Re-inventing forestry agencies

Experiences of institutional restructuring in Asia and the Pacific

Edited by: Patrick Durst, Chris Brown, Jeremy Broadhead,
Regan Suzuki, Robin Leslie and Akiko Inoguchi

RAP PUBLICATION 2008/05

Asia-Pacific Forestry Commission

Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific





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The designations employed and the presentation of material in this publication do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries.

© FAO 2008
ISBN 978-974-06-1218-6

All rights reserved. Reproduction and dissemination of material in this information product for educational or other non-commercial purposes are authorized without any prior written permission from the copyright holders provided the source is fully acknowledged. Reproduction of material in this information product for resale or other commercial purposes is prohibited without written permission of the copyright holders. Applications for such permission should be addressed to:
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Cover design: Chanida Chavanich


For copies of the report, write to:
Patrick B. Durst
Senior Forestry Officer
FAO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific
39 Phra Atit Road
Bangkok 10200
Thailand
Tel: (66-2) 697 4000
Fax: (66-2) 697 4445
Email: patrick.durst@fao.org


Abstract

Does a quantum leap make more sense than a gradual transition? Is private better than public, or small better than large? Does devolution mean losing power or gaining control - and for who? Should forest protection and production - regulation and implementation - be held apart or brought together? Reinventing forestry institutions is fraught with perils and pitfalls, targets and intents, but all institutions must travel this path if they are to remain relevant in the flux and flow of the modern world. With new prescriptions for conservation and wider changes in society and its demands on forests, the institutions responsible for forest management must compete with and complement other sectoral interests to prove their worth to society. Institutional restructuring or "reinvention" may be necessary to grasp opportunities and deny failure its chance. Experiences of reinvention from nine forestry institutions in eight countries are included in this publication - China, India, Malaysia, Nepal, New Zealand, the Philippines, the United States of America and Viet Nam. The breadth of experience in restructuring these and other forestry institutions is summarized in additional papers. It is hoped that other institutions contemplating reinvention will benefit through better understanding of the issues, challenges and opportunities inherent in reinventing forestry agencies.