The following Annexes 7.1 to 7.3 are summaries of the results of the group discussions in each of the three disciplines: ecology, socio-economic and policy and institutional strengthening.
7.1 Technological-ecological group
7.2 Socio-economic issues
Issues |
Constraints |
Opportunities |
Lessons learned |
Tenure |
Insecurity of land and tree ownership. Competing land uses (land scarcity). Deforestation. Inheritance arrangements (-> smaller plots). |
Resettlement programmes (in some cases). Local level land use planning approaches available. Ongoing decentralization of forest management to districts and local people. Legal provisions supporting users/community access and control over resources. Empowerment and access to resources. |
Secure tenure promotes effective forest protection and management. Resource management is improved by local level land use planning approaches. There is a lot of encouraging experience in the conservation and management of resources by local communities. Community involvement is a prerequisite for proper forest management. Secure land tenure reduces forest degradation, encroachment and deforestation. In some cases privatization of land ownership leads to improved land use. |
Stakeholders/ actors/(gender) |
Some local customs/traditions do not recognize role of women and children in SF management and use. Poor coordination/ collaboration among stakeholders/actors (stakeholders are very diverse and often not clearly stratified for the promotion of effective participation). There is no clear and equitable division of roles and responsibilities of the actors at and between different levels. Lack of clarity on overall functions on managing forest resources. |
Existence of promising pilot projects in support of different roles of gender equality in society and in resource management. Institutional recognition of gender roles in national development plans. Improved awareness about gender aspects and involvement of various stakeholders in secondary forest management. |
All stakeholders must be recognized and their roles and responsibilities clarified and ensured. Legal backing required for the functioning of participatory mechanisms. Secondary forest management programmes should recognize gender roles at the local level. Government accepts all identified stakeholders. |
Poverty and demography |
Relationship between population growth and forest degradation often over-simplified/generalized (relation not always linear). Poverty trap (the vicious cycle). Secondary forest management is not well recognized in PRSPs. Short-term needs of local people are often in conflict with long- term secondary forest management goals (long-term sustainability. Urban development gets priority over the rural one. |
Well-managed secondary forests contribute to poverty alleviation. CBFRM can contribute to sustainable forest management and poverty alleviation. |
Secondary forest management should be part of an integrated approach to poverty alleviation. Local resource mobilization would positively impact on the management of secondary forests. The strategy for poverty alleviation and resource mobilization must focus on creating favourable socio-economic and institutional conditions (an enabling environment). Stakeholders at the local level can escape from the poverty trap if they: Feel the need/responsibility. Have some influence. Be treated as equal See that it pay off. Have the time available. |
Marketing and enterprise development |
Lack of market information No/poor value adding to SF products. Lack of organized marketing facilities. Lack of transport from resource base to the consumer/market. Most of the products not considered as economically valuable. Poor recognition of market value. Poor pricing of products. Poor recognition of market value. Inadequate investment capital/seed money/credit facilities. Weak negotiating power of sellers (farmers/local communities). |
Some market options exist. Provide income and employment). Public awareness initiatives on the role of SF already in place. Rural credit schemes already exist in some cases. Available demand for products at local and international levels. Funding organizations recognize the value of SF products. Local entrepreneurs willingness to invest in SF products (pioneers). |
More effort on exploiting existing market options. Empowerment includes capacity building in technical, organizational and marketing aspects. Foresters are weak in enterprise development/marketing issues Market information is required in marketing. |
Cost-benefit issues (national, local) |
Costs and benefits from secondary forests inequitably distributed (access to resources is unequal). Government controlled forest products prices too low. Good practices may need too much farm labour. True value of the forest resource not known (inadequate valuation; not easy; lack of methodology). Middlemen control the market. |
Sharing roles and responsibilities. Proper valuation reflects true benefits from SF and draws support for management. Natural resource accounting to determine the value of forest resources. |
True value of secondary forest products and services should be reflected in national accounting (GNP). Improved social organisation contributes to the market position of local communities (increase negotiating power). Equitable sharing of roles and responsibilities favours sustainable resource management. Empowering local organization facilitates support e.g. access to credit. |
7.3 Political and institutional issues
Issues |
Constraints |
Opportunities |
Lessons learned |
Institutional framework. Institutional reforms |
Sectoral policies not sufficiently integrated. Lack of political will. Unawareness of the need to reform. Insufficient capacity. Secondary forests not appropriately recognized. Resistance to change. Top-down approach. Institutional reform not country driven. |
Acknowledgement of existing institutions. Improvement of existing institutions. Formulation/review of policies. Increasing advocacy of local needs, empowerment and democratisation. |
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Lack of funding. Insufficient numbers of trained staff. Low literacy and numeracy levels at the local community level. |
Train the trainers (extension). Regional collaborative training programmes. Can build on existing local institutions and knowledge. |
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Multi-stakeholder approach |
Different capacities of stakeholders. Time-consuming exercise. Needs a sustaining champion for long-term success. Lack of communication. Weak linkages between stakeholders. Insufficient power for local communities to participate due to lack of approved rules and regulations. Process is dominated by more powerful actors/stakeholders. |
Empowerment of communities. By-laws for local communities. Increased experience in participatory approaches, e.g. joint forest management, community-based forest management. Recognition of local authorities. |
|
Cross-sectoral policies |
Differential economic importance of the different national sectors, and global and local demands. Absence of conflict management. Lack of institutionalised communication. Institutional reform needed. Participatory approach needed. |
Building an information platform, harmonization. Landscape approach. Integrated natural resources management. |
|
Legislation |
Customary rules. Customary rules not recognized by formal laws. Lack of political will. No policy and legal instruments. Lack of implementation and enforcement of existing regulations. |
Legal instruments to conserve secondary forests. |
|
Land tenure and tree ownership |
Inappropriate land tenure laws leading to conflicting situations. Traditional constraints, tribalism. |
Empowerment of women, landless, tenants, immigrants (land allocation). Land reforms. Mapping boundaries-GIS/RS tools. |
|
Good governance |
Decentralization. Lack of cooperation between government and other stakeholders. No conflict management. Lack of political will. Unnecessary bureaucracy. Corruption. No priority is given to secondary forests. |
Transparency of rules and regulations. Democratization processes. Decentralization. |
|
International policies on secondary forests |
Donors have their own priorities. Inadequate outreach programmes (central-local levels). Lack of awareness at the international level. |
Concerns raised by the international community on forest management. Existing regional forestry institutions. Increasing acknowledgement of the importance of environmental services. |
|
Gender and disadvantaged groups |
Human rights issues not respected. Existence of local norms against gender. |
Promotion of gender and the disadvantaged. Empowerment of women and the disadvantaged through legal recognition. |
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Shortage of trained staff. Lack/inadequate land use management plans. Unclear terms of reference amongst the different land users. Lack pf political will. |
Mapping/technology development-GIS. Trends towards landscape approaches/integrated natural resources management. |
Policy and institutional issues
Socio-economic
The social and economic value of products, goods and services of secondary forests is not known. Valuation methods are too complex or completely lacking for secondary forest appraisal.
Definition and typology of secondary forests