses onattempts to promote community involvement in tropical moist forest areas of sub-Saharan Africa. A number of factors make this a challenging task, includingquestions of political will, institutional commitment and tenure. Major imbalances inpower exist between industrial and non-industrial users, and civil society tends to beweak and divided. Community identities and relationships may well be contentious insuch areas, where the forest figures more as a zone for agricultural expansion thanas a resource to be conserved. Human populations in forests are surprisinglyheterogeneous and structures of resource control complex and overlapping.
Using case studies from the high forest zones of Ghana and Cameroon, the paperreviews the ambiguities in the classical model of forest co-management, and theissues which arise when the model is applied to specific national contexts. Thepaper examines attempts to recreate traditional resource management systems andto ally community management with other forms of land use. Existing strategies offorest co-management are weighed against alternative options to improve the
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husbandry of the resource and increase public accountability.
33pp. ISBN 0 85003 404 3. EU Tropical Forestry Paper 2, ODI and EC. Downloadfrom www.odi.org.uk or order from: FPEG, Overseas Development Institute,Portland House, Stag Place, London SW1E 5DP, UK. Tel: +44-20-7393 1600, Fax:+44-20-7393 1699, Email: [email protected]
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THE USE OF ECONOMICS TO ASSESS STAKEHOLDER INCENTIVES INPARTICIPATORY FOREST MANAGEMENT: A REVIEW
Jonathan Davies & Michael Richards (1999)
In spite of a general enthusiasm for participatory forest management (PFM), theeconomic incentives for stakeholders, particularly local forest users, to get involvedin participatory forest management are only poorly understood. This is partly due toweak analysis of the costs and benefits of participation. One reason for this is a lackof accessible methodological guidance for carrying out such studies. The mainobjective of this paper is to assess existing and emerging economic tools in terms oftheir potential and limitation to assess stakeholder incentives in PFM.
The paper explores the debate concerning the application of economics tocommunity-level forestry. On the one hand there are those who think economicanalysis is inappropriate or tends to result in 'spurious precision' and those who feelthat a more qualitative analysis is more appropriate and useful. On the other handare those who think that lack of more quantitative analysis and a failure to placerealistic numbers on costs and benefits has proved a serious limitation in the designof effective PFM interventions. The authors consider the case for 'participatoryeconomic analysis', which attempts to bring together the qualitative and quantitativeapproaches. Their intention is also to explain economic concepts and jargon asclearly as possible for the non-economist reader.
45pp. ISBN 85003 476 0. EU Tropical Forestry Paper 5, ODI and EC. Downloadfrom www.odi.org.uk or order from: FPEG, Overseas Development Institute,Portland House, Stag Place, London SW1E 5DP, UK. Tel: +44-20-7393 1600, Fax:+44-20-7393 1699, Email: [email protected]
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COMMUNITY FORESTRY NETWORK NEWSLETTER
In May 1998 the Community Forestry Network (CFN) was established in Yaoundé,Cameroon. Publication of the Community Forestry Network is the main output of thenetwork. The newsletter is bilingual, English and French, and its main goal is toreport on community forestry developments in Cameroon. However, it also contains
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contributions from 'abroad'. The CFN and its newsletter are financed by the DFID-funded Community Forestry Development Project with assistance from theCameroon Ministry for Environment and Forests, the Dutch Volunteer Programme(SNV) and the University of Dshang, amongst others.
For more information contact: Community Forestry Network, Thérèse ChantalEnyegue, s/c CFDP, B.P. 547, Yaoundé, Cameroon. Telephone/fax: +237-220471
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REFRAMING DEFORESTATION. GLOBAL ANALYSIS AND LOCAL REALITIES:STUDIES IN WEST AFRICA
James Fairhead and Melissa Leach (1998)
Deforestation in West Africa is said to be the most dramatic and recent worldwide. Itis also assumed that farmers were the main cause of this forest destruction. Theauthors argue that this is vastly exaggerated and unfair. The book reviews how WestAfrican deforestation is represented in policy, forestry, and environmental sciences.The book analyses the deforestation orthodoxy in Benin, Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana,Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Togo using historical, social anthropological, and politicalevidence. By doing so the authors build up various arguments for reframing foresthistory and policy in the region and question how and why deforestation has beenexaggerated with farmers often falsely accused of being the main cause.
238 pp; ISBN 0415-185912. Order at: Routledge, 11 New Fetter lane, London EC4P4EE, United Kingdom
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PRIVATE INVESTMENT IN SUSTAINABLE FOREST MANAGEMENT
P. Hol, R. Sikkema, E. Blom. P. Barendesen & W. Veening (1999)
Notwithstanding the large amounts of money invested by Dutch private investors inteak plantations in the last decade, investments in sustainable forest managementremain poor. This final report of a study carried out for the Dutch Ministry of ForeignAffairs, Directorate General International Cooperation (DGIS), aims to promoteprivate investments in sustainable forest management and conservation especiallyin developing countries. It argues that resistance among potential investors is mainlyrelated to the lack of financially sound information within the forestry sector, thedubious reputation of the sector and difficulties in reliably estimating the internal rateof return (which is relatively low compared to other sectors). However,developments at the national level (the decree on environmentally sound projectsabroad, creating a profitable fiscal regime for investments) and the international level(global increase in demand for timber and non-timber products and the promotion of
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forestry investments by e.g. WB, IDB, and UNDP) may improve investments.
21 pp. FORM Ecology Consultants/Netherlands Committee for IUCN. Order at: Ridderstraat 2, 8051 EH Hattem, TheNetherlands, Tel: +38 444 8990, Fax: +38 444 8991, Email: [email protected]
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REDUCED IMPACT TIMBER HARVESTING IN THE TROPICAL NATURALFOREST IN INDONESIA
Elias (1998)
This volume reviews a case study on reduced impact logging in a concession areain East Kalimantan, testing the applicability of some of the suggestions made in theFAO Model Code of Forest Harvesting Practice (see newsletter no. 27) withreference to improved harvesting practices in tropical high forests. The bookletdescribes aspects of typical conventional timber harvesting operations and reducedimpact timber harvesting operations. It gives a detailed description of thecomparison of productivity, costs and environmental impact of conventional andreduced impact timber harvesting.Compared to conventional harvesting, forest stand damage was reduced by 50%when applying reduced impact logging, the system productivity was encouragingand the difference in costs was not significant. The study highlights the need forgood harvest planning.
42 pp. Forest harvesting case-study no. 11. Order at: FAO, Viale delle Terme diCaracalla, 00100, Rome, Italy. Tel: +39 06 57051, Fax: +39 06 5705 3360, Email:[email protected]
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MALESIAN DIPTEROCARPS. FORESTERS' CD-ROM MANUAL
M.F. Newman, P.F. Burgess & T.C. Whitmore (1999)
This CD-Rom aims to make it possible to give a species name in the forest to allpotentially commercial big-tree dipterocarps in Singapore, the Philippines, Borneoand Sumatra, Java to New Guinea, and peninsular Malaysia. It is a consolidation ofseven printed manuals of the timber-size dipterocarps of the Malesian rain forest.The CD-Rom covers forest recognition of the family, genera and timber groups, anddescribes the taxonomy, economy, timber, ecology and silviculture of dipterocarps.The manual furthermore gives a forest key to all timber size dipterocarps and adescription of all species by genus. An index of scientific and local names isprovided. The manual also includes leaf and fruit drawings and bark photographs(unfortunately in black and white).
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ISBN 1872291139. DFID/Taxonomic Systems (ONLIN7). Order at: Royal BotanicalGarden Edinburgh, 20A Inverleith Row, Edinburgh EH3 5LR, UK. Tel: +44 131 5527171, Fax: +44 131 552 0382, Email: [email protected]
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LA GESTION DE FORETS DENSES AFRICAINES AUJOURD'HUI
Robert Nasi, Isabelle Amsallem & Sébastien Drouineau (eds.) (1999)
This CD-Rom contains over 1000 pages, representing the integral text of the paperspresented at the FORAFRI seminar, held in Libreville, Gabon, from 12-16 October,1998. The objective of the seminar was to bring together all relevant knowledge andexperience in the use of the tropical rain forest of Central and West Africa, focussingon political, economic and social aspects, in order to promote sustainable use andmanagement of these forests. The text is divided into sections dealing with: politicsand development, law, people and forests, ecosystem knowledge, forest products,and exploitation and management. The text is entirely in French, which is perhapsunfortunate considering the importance of the presentations to areas beyond thefrancophone forest region, and the international scientific and financial partnersinvolved (like CIRAD, CIFOR and IUFRO).
CD-Rom. ISBN 2-87614-3720. Order at: Librairie du Cirad, BP 5035, 34032Montpellier Cedex 1, France. Tel: +33 467 593 789, Fax: +33 467 593 733
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ROADSIDE BIO-ENGINEERING. SITE HANDBOOK AND REFERENCE MANUAL
John Howell (1999)
Bio-engineering, the use of living plants for engineering purposes, is meant to offerengineers new tools for civil engineering structures in exceptional conditions like inNepal (e.g. active geomorphology, steep slopes, intense rainfall, and a restrictedeconomy). This handbook and reference manual are based on experience gainedthroughout the road network of Nepal between 1984 and 1998.
The site handbook provides the information needed to design, plan, implement andmaintain roadside bio-engineering works. In five sections it covers how to stabiliseslopes using civil and bio-engineering, civil engineering techniques, bio-engineeringtechniques, the production of bio-engineering plants, and the maintenance of bio-engineering.
The manual provides the background information needed to understand the use of
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vegetation in engineering in Nepal, making specific reference to roads. It is dividedinto 6 chapters highlighting e.g. the role of vegetation in engineering, itsmaintenance and the law and roadside vegetation. The many illustrations and amodern layout make both the handbook and the manual very accessible.
160 pp. (+216 reference manual). His Majesty's Government of Nepal, Departmentof Roads, Kathmandu, Nepal. ISBN 1-86192-1705. Order at: DFID, 94 VictoriaStreet. London, SW1E 5JL, UK
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THE FUTURE OF OUR LAND. FACING THE CHALLENGE
FAO/UNEP (1999)
The 1992 UNCED meeting in Rio de Janeiro called for an integrated approach to theplanning and management of land resources. Following the propositions of UNCED(Agenda 21) on a number of policy and strategy measures (including integration ofbiophysical, social and economic issues, active participation of local communitiesand strengthening of institutions) in order to achieve the objective of sustainabledevelopment, FAO and UNEP developed an improved framework for land resourcedevelopment and management.
This document, preceded by "Our Land, Our Future" and "Negotiating a sustainablefuture for land", is targeted primarily at professional and technical practitioners ofland-use planning and land resource management at the national, sub-national andcommunity level. The document proposes an integrated planning approach forsustainable land resource management based on an interactive partnershipbetween government and people. Facing the challenge it describes the dependenceof and interaction between people and land resources and explains the need for anintegrated approach in land resource planning and management. It describes thekey factors needed for implementation of such an approach, its methodology, andpractical steps to get started.
The accompanying CD-ROM contains several guiding documents, case studies,working papers, workshop proceedings and other publications on the subject,mainly published by FAO and GTZ.
72 pp. ISBN 92-51043-669. Order at: FAO, Viale delle Terme di Caracalla, 00100,Rome, Italy. Tel: +39 06 57051, Fax: +39 06 5705 3360, Email: [email protected]
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FOREST RESEARCH CAPACITIES IN 18 EUROPEAN COUNTRIES
Nadia Bystriakova & Andreas Schuck (1999)
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This report is the result of the two-year project "Inventory of forest researchcapacities in 18 European countries" launched by COST (European cooperation inthe field of scientific and technical research). The study intends to improveknowledge about the institutional base of forestry science in the 18 selectedEuropean countries and to describe the present status and recent changes inselected forestry research units. The report presents an analysis of publishingperformance of forestry research units in selected European countries, detailedinformation about research activities of individual research units, and a comparativeanalysis. It also contains a directory of forest research units providing contactdetails.
378pp. ISBN 92-828-75768. Price: EUR 52. Order at: Office for Official Publicationsof the EC, L-2985 Luxembourg
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ASSESSING THE INTERNATIONAL FOREST REGIME
Richard G. Tarasofsky (ed.) (1999)
This book is the second IUCN publication on international forest law. The mainfocus of the book is on action taken by countries at the global level, in the frameworkof legally binding instruments and institutions. The effectiveness and impact ofindividual legal instruments and global institutions are analysed, as is the potentialsynergy between them, using the Intergovernmental Panel on Forests (IPF)Proposal for Action as point of departure. Contributions to the book cover items likegaps, overlaps, uncertainties and opportunities in the international forest regime; theimplementation of the IPF Proposal for Action; the role of the Convention onBiological Diversity in the conservation and sustainable use of forest biodiversity;global forest policies and international institutions; and a case study on legalarrangements for forests in Central America.
156 pp. IUCN Environmental Policy and Law Paper no. 37. ISBN 28317-04723.Order at: IUCN Publications Service Unit, 219c Huntingdon Road, Cambridge CB30DL, UK. Tel: +44 1223 277894, Fax: +44 1223 277175, Email:[email protected]
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RISK ATTITUDE AND RISK PERCEPTION IN AGROFORESTRY DECISIONS:THE CASE OF BABATI, TANZANIA
Ephraim M.M. Senkondo (2000)
The main objective of this dissertation is to understand farmers' attitudes andperceptions towards risk in making agroforestry production decisions. Based on field
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work in the Babati district, consisting of a general questionnaire survey and adetailed research approach, as well as an extensive literature survey, thedissertation identifies sources of risk and risk management strategies, the strengthof conviction in risk perception, attitudes towards risks, and preferences in croppingsystems. The dissertation concludes that farmers' choices of cropping systems arerational and consistent with their risk attitude, risk perception and cropping systempreference, but that these choices are influenced by household resources andcharacteristics. The author recommends improvements in infrastructure and socio-economic circumstances and technology developments in the field of breeding andselection of crops and tree species for specific circumstances.
214 pp. Mansholt Studies, Wageningen University. ISBN 90-5808-1664
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ECONOMIC INSTRUMENTS FOR TROPICAL FORESTS: THE CONGO BASINCASE
Alain Karsenty (2000)
Economic instruments – taxes, royalties, quotas, auctions, permit markets,subsidies, performance bonds, timber certification, log export bans, carbon dioxidemarkets – lie at the heart of contemporary debate over 'sustainable management' oftropical forests and especially one of its most controversial aspects: logging.Drawing on economic theory and concrete examples mainly from Central Africa butalso from south-east Asia, this book provides a pragmatic and stimulating view ofthe forestry policy issues bound up with these new aspects of tropical forestmanagement at the crossroads of economics and ecology.
98pp. ISBN 2 87614 376 3. Instruments for sustainable private sector forestryseries. IIED, CIFOR and CIRAD. Order from: International Institute for Environmentand Development, 3 Endsleigh Street, London WC1H 0DD, UK. Tel: +44 20 73882117, Fax: +44 20 7388 2826, Email: [email protected]
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RURAL LIVELIHOODS AND CARBON MANAGEMENT
S. Bass, O. Dubois, P. Moura Costa, M. Pinard, R. Tipper & C. Wilson (2000)
Recent years have seen a growing interest in 'carbon offset' initiatives to securecarbon in land management (e.g. through tree planting) as part of a strategy tomitigate climate change. This process is still the subject of technical and politicaluncertainty, including the concern that land use-derived offsets will be used as away to avoid addressing the North's emission levels at the South's expense. Thispaper is the product of an international workshop held in Edinburgh in September
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1999 to address some key questions, including: What is the added value of land-based carbon offsets? What might their impact be on rural livelihoods? Are ruralpeople and their farming and forestry systems well-suited to the provision of carbonoffsets? How can rural people benefit? The paper highlights issues that need to beaddressed if rural people are indeed to benefit from carbon offset agreements andindicates the role development assistance might play in facilitating the process.
94pp. ISSN 1605 1017. IIED Natural Resource Issues Paper No. 1. Order from:International Institute for Environment and Development, 3 Endsleigh Street, LondonWC1H 0DD, UK. Tel: +44 20 7388 2117, Fax: +44 20 7388 2826, Email:[email protected]
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MORE TECHNICAL NOTES ON TREE SEEDS FROM PROSEFOR
September 1999
PROSEFOR, financed by DANIDA, is the forest tree seeds project of CATIE, CentroAgronomico Tropical de Investigacion y Ensenanza, in Costa Rica. The projectpublishes a series of technical notes, in Spanish, on forest tree seeds. The notessummarise information available on seed production and management for some ofthe most important species of the region, Central America.
1. 71 Mimosa scabrella Benth.2. 72 Genipa americana Linnaeus.3. 73 Salix humboldtiana Willd.4. 74 Sterculia apetala (Jacq.) Karst.5. 75 Andira inermis (W.Wright) D.C.6. 76 Araucaria angustifolia (Bertoloni) Otto Kuntze7. 77 Didymopanax morototoni (Aublet) Decaisne et Planchon8. 78 Cordia trichotoma (Vellozo) Arrabida ex Steudel9. 79 Jacaranda micrantha chamisso
10. 80 Dalbergia nigra (Vellozo) Freire Allemao ex Bentham11. 81 Myroxilon balsamun (L.) Harms.12. 82 Juglans neotropica Diels.13. 83 Prosopis tamarugo F.Phil.14. 84 Jacaranda mimosifolia D.Don.15. 85 Araucaria araucana (Mol.) K.Koch.16. 86 Cedrela fissilis Vellozo17. 87 Liquidambar styraciflua Linn18. 88 Brosimum alicastrum Swartz19. 89 Nothofagus dombeyi (Mirbel) Oerst20. 90 Myrocarpus frondosus Freire Allemao21. 91 Ulmus mexicana (Liebm.) Planch22. 92 Balfourodendron riedelianum (Engler) Engler23. 93 Taxodium mucronatum Tenore24. 94 Sapindus saponaria L.
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25. 95 Quercus oleoides Cham. & Schlecht26. 96 Avicennia germinans (L.) Stearn27. 97 Peltogyne purpurea Pittier28. 98 Podocarpus oleifolius Don.In Lamb.29. 99 Diphysa robinoides Benth.30. 100 Laguncularia racemosa Gaertn.31. 101 Sweetia panamensis Benth.
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