This chapter deals with level and need of Information Technology in the project countries. It provides synthesized contents of country presentations. Annexes present the country presentation on the role of electronic networking in the forestry sector.
Electronic networking is one of the best tools to communicate and exchange information and has capacity to connect even the most remote locations through mobile Internet facilities. However, it's easy and open access is raising concerns like data ownership, sharing, decentralization, transparency and security.
The presentations in this workshop focused on the current state of electronic networks in forestry in the project countries, as well as on the identification of current constraints, weaknesses and strengths of the present practices along with suggestions for future developments. The country presentations are available in Annexes with this proceeding. The following sections present commonalities and variations in electronic networking within forestry department of project countries.
All project countries have electronic networking systems. Bhutan became the youngest member to join this group when it opened its boundaries for electronic networking in June 1999. The project has ensured that in all the project countries, the forest department at national level has direct access to Internet facilities. However, in none of the project countries, Internet facilities have percolated down to the field level.
All project countries agree that a well functioning electronic network giving access to reliable and regularly updated data is an essential for successful and sustainable forest management. Although all the countries have an ambitious plan to develop electronic networks at various administrative and field levels in forestry sector but such electronic networks have yet not been fully established in any of the project countries.
Forest Departments of all the project countries face similar major constraints of financial and human resources. The electronic networks need large financial investments to procure necessary hardware and software, and to develop and maintain an excellent telecommunication system. This is seen as a constraint to the quick implementation of electronic networks especially at the decentralized levels in all the project countries. Another major constraint in all the countries is training of the current forestry professional staff at different levels to implement and manage such networks. It is a very challenging task and also involves regular updating of skills of trained personnel to use new hardware and software. Further, once established, these electronic networks need money for meeting recurrent expenditures such as phone-bills and non-recurrent costs such as updating software, hardware, telecommunications and human resources.
All project countries are following a similar three-step model of establishment of such electronic networks within forest departments. The first step usually consists of development of a local Area Network (LAN) at forest department headquarters (National and or State). The second step attempts to link these headquarter LAN with (a) the regional or divisional forest offices and (b) with LAN of other agencies or ministries at national and state headquarters through a hired or owned Wide Area Network (WAN) systems. Finally, the third step leaps forward to link decentralized filed units with divisional, regional, state and or national LAN systems.
The countries differ significantly in the extent to which an electronic network in the Forestry Sector has been established, ranging from Myanmar where it is yet to be developed to the Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education, which employs state of the art technology in its LAN and WAN system. This is naturally based on the availability of financial resources and skilled manpower with the forest department and the presence of telecommunication networks in these countries.
The utility and efficiency of existing electronic networks is being defined by the regime of authority and control of information in respective project countries. Some countries like India and Nepal have decentralized information system while other countries have higher levels of control for example in Myanmar there are many restraints for free flow of information through an electronic network.
The quality and reliability of such networks in project countries differ significantly based on the quality of equipment, skills of network managers and level of monopoly of the institutions providing electronic super highways. For example, India has many Internet Service Providers while Bhutan has only one and other countries are in between.
Strong commitment of the forest departments in the project countries to use Information Technology (IT) is the greatest strength. Other factors that strengthen the case for IT is hierarchical structure of current information flow in the forest departments of these countries. Further the current information systems in most of these departments have clear definitions of roles, responsibilities, authority and control for most of the information.
The main weakness in all the project countries is poor Human Resource Development in forest departments with respect to IT. Other factors that contribute to the weakness include poor financial resources, unreliable telecommunications system, and insecurity over Internet.
Lack of financial resources in all the project countries create uncertainty about sustenance of electronic networks over long period of time. Once established, these electronic networks need money for meeting recurrent expenditures such as phone-bills and non-recurrent costs such as updating software, hardware, telecommunications and human resources.
The countries participating in the workshop agreed that IT cell of Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education, which is best equipped with State of Art IT facilities in the region, be utilized as Regional IT Node for the Project Countries. All countries welcomed the suggestion that IT cell of ICFRE trains the forest professional of project countries in development and maintenance of national web sites and to maintain project website with Regional Project Coordinator facilitating the process.
The project countries agreed to share their information and provide it to the Regional Project Coordinator for posting on the Regional Project Server maintained by ICFRE. In addition, countries agreed to develop and maintain their own national forestry web site and server for forestry information. It was agreed that the Regional Project Coordinator would facilitate the establishment and initiation of activities of national and regional project servers, websites and trainings and act as secretariat for the network.
Efficient and sustainable working of current decentralized management systems need requires very large and diverse amount of credible, easily accessible, updateable, decentralized information systems The forestry sector is becoming more open and better coordinated with other sectors of the economy and society to increase its sustainability. In all the project countries, there is a general trend of increase in macro level (International and regional) obligations and decline in authority and control at the micro-level with increase in local, participatory or joint forest management regimes.
All countries clearly understand the capacity of electronic networks to meet their diverse and complex requirements of information and control. They have formulated ambitious plans to develop electronic networks in forestry that are capable of providing desired services. However, major constraints like lack of financial support for hardware, software, reliable telecommunication systems, and skilled manpower are limiting the implementation of such plans in all the project countries.
