Examples of Forestry affected by public policy
The following sections detail examples from the survey where forestry is affected by other areas of public policy. The examples are ordered by policy group and the primary policy area involved in the effects.
Public policies establishing the institutional framework
Number |
Name |
Affiliation |
Department |
|||||||||
1 |
Kari Keipi |
Inter-American Development Bank |
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Country/ies |
Area/region |
Continent |
Other countries with similar policies |
|||||||||
Latin America |
South and Central America |
|||||||||||
Income |
Forest cover |
Policy involved |
Main policy area |
|||||||||
High |
High |
Yes |
Public policies establishing the institutional framework: Macro-economic (fiscal, monetary & public expenditure) |
|||||||||
Forest/socio-economic classifications |
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Lowland forest in the humid tropics with a low population density, also temperate oceanic, sub-tropical dry forest, Sub-tropical humid and tropical dry forest |
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Scale of impact (-3 to +3) |
||||||||||||
Forest cover |
Forest alteration |
Management capacity |
Forest product processors |
Markets & demands |
Forest products supply |
Soil & water |
Socio-economic effects |
|||||
-2 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
-1 |
-1 |
|||||
Summary |
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Policies establishing rural credit facilities, which do not allow forest to serve as loan guarantee, have caused forests to remain a low interest investment, resulting in increased deforestation. |
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Policy name or reference |
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Supporting references, web sites, etc. |
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Number |
Name |
Affiliation |
Department |
|||||||||
2 |
Kari Keipi |
Inter-American Development Bank |
||||||||||
Country/ies |
Area/region |
Continent |
Other countries with similar policies |
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Chile |
South and Central America |
|||||||||||
Income |
Forest cover |
Policy involved |
Main policy area |
|||||||||
High |
High |
Yes |
Public policies establishing the institutional framework: Macro-economic (fiscal, monetary & public expenditure) |
|||||||||
Forest/socio-economic classifications |
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Highland and mountain forest in a tropical or temperate region, also temperate oceanic and sub-tropical dry forest |
||||||||||||
Scale of impact (-3 to +3) |
||||||||||||
Forest cover |
Forest alteration |
Management capacity |
Forest product processors |
Markets & demands |
Forest products supply |
Soil & water |
Socio-economic effects |
|||||
2 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
|||||
Summary |
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Successful macro-economic policies were conducive to the positive business environment and market liberalisation. General obedience to the law in Chile also facilitated transparent incentive payments for afforestation. |
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Policy name or reference |
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Supporting references, web sites, etc. |
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Number |
Name |
Affiliation |
Department |
||||||||||
3 |
Gerard Buttoud |
French Institute of Forestry, Agricultural and Environmental Engineering |
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Country/ies |
Continent |
Other countries with similar policies |
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Benin, Cameroon, Cote d'Ivoire, Gabon, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, Niger, Central African Republic, Chad, Burkina Faso, Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Senegal, Togo |
Africa |
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Income |
Forest cover |
Policy involved |
Main policy area |
||||||||||
Low |
Low |
Yes |
Public policies establishing the institutional framework: Macro-economic (fiscal, monetary & public expenditure) |
||||||||||
Forest/socio-economic classifications |
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Lowland forest in the humid tropics with a low population density, also tropical shrubland and tropical dry forest |
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Scale of impact (-3 to +3) |
|||||||||||||
Forest cover |
Forest alteration |
Management capacity |
Forest product processors |
Markets & demands |
Forest products supply |
Soil & water |
Socio-economic effects |
||||||
0 |
-1 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
||||||
Summary |
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Devaluation of the CFA Franc in 1994, decided at international level provides an example of a financial measure taken independently from the forest sector. The devaluation had a series of effects on timber production such as: 1. a decrease in the transformation rate during the first 3 years, 2. an increase of the sale of logs where the price was established in CFA Francs for export (all French speaking African countries except Gabon for okoumé and ozigo), 3. changes in competitivity between the main African producers. A positive impact was the long-term establishment of a more efficient means timber production based on economic imperatives. A negative impact was that in the short term the devaluation encouraged an increase in unregulated logging and created difficulties in timber processing which rationalised resource management would help. The rationale for the measure was to promote economic efficiency, however, sustainab le development includes more that economics and thus such measured may have negative impacts on social and ecological aspects. Additionally, such a measure may only have positive impacts if firms are governed by free market principles in an open market, however, most of the timber industrials in such countries are working inside an economic enclave having links with headquarters in Europe or Asia. The market is therefore intra-firm and not really open and the benefits from a financial measure may be limited as a result. Furthermore, most of the African producers are in poor competitive condition relative to Asian operators and suffer from the difficulties they meet in rationally adapting themselves to a changing market. |
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Policy name or reference |
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Supporting references, web sites, etc. |
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Number |
Name |
Affiliation |
Department |
|||||||||
4 |
Michel Laverdiere |
FAO |
FAOSAFR |
|||||||||
Country/ies |
Area/region |
Continent |
Other countries with similar policies |
|||||||||
Zimbabwe |
Africa |
|||||||||||
Income |
Forest cover |
Policy involved |
Main policy area |
|||||||||
Low |
High |
Yes |
Public policies establishing the institutional framework: Macro-economic (fiscal, monetary & public expenditure) |
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Forest/socio-economic classifications |
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Forest and tree vegetation in arid or semi-arid land, Tropical dry forest |
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Scale of impact (-3 to +3) |
||||||||||||
Forest cover |
Forest alteration |
Management capacity |
Forest product processors |
Markets & demands |
Forest products supply |
Soil & water |
Socio-economic effects |
|||||
0 |
-1 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
-1 |
|||||
Summary |
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Two years ago The Government of Zimbabwe stopped subsidising fossil fuel. This was prompted by the poor economic situation that reduced government revenues considerably and the claim/justification that it was time to bring the price of petrol products to par with the higher prices in other SADC countries. The whole country felt the impacts but there were perverse effects on forest and trees that were centred mostly in large urban and peri-urban areas such as Harare and Bulawayo. As poorer urban dwellers could no longer afford kerosene, used for cooking and lighting a large proportion were forced to cut wood within their neighbourhoods. This resulted in increasing rates of deforestation in local parks and peri-urban woodland. This situation continues to this day as the cost of petrol products has continued to increase tremendously. The government did not initially take into account potential impacts on tree conservation and did not therefore provide measures to mitigate the problem. The World Bank Energy Project, which was launched early in 2000 aims to provide Zimbabwe with alternatives to fossil fuels such as an ethanol based gel. The project also included a forestry component dealing directly with the provision of extra wood sources through better management of existing urban and peri-urban woodland. The planning of the forestry initiative was at a workshop in May 2000. Experts from The World Bank, The Forestry Commission, The Ministry of Agriculture, The Ministry of Energy, FAO, and NGOs participated. A Forestry Commission committee was the created to design a detailed forestry proposal which was submitted to the World Bank. Since then, unfortunately, Zimbabwe has allegedly delayed its payments to the World Bank and the whole program has been suspended. Further details from Mr. Boris Utria working for the World Bank in Zimbabwe. |
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Policy name or reference |
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Supporting references, web sites, etc. |
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Number |
Name |
Affiliation |
Department |
|||||
5 |
Stephen Johnson |
FAO |
ITTO |
|||||
Country/ies |
Area/region |
Continent |
Other countries with similar policies |
|||||
Asian timber exporting countries |
Asia |
|||||||
Income |
Forest cover |
Policy involved |
Main policy area |
|||||
Low |
High |
Yes |
Public policies establishing the institutional framework: Macro-economic (fiscal, monetary & public expenditure) |
|||||
Forest/socio-economic classifications |
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Lowland forest in the humid tropics with a high population density, also lowland forest in the humid tropics with a low population density |
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Scale of impact (-3 to +3) |
||||||||
Forest cover |
Forest alteration |
Management capacity |
Forest product processors |
Markets & demands |
Forest products supply |
Soil & water |
Socio-economic effects |
|
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
Summary |
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Currency devaluation in some Asian timber exporting countries led to royalty/tax avoidance. The system entailed selling wood in the foreign currency but reporting revenues to government in local currency at the same level as pre-devaluation. The objective of this policy was presumably to maintain economic stability and to support exporters in the face of devaluation in competing countries. For further information on import and export prices ITTO Market Information Services may be consulted. |
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Policy name or reference |
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Supporting references, web sites, etc. |
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Number |
Name |
Affiliation |
Department |
|||||||||
6 |
Jim Bourke |
FAO |
FOPH |
|||||||||
Country/ies |
Area/region |
Continent |
Other countries with similar policies |
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Russian Federation |
Europe |
|||||||||||
Income |
Forest cover |
Policy involved |
Main policy area |
|||||||||
Low |
High |
Yes |
Public policies establishing the institutional framework: Macro-economic (fiscal, monetary & public expenditure) |
|||||||||
Forest/socio-economic classifications |
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Temperate and boreal forest in an industrialised country in transition to a market economy, |
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Scale of impact (-3 to +3) |
||||||||||||
Forest cover |
Forest alteration |
Management capacity |
Forest product processors |
Markets & demands |
Forest products supply |
Soil & water |
Socio-economic effects< /FONT> |
|||||
-1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|||||
Summary |
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Increases in rail freight rates in Russia following the collapse of the USSR led to road building programmes as markets became more involved in transport decisions and rail became less competitive relative to roads. |
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Policy name or reference |
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Supporting references, web sites, etc. |
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Number |
Name |
Affiliation |
Department |
||||||||
7 |
Lennart Ljungman |
FAO |
FON |
||||||||
Country/ies |
Area/region |
Continent |
Other countries with similar policies |
||||||||
Proportional to the ratio of civil servant's to manufacturer's wages? |
Several/all |
||||||||||
Income |
Forest cover |
Policy involved |
Main policy area |
||||||||
Low |
All |
Yes |
Public policies establishing the institutional framework: Macro-economic (fiscal, monetary & public expenditure) |
||||||||
Forest/socio-economic classifications |
|||||||||||
Wide ranging effects |
|||||||||||
Scale of impact (-3 to +3) |
|||||||||||
Forest cover |
Forest alteration |
Management capacity |
Forest product processors |
Markets & demands |
Forest products supply |
Soil & water |
Socio-economic effects |
||||
-2 |
-2 |
-2 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
-1 |
-2 |
||||
Summary |
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Low payment of civil servants aimed at increasing political support and reducing unemployment may induce corruption and lack of application of forest legislation in order that civil servants can make money privately. |
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Policy name or reference |
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Supporting references, web sites, etc. |
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Corruption and the Rate of Temptation: Do Low Wages in the Civil Service Cause Corruption? IMF Working Paper. May 1997; Reasons to be venal. Can government reduce corruption by paying more to public servants? The Economist, August 16th 1997 |
Privatisation/role of the state
Number |
Name |
Affiliation |
Department |
|||||||||
8 |
Morillio Morell |
FAO |
FONP |
|||||||||
Country/ies |
Area/region |
Continent |
Other countries with similar policies |
|||||||||
Argentina |
South and Central America |
|||||||||||
Income |
Forest cover |
Policy involved |
Main policy area |
|||||||||
High |
Low |
Yes |
Public policies establishing the institutional framework: Privatisation/role of the state |
|||||||||
Forest/socio-economic classifications |
||||||||||||
Lowland forest in the humid tropics with a low population density, Subtropical humid, tropical moist deciduous and tropical dry forest |
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Scale of impact (-3 to +3) |
||||||||||||
Forest cover |
Forest alteration |
Management capacity |
Forest product processors |
Markets & demands |
Forest products supply |
Soil & water |
Socio-economic effects |
|||||
2 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
0 |
2 |
0 |
2 |
|||||
Summary |
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Economic liberalisation in Argentina has allowed investment in forestry from Chile which has a more highly developed forestry sector |
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Policy name or reference |
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Supporting references, web sites, etc. |
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Number |
Name |
Affiliation |
Department |
||||||||||
9 |
Morillio Morell/Carlos Carneiro |
FAO |
FONP |
||||||||||
Country/ies |
Area/region |
Continent |
Other countries with similar policies |
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Bolivia |
South and Central America |
||||||||||||
Income |
Forest cover |
Policy involved |
Main policy area |
||||||||||
Low |
High |
Yes |
Public policies establishing the institutional framework: Privatisation/role of the state |
||||||||||
Forest/socio-economic classifications |
|||||||||||||
Lowland forest in the humid tropics with a low population density, also highland and mountain forest in a tropical or temperate region |
|||||||||||||
Scale of impact (-3 to +3) |
|||||||||||||
Forest cover |
Forest alteration |
Management capacity |
Forest product processors |
Markets & demands |
Forest products supply |
Soil & water |
Socio-economic effects |
||||||
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
||||||
Summary |
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Economic reform programmes and decentralisation in Bolivia (and other South American countries) have led to changes in the forestry sector. Law 1654 of Administrative Decentralisation devolved the decision making process to the provinces/communities thus creating a positive environment for sustainable forest management at the local level. This resulted in some difficulties at the local level in that there was a lack of skilled/trained staff in the Provinces. This highlighted problems of land/forest tenure and thus inhibited sustainable forest management. |
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Policy name or reference |
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Supporting references, web sites, etc. |
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Number |
Name |
Affiliation |
Department |
|||||||||
10 |
Kari Keipi |
Inter-American Development Bank |
||||||||||
Country/ies |
Area/region |
Continent |
Other countries with similar policies |
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Colombia |
South and Central America |
|||||||||||
Income |
Forest cover |
Policy involved |
Main policy area |
|||||||||
Low |
High |
Yes |
Public policies establishing the institutional framework: Privatisation/role of the state |
|||||||||
Forest/socio-economic classifications |
||||||||||||
Lowland forest in the humid tropics with a low population density, also highland and mountain forest in a tropical or temperate region |
||||||||||||
Scale of impact (-3 to +3) |
||||||||||||
Forest cover |
Forest alteration |
Management capacity |
Forest product processors |
Markets & demands |
Forest products supply |
Soil & water |
Socio-economic effects |
|||||
1 |
0 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
|||||
Summary |
||||||||||||
DecentraIisation policies and development of regional institutions with dedicated financial resources contributed to improved forest management and reafforestation programs. |
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Policy name or reference |
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Supporting references, web sites, etc. |
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Number |
Name |
Affiliation |
Department |
||||||||
11 |
Richard Owen |
FAO |
TCIL |
||||||||
Country/ies |
Area/region |
Continent |
Other countries with similar policies |
||||||||
Costa Rica |
Monteverde Cloud Forest Biological Reserve |
South & Central America |
|||||||||
Income |
Forest cover |
Policy involved |
Main policy area |
||||||||
Low |
High |
Yes |
Public policies establishing the institutional framework: Privatisation/role of the state |
||||||||
Forest/socio-economic classifications |
|||||||||||
Lowland forest in the humid tropics with a high population density, |
|||||||||||
Scale of impact (-3 to +3) |
|||||||||||
Forest cover |
Forest alteration |
Management capacity |
Forest product processors |
Markets & demands |
Forest products supply |
Soil & water |
Socio-economic effects |
||||
1 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
||||
Summary |
|||||||||||
Monteverde is a privately owned conservation area in Costa Rica which came into existence as a result of the government creating enabling policy environment. In 1972 under the threat of homesteading in the surrounding cloud forest a nature reserve was established. The Tropical Science Centre was receptive to these efforts and accepted institutional responsibility for ownership and management of the protected areas. An initial land purchase of 328 hectares formed the core of the Monteverde Cloud Forest Preserve. The Monteverde Cloud Forest Preserve depends on private funding to fulfil its goal of protecting tropical wildlife and habitats. Donations, large and small, are critical to the future survival of the Preserve. In 1975 the 554-hectare community watershed reserve, founded in the mid-60s by members of the Quaker community and named Bosque Eterno S.A., was annexed under an administrative contract to the Preserve. After the Preserve's creation, the Tropical Science Centre continued to secure the financial and human resources necessary to expand, consolidate, and properly protect and manage the Preserve's current 10,500 hectares. |
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Policy name or reference |
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Supporting references, web sites, etc. |
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Number |
Name |
Affiliation |
Department |
|||||||||
12 |
Oudara Souvannavong/Doug Williamson |
FAO |
FORC |
|||||||||
Country/ies |
Area/region |
Continent |
Other countries with similar policies |
|||||||||
Mozambique |
All |
Africa |
||||||||||
Income |
Forest cover |
Policy involved |
Main policy area |
|||||||||
Low |
High |
No |
Public policies establishing the institutional framework: Privatisation/role of the state |
|||||||||
Forest/socio-economic classifications |
||||||||||||
Lowland forest in the humid tropics with a low population density, also Tropical dry forest |
||||||||||||
Scale of impact (-3 to +3) |
||||||||||||
Forest cover |
Forest alteration |
Management capacity |
Forest product processors |
Markets & demands |
Forest products supply |
Soil & water |
Socio-economic effects |
|||||
0 |
0 |
-2 |
0 |
0 |
-1 |
0 |
-1 |
|||||
Summary |
||||||||||||
In Mozambique the policy of the government was to hand out concessions to cronies of the president rather than to dispense with them in a more competitive way. This often resulted in poor management or no management at all as the people who were given the concessions did not have the management capacity. |
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Policy name or reference |
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Supporting references, web sites, etc. |
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European Forestry Institute, Mozambique country report (http://www.efi.fi/cis/english/creports/mozambique.html) |
Number |
Name |
Affiliation |
Department |
|||||||||
13 |
Jim Carle |
FAO |
FORM |
|||||||||
Country/ies |
Area/region |
Continent |
Other countries with similar policies |
|||||||||
Cambodia |
Asia |
|||||||||||
Income |
Forest cover |
Policy involved |
Main policy area |
|||||||||
Low |
High |
No |
Public policies establishing the institutional framework: Privatisation/role of the state |
|||||||||
Forest/socio-economic classifications |
||||||||||||
Lowland forest in the humid tropics with a low population density, |
||||||||||||
Scale of impact (-3 to +3) |
||||||||||||
Forest cover |
Forest alteration |
Management capacity |
Forest product processors |
Markets & demands |
Forest products supply |
Soil & water |
Socio-economic effects |
|||||
-1 |
-1 |
-2 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
-2 |
|||||
Summary |
||||||||||||
The finance ministry in Cambodia was unable to make sufficient revenues to finance forestry because of the high level of 'offtake' being perpetrated by those involved between forest products being sold and the revenue reaching the ministry. The revenues were allegedly being used to fund political parties. The lack of policy resulted in a lack of control of the country's natural resources and a 'free for all'. |
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Policy name or reference |
||||||||||||
Supporting references, web sites, etc. |
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Forest Policy Transition Paper for Cambodia. 1998 Co-ordinated by Associates in Rural Development. |
Number |
Name |
Affiliation |
Department |
|||||||||
14 |
Luc Dubreuil |
FAO |
TCII |
|||||||||
Country/ies |
Area/region |
Continent |
Other countries with similar policies |
|||||||||
China |
Asia |
|||||||||||
Income |
Forest cover |
Policy involved |
Main policy area |
|||||||||
Low |
Low |
Yes |
Public policies establishing the institutional framework: Privatisation/role of the state |
|||||||||
Forest/socio-economic classifications |
||||||||||||
Lowland forest in the humid tropics with a high population density, Sub-tropical and temperate mountain, temperate continental and sub-tropical humid |
||||||||||||
Scale of impact (-3 to +3) |
||||||||||||
Forest cover |
Forest alteration |
Management capacity |
Forest product processors |
Markets & demands |
Forest products supply |
Soil & water |
Socio-economic effects |
|||||
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
|||||
Summary |
||||||||||||
Farmer's wages in China were paid by the central government who also ran trees planting schemes which included costs associated with petrol, plastic bags, seedlings, etc. The labour and equipment costs were therefore excluded from the equation. The result was that despite the low productivity of the plantations they were nonetheless not only planted but were also profitable to the farmers. |
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Policy name or reference |
||||||||||||
Supporting references, web sites, etc. |
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Number |
Name |
Affiliation |
Department |
||||||||
15 |
Mette Loyche Wilkie |
FAO |
FORM |
||||||||
Country/ies |
Area/region |
Continent |
Other countries with similar policies |
||||||||
Philippines |
|
Asia |
|||||||||
Income |
Forest cover |
Policy involved |
Main policy area |
||||||||
Low |
Low |
Yes |
Public policies establishing the institutional framework: Privatisation/role of the state |
||||||||
Forest/socio-economic classifications |
|||||||||||
Lowland forest in the humid tropics with a high population density, |
|||||||||||
Scale of impact (-3 to +3) |
|||||||||||
Forest cover |
Forest alteration |
Management capacity |
Forest product processors |
Markets & demands |
Forest products supply |
Soil & water |
Socio-economic effects |
||||
1 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
2 |
||||
Summary |
|||||||||||
The Local Government Code decentralised power and The Indigenous Peoples’ Rights Act in the Philippines gave rights to people, mostly in upland and interior areas, to manage forest or to charge others for the right to use water emanating from their land. In other cases forest protection rights have been given to water users. The Local Government Code (1991) radically altered the institutional framework and development responsibilities at local government level. According to the local government code, Local Government shall "enjoy genuine and meaningful local autonomy to enable them to attain their fullest development as self-reliant communities and make them more effective partners in the attainment of the national goals instituted through a system of decentralisation whereby local government units shall be given more powers, authority, responsibilities, and resources." Below regional level virtually all Department of Agriculture staff have been transferred to the payroll of the province, city or municipality in which they were previously working and agricultural extension is now principally the responsibility of the Municipal Agricultural Offices. Unlike the Department of Agriculture the Dept of Environment and Natural Resources has not devolved many staff to the Local Government Units. The only Dept of Environment and Natural Resources staff who have been devolved to the Local Government Units are those staff who used to work on the Integrated Social Forestry Program. Their functions also include the management and control of communal forests with an area not exceeding 50 km2 and the management and control of small watersheds. The Indigenous Peoples’ Rights Act (RA No. 8371, 1997) recognises, protects and promotes the rights of indigenous peoples to their ancestral lands and domains, cultural integrity, self-governance and empowerment as well as human rights and the rights to maximum participation in the direction of education, health as well as other services. A Certificate of Ancestral Domains Title or Certificate of Ancestral Land Title constitutes the formal recognition. An estimated 12-16 million indigenous peoples live in the Philippine Archipelago. They are considered to be among the poorest and most disadvantaged social groups in the Philippines and illiteracy and unemployment rates are much higher among them than in the rest of the population. |
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Policy name or reference |
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Supporting references, web sites, etc. |
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