Discovery and Innovation

Some Drivers of Change in Forest Conditions in Africa

2009-12-04T13:34:49+00:00

Forests in Africa are important to livelihoods of rural communities, as habitats of wildlife, sources of genetic
resources and for mitigation to climate change among many other uses. Africa’s area under forests is, however,
declining at rates faster than those in other continents despite efforts to improve forest management by, for example,
devolving ownership and management of some of these forests to local communities. This paper examines some
of the root causes of this decline by specifically focusing on the forest-society and agriculture nexus as one of the
key drivers of forest depletion on the continent. The paper also examines the influence of urbanisation and related
policy shifts in Africa. The paper concludes that the rapid population increase has direct negative impact on forests
and this is compounded by increasing poverty in rural areas that has increased reliance on forests as sources of
food, medicines, agricultural land, in addition to forests supplying wood and other non-wood forest products for
domestic consumption and industrial needs. The paper highlights an apparent link between deforestation and
urbanization, and the potentials for African forests to contribute more to social and economic development and to
mitigate adverse effects of climate change.

Review of Public Forestry Administrations and Related Institutions in Sub-Saharan Africa

2009-11-25T13:08:42+00:00

The main findings of a study on forest administration and related institutional arrangements (PFA) are highlighted.
The relevance and changing roles of PFA in Sub-Saharan African (SSA) countries are covered in the context of new
paradigm for sustainable forest management (SFM). The current weak capacities and low profiles of PFA in SSA
countries are addressed and some recommendations are made on actions for positive changes. It is recommended
that SSA countries should take appropriate steps to stabilize and strengthen their PFAs through improved
governance and to actively participate in the emerging initiative on African forest law enforcement and governance
(AFLEG). It is recommended that SSA countries should take immediate steps to mobilize additional resources for
PFAs through forest income retention schemes, national forest funds/trusts and through collaboration with nongovernmental
organizations (NGOs) and the private sector. It is also recommended that SSA countries should
mobilize resources through continental and/or regional initiatives on capacity building for PFA.

Mainstreaming International Forestry Related Agreements at National Level

2009-11-25T13:08:42+00:00

The case study provides in-sights on initiation, negotiation and implementation of International Forestry Related
Agreements (IFRAs). It is observed and concluded that (i) there is low and inconsistent participation by Africa in
international forest processes that lead to IFRAs, ostensibly due to lack of funds, (ii) Africa is not influencing the
outcomes of the processes, (ii) African national institutions face challenges in mainstreaming outcomes IFRAs, not
only due to lack of capacity, but also because of poor ownership of the outcomes, (iv) African forestry institutions
have many overlapping international and regional initiatives to deal with that require substantial resources, which
are not readily available, (v) there is inadequate participation by the private sector, (vi) countries send different
individuals to successive forums resulting in lack of institutional and policy memory and hence continuity. In
extreme cases, this has resulted in countries taking contradictory positions on specific issues in successive sessions,
(vii) many countries send delegations without adequate preparation, and (viii) many countries lack competent
resource persons to handle issues under discussion. In some cases, there is little understanding and consensus
at national level on issues under international debate. As a result of the foregoing, there is limited awareness
and appreciation within African governments on existence of the instruments and countries lack a critical mass of
people knowledgeable on them. Accordingly, it is not easy to mainstream IFRAs into national policies, laws and
strategies. A structured layered approach for participation and feedback is proposed to expedite effectiveness and
implementation.

The Changing Forest Management Paradigm in Africa: A Case for Community Based Forest Management System

2009-11-25T13:08:42+00:00

The paper presents the state of forests in sub-Saharan African (SSA)countries, salient factors leading to forest
loss, the influence of mitigating measures being adopted, and an assessment of the community based forest
management systems(CBFM). The study reveals that a number of promising CBFM constructs have been tried
and more are being implemented in the region. Implementation progress shows that virtually all countries have
enacted supportive policies, legislations, institutional instruments and reforms. Notable trajectories contributing
to sustainable forest management, with prospects for enhancing social justice, economic, environmental, social
institutions and human capital, are noted. Bottlenecks stifling CBFM’s growth, particularly those associated
with conflicts, challenges, constraints and threats are examined. In a final chapter, the paper recommends a
need to establish an inclusive platform to guide institutional reforms and to mount a comprehensive research
programme.

Lessons Learnt on Rain Forest Management for Wood Production in West and Central Africa

2009-11-25T13:08:42+00:00

The study was carried out with the aim of analyzing and establishing what lessons have been learnt from positive
and negative experiences of various initiatives, projects and programmes aiming at sustainable management, use
and conservation of rain forests in Sub-Saharan Africa. The lessons learnt from the case studies are articulated
around the following four particular items: (1) necessary conditions for implementing SFM and the extent to which
current practices satisfy these conditions, (2) factors that inhibit implementation, (3) what needs to be done by
different actors and (4) replicability of success stories.

Plantation Forestry in Sub Saharan Africa: Silvicultural, Ecological and Economic Aspects

2009-11-25T13:08:42+00:00

This paper discusses the potentials of meeting the wood demand and achieving SFM in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA)
through the establishment of forest plantations. The paper reviews forest plantation ownership and distribution
patterns in SSA and the factors –silvicultural, ecological, and economic that affect supply and demand for wood
at both domestic and international markets. The risk associated with investing in forest plantations and their
susceptibility to pest and disease attacks are highlighted. But with sound silvicultural practices these fears are
allayed. Ecological sustainability is in most situations ensured, but there are risks associated with burning logging
slash after harvesting. It is found that efficiency in plantation management and success in achieving sustainable
wood supply depends to a large extent on whether the plantations are owned and managed by the public or the
private sector. Many public sector managed plantations are poorly managed and not profit-oriented. They have
other environmental and social services and benefits as objectives. Many benefits from such activities are not easily
quantifiable in monetary terms and therefore cannot be used to determine the profitability of the plantations. Thus,
in financial analysis, most public sector owned and managed plantations are unprofitable and not economically
viable because these important benefits are excluded in the calculations. Private owned forest plantations are well
managed and aim at profit maximization and therefore integrate plantations to wood processing plants to improve
the form and value of wood and make the wood products more competitive in both domestic and export markets.
As a way forward, a number of actions are listed to ensure long-term viability of forest plantations in SSA.

Forest Management for Non-Wood Forest Products and Services in Sub-Saharan Africa

2009-12-04T13:35:35+00:00

The contribution of Non-Wood Forest Products (NWFPs) and services in livelihood support has been reviewed.
Quite a number of NWFPs are also important articles of commerce and contribute significantly to the economies
various African countries. The non-consumptive role of forests has been examined in terms of eco-tourism while
the social and economic viability of the production of NWFPs and services have been reviewed from subsistence
and commercial perspectives. Conditions that enable long-term viability in the management of forests for NWFPs
and services have been reviewed. Need for sound ecological data in relation to resource stock and yield were noted
as important in determining ecological sustainability. A number of institutional issues important to SFM were
noted, including setting up of strong producer organizations, enabling policies and legislative frameworks, and
relevant institutions within the government that provide supportive roles. Multiple use management was noted
an important concept towards sustainable forestry and clearly demonstrates how forests can be managed for both
wood and NWFPs. From an analysis of lessons learnt from the above, various recommendations were made.

Processing and Marketing of Non-wood Forest Products: Potential Impacts and Challenges in Africa

2009-11-25T13:08:42+00:00

This paper provides an overview and synthesis of the processing and marketing of NWFP in Africa. Indeed,
NWFPs provide a livelihood support system for forest communities and poor urban households in terms of food,
medicines, income and employment. However, forest communities remain poor, always struggling to make a
living rather than improving their status quo. This trend raises concern whether NWFPs constitute a poverty
trap, a safety net or a resource for rural development and poverty alleviation. This paper tries to address some of
these concerns with the main objective of drawing lessons from experiences across the African continent on the
opportunities and challenges of the NWFPs sector. Such lessons are considered very important in informing the
development of policies in future that can better contribute and sustain the provision of income and livelihood
to stakeholders. Lessons drawn from this analysis shows that organised production, processing and marketing
of NWFPs can increase the revenue of dependent communities, thereby contributing to poverty reduction in
Africa. The paper concludes that the salient requirements for the development of the NWFP include adding value
locally, choosing the right marketing strategy, informing local producers and organisations on legal procedures,
supporting and building capacities of vibrant/accountable local organisations, conducting cost effective research
and development, and disseminating appropriate information on the resource base and on market conditions.

Development of Forestry in Sweden—Any lessons for Africa?

2009-11-25T13:08:42+00:00

During the SFM I project, studies were made on the relevance to Africa of Sweden’s experience in 100–150 years
to become a successful forestry country. Six major issues have influenced the development of forests, forestry
and forest industries in Sweden. The first relates to the societal, economic and political macro-trends of the last
150 years—democratisation, industrialisation, urbanisation, etc. Obviously, developments in forestry have been
influenced, and to a significant degree, made possible by these factors. Five other key issues help explain the current
forest situation: that wood early on acquired a commercial value and that private land owners, the Government
and industry exploited the opportunities to add extra value by industrial processing; that ownership of forests was
largely in private hands (farmers and industry); that forest policies and legislation were put in place to support the
developments in forestry; the role of NGOs; and the roles of Government.
Although ecological and economic conditions are obviously different, it was concluded that many Swedish
lessons related to the processes and mechanisms of developing and administrating forest policies and legislation,
strengthening institutional capacity for supporting mechanisms to SFM, e.g. within areas of research, education/
training, resource inventories and statistics, extension services, certification and market intelligence, etc., and in
organising and empowering stake-holders in the use, management and conservation of forest and tree resources,
could be of relevance, in adapted forms, also to Africa.

Justice in the Forest: Rural Livelihood and Forest Law Enforcement

2009-11-25T13:08:42+00:00

There has been considerable growing international
concern with illegal forest activities over the last
decade or so. Illegal forest activities are said to
cause massive environmental destruction, deprive
governments of billions of dollars in lost revenues
and generally undermine the rule of law.
The concern for illegal activities in forest that
have resulted in deforestation has, in turn, led to
increased studies in the existing forest laws. These
studies have recently suggested that many forestry
laws and regulations can discriminate against small
producers and that a large number of people depend
on small-scale illegal forestry activities to survive. It
has, therefore, been postulated that enforcing these
laws might potentially harm poor people. It is also
feared that some government authorities would
selectively target small producers, truck drivers and
forestry workers rather than the big players who are
responsible for most of the real problems.
As a result of these concerns, the Centre
for International Forestry Research (CIFOR)
commissioned exploratory studies drawn from six
countries (Bolivia, Cameroon, Canada, Honduras,
Indonesia and Nicaragua) to help think through these
legal issues in practice and in different contexts. The
studies were coordinated and reports synthesized
into the present final report. The findings of the
report can be summarized in the following thematic
areas: