| European
Tropical Forest Research Network |
By Bert van der Linden
J.Demmer & H. Overman (Reviewed by Miriam Ros)
The creation of markets and trade plays a central role in strategies that aim to merge conservation goals with improved local welfare. But increased wealth and exposure to markets may have unforeseen side effects. Josefien Demmer and Han Overman studied these effects among Tawahka Indians in Honduras. TBI published the results.
The Tawahka Asangi Biosphere Reserve in Honduras was created in 1999 to reconcile the conservation of biodiversity with sustainable use and the protection of indigenous land rights. Despite this protected status, the Tawahka territory is not free from the effects of the market. The results of this study suggest that people intensify their use of forest resources as their links with outside economies and wealth are strengthened.
Differential
impacts
Increasing levels of wealth and integration into the market appear to result
in higher per capita pressure on forest resources. Some species face more
pressure than others, however. Plants that provide thatch and timber for canoes
and board, in particular, face more intensive exploitation with increased
integration and wealth, while red brocket deer, peccaries, spider monkeys
and some birds are among the animal species that are more intensively hunted.
The effects of integration into markets cannot be assessed, however, on the basis of extraction data alone. The authors argue that the effects of income-generating forest use and increases in the area of cultivated land should also be taken into account. For example, cash generated by ecotourism may have negative side effects on the forest, because of agricultural expansion. There are also the dynamics of foraging economies. Most of the wealthier and more integrated Tawahka households have abandoned forest-based activities for more profitable occupations (e.g. agriculture, shops, wage labour). It is also highly probable that more prosperous communities increase in population size. The authors therefore conclude that increasing wealth and integration into markets are likely to lead to the concentration of people in one place, as well as to higher rates of per capita consumption. They expect that "sooner or later, the need for management and collectively accepted agreements on forest resource use will be required." In order to reduce pressure on certain species, the two researchers suggest:
Incentives
Demmer and Overman demonstrate that the annual value of the forest accruing
to the Tawahka ranges from US$ 17.8 to 23.7 per hectare. This combined value
of consumption and the sale of forest goods is only a small fraction of the
value that the global community attaches to services of the forest like climate
regulation, CO2 absorption and erosion reduction. This leads to the conclusion
that the global community should consider compensating villagers for foregone
benefits if they would be willing to refrain from activities that lead to
deforestation and forest depletion. This would increase the financial incentives
for conservation as well as raise local welfare. The specifics of such mechanisms
should be negotiated between policy makers, NGOs and indigenous groups. Demmer
and Overman believe that this could be a promising long-term management strategy
for indigenous reserves, because it covers the direct interests of the stakeholders.
Reference:
Demmer, J. and Overman, H. (2001). Indigenous people conserving the rain
forest? The effect of wealth and markets on the economic behaviour of Tawahka
Amerindians in Honduras. Tropenbos Series 19. Tropenbos International,
Wageningen, the Netherlands. ISBN: 90-5113-053-8.
This publication
can be ordered at:
Tropenbos International, PO BOX 232, 6700 AE Wageningen, The Netherlands.
Tel: +31-317-495500; Fax: +31-317-495520;
e-mail: tropenbos@tropenbos.agro.nl
http://www.tropenbos.nl
The Alternatives to Slash-and-Burn Programme (ASB) is a global partnership of over 50 institutions around the world with a shared interest in conserving forests and reducing poverty in the humid tropics. The global programme unites research institutes, NGO's, universities and other partners. One of its objectives is to provide fora for exchange of information, developing consensus and managing conflicts. The methods already used by ASB to disseminate knowledge and experience include workshops and detailed project reports focusing mainly on specific countries. But until now the consortium has had no vehicle for distilling the lessons derived from experiences at the local or national level for a broader, international audience. The new ASB Policy Briefs series is meant to be the vehicle to deliver relevant, concise information to key people whose decisions will make a difference to poverty reduction and environmental protection in the humid tropics.
Topics that will be covered in the series include the quantification of carbon storage and the trade-off between biodiversity and profitability in different land-use systems, the relationships between property rights and land use, and the measures that can be taken to control smoke from land clearing.
ASB can
be contacted at:
ASB Programme, ICRAF, P.O.Box 30677, Nairobi, Kenya
Tel: +254 2 524139/524000 or +1 650 833 6645. Fax: +254 2 524001 or +1 650
833 6646
Website: http://www.asb.cgiar.org.
Email: asb@cgiar.org
This series is published by ODI, an independent non-profit policy research institute (UK), with financial support from the UK Department for International Development (DFID), formerly the Overseas Development Administration (ODA). Natural Resource Perspectives (NRP) present accessible summaries of the latest research and analysis on policy issues in the natural resources sector. The authors are leading experts in their fields. The papers have been published since 1994 and are issued approximately four times a year.
NRP covers a broad range of issues, varying from case studies on specific items like local financing schemes for small-scale renewable natural resource development in Ghana to items of a more general character such as the examination of prospects and performance of biotechnology in the natural resources sector.
NRP are sent to a wide audience of policy makers, researchers and people working in the non-governmental sector. Readers are encouraged to quote from them or duplicate them, but as the copyright holder ODI requests due acknowledgement. The editor welcomes manuscripts for the series.
NRP are
available on ODI's website: www.odi.org.uk/nrp/.
It is also possible to receive NRPs by post, free of charge. If you wish to
be included on the mailing list, please provide name. Position, organisation,
address (email-address is optional) and send it to:
Editor, Natural Resources Perspectives, ODI,
111 Westminster Bridge Road, London SE1 7JD, UK,
or to nrp@odi.org.uk.
The Department of International Development (DFID) is the UK government department responsible for promoting development and the reduction of poverty. DFID seeks to work in partnership with governments, business, civil society and the research community committed to the International Development Targets agreed by the United Nations in the 1990s. One of the Targets is to make biodiversity work for the poor.
In its publication on biodiversity DFID describes some of the many different ways in which poor people rely on the diversity of life, and the potential of biodiversity for reducing poverty. It also provides an overview of DFID's approach to biodiversity, highlighting strategies that promote both poverty reduction and sustainable use of natural resources.
To find more about the programmes described in this publication see: DFID's Renewable Natural Resources Research Strategy at www.dfid.gov.uk/public/what/advisory/group6/rld/rnrr.html, or contact:
Environmental
Policy Department,
Department for International Development,
94 Victoria Street, London SW1E 5JL, United Kingdom,
Tel: +44 (0)20 79177000; Fax: +44 (0)20 7917 0679;
Email: epd@dfid.gov.uk.
Edited by O. Herrera-MacBryde, F. Dallmeier, B. MacBryde, J.A. Comiskey and C. Miranda (2000)
This book is the result of cooperation between various actors who are involved in efforts in and near the UNESCO Biosphere Reserve Beni Biological Station. The book intends to capture the main work accomplished since the Station was created in 1982 and make the information available for a wide audience.
The book contains many detailed research reports ordered in 21 chapters, which cover a broad range of topics arranged in 5 sections. The introduction is followed by a section on vegetation, flora and ecology.
Fauna and ecology are the subject of the next section. The human factor is dealt with in the section on local communities and resource management. The last section analyses conservation efforts and their effects. Much of the research presented in this book is based on inventories and studies, especially of flora, fauna and ecology. Most research was carried out inside the Reserve, but some took place in nearby areas. Areas studied, methods used and results acquired are presented, using graphs, tables and other figures. Some of the chapters are baseline reports. Chapters are written either in English, with a summary in Spanish, or in Spanish with a summary in English.
ISBN # 1-893912-03-5., SI/MAB Series no.4, Smithsonian Institution, Washington D.C.
For further
information contact:
Miguel Clüsener-Godt,
UNESCO Division of Ecological Sciences, Man and Biosphere Programme (MAB),
1, rue Miollis, 75732 Paris, Cedex 15, France.
Tel: 33.1.45.86.41; Fax: 33.1.45.68.58.04.
Email: m.clusener-godt@unesco.org
http://www.unesco.org/mab/theMabnet.html.
G. Borrini-Feyerabend, M. T. Farvar, J.C. Nguinguiri and V. Ndangang (2000)
In a joint effort the German Development Agency (GTZ) and the World Conservation Union (IUCN) published a report that is intended to serve as a practical manual for natural resource managers interested in negotiating multi-party agreements and institutions, and in learning by doing. The publication is based on five presentations given at a workshop of the Co-management Network in Maroua, Cameroon, in January 1999. It offers guidelines, checklists, concepts, ideas and a range of methods and tools to facilitate a co-management process. In this publication co-management is defined as a situation in which two or more social actors negotiate, define and guarantee amongst themselves a fair sharing of the management functions, entitlements and responsibilities for a given territory, area or set of natural resources.
The report contains 6 chapters, each comprising one of the phases discerned in achieving the goal of co-management. In the first chapter the concept of co-management and concepts and approaches that contribute to understanding and practising co-management are analysed, followed by the preparatory phase in chapter 2. The negotiation phase is dealt with in the third chapter. Negotiation is followed by learning-by-doing in chapter 4. Chapter 5 provides a summary view on the co-management process. Finally, chapter 6 lists lessons learned and tips for action. Illustrations in the form of outlines, tables and case studies boxes are used to complement the text. The considerable annex provides much additional information.
ISBN 3-925064-30-3, 95 p., Kasparek Verlag, Heidelberg, Germany.
Available
from: GTZ-ABS/LISTRA Protected Area Management and Transition Zone Development
Project,
Postfach 5180, 65726 Eschborn, Germany.
Fax: +(49) 6196 79 6190.
Email: michaela.hammer@gtz.de
rolf.mack@gtz.de, kirsten.hegener@gtz.de.
Violet Matiru (2000)
This publication is one in the series of the FAO Community Forestry/FTPP Conflict Management Series, which deals with disagreements and disputes over access to, and control and use of, natural resources. It addresses in general terms why conflicts arise, how they manifest themselves and how the actors involved deal with them. In addition, general strategies and approaches to management and resolution of the conflicts are mentioned.
For further
information contact:
Senior Community Forestry Officer,
Forestry Policy and Planning Division,
Forestry Department, FAO,
Vialle delle Terme di Caracalla, Rome 00100, Italy.
Fax: (39-06) 5705-5514.
Email: ftpp@fao.org.
www.fao.org/forestry/FON/FONP/cfu/cfu-e.stm.
Peter Poschen (2000)
This guide has been prepared by GTZ, the Agency for International Cooperation of the German government and the ILO, the International Labour Office. Many initiatives have been undertaken to formulate indicators and criteria for sustainable forest management. From the beginning, this process has suffered from a bias towards environmental concerns and economic interests. Social aspects were undervalued. Also, the lack of comparability of criteria and indicators internationally hampered the formulation. It was suggested that ILO texts could provide a basis for shared criteria and indicators. This publication intends to fill the gap in knowledge on content and nature of relevant ILO texts that apparently exists among many of the fora discussing criteria and indicators for forestry.
Intended users of this guide are: governments and other stakeholders defining SFM in national policy or legislation, participants in the regional forest policy processes, and individuals and organisations involved in certification schemes and initiatives, whether through setting criteria and indicators, implementing a standard or monitoring compliance. The guide comprises three parts. Part I clarifies the concepts of the terms used such as social, principles, indicators and criteria, and social and labour aspects of sustainable forest management. Part II introduces relevant ILO texts and discusses their application to forestry. Part III presents suggested criteria and indicators based on ILO texts and identifies possible ways in which they can be used to develop or complement standards at the national and forest management unit level. The annexes which make up more than half of the 86 pages present verbatim extracts of the ILO documents referenced in the guide and give an overview of the ratification of relevant ILO Conventions by member countries.
Working Paper 3, 86 pages, ILO & GTZ.
For further
information contact:
International Labour Office (ILO), Sectoral Activities Department,
4 route de Morillons, 1211 Geneva 22, Switzerland.
Email: poschen@ilo.org.
Internet: www.ilo.org/sector,
or:
GTZ Forest
Certification Project,
Postfach 5180, 65726 Eschborn, Germany.
Email: Dietrich.Burger@gtz.de.
Internet: www.gtz.de/forest_certification.
CIMAT is a computer software package designed to help users modify, customise and adapt the CIFOR (Centre for International Forestry Research) C&I generic template and C&I sets of CIFOR plantation, CIFOR community managed forest, International Tropical Timber Organisation, Forest Stewardship Council, African Timber Organisation and the Indonesian Ecolabelling Institute to meet local conditions and expectations. CIMAT allows its users to develop and entirely new set of C&I from an empty set and provides guidance for assessment of C&I using multi-criteria analysis. CIMAT can also be used as a learning tool for those who are merely interested in exploring the C&I knowledge stored on it.
The CD-ROM contains a comprehensive tutorial to help users learn CIMAT interactively and step by step, followed by some case studies. As it is equipped with voice, audio devices will be required. Besides, a user's manual is also available which helps the user to install and use the CD-ROM. Finally, the CD-ROM also contains a collection of CIFOR's C&I research outputs, grouped into four categories; C&I Toolbox, C&I Papers, other related papers and CIMAT related papers.
CIMAT and all-corresponding documents will be updated regularly to keep the knowledge as current and accurate as possible. To be notified when updates are available, check the CIMAT homepage at http://www.cifor.cgiar.org/cimatweb/ie4/acm/htm.
For further
information contact:
CIFOR, P.O.Box 6596 JKPWB, Jakarta 10065, Indonesia.
Tel.: + 62 (251) 622622; Fax: + 62 (251) 622100.
Email: cifor@cgiar.org.
Internet: http://www.cifor.cgiar.org
S. Appanah & M. Kleine (2000)
The purpose of this guide is to distill a practical tool for assessing the performance of forest management under specific local conditions out of general auditing guidelines. It is intended to assist in developing local, site-specific auditing systems for sustainable management of natural tropical forests that are based on the ITTO C&I. The auditing system exclusively deals with forest management at the FMU (forest management unit) and operational levels.
The guide provides tools for:
In addition, the guide describes the process of developing the auditing system including auxiliary provisions that need to be in place in order to ensure successful implementation of the auditing system. The content of the guide is organised according to the sequence of activities that need to be undertaken in order to develop the complete auditing system and make it operational in the field. After an outline of the overall conceptual framework and structure of the audit system in Chapter 2 the technical aspects of the auditing system development is described in Chapter 3, presenting how assessable parameters and norms for each individual indicator can be identified. In Chapter 4 the process of auditing system development is briefly outlined. Finally, Chapter 5 presents some additional provisions, necessary to ensure meaningful application of the auditing system in the field.
Working Paper 4, 75 pages, GTZ Forest Certification Project, Postfach 5180, 65726 Eschborn, Germany.
This publication presents a synthesis of the lessons learned in forestry activities carried out in the Andes region of Bolivia, Ecuador and Peru during the past two decades. The Swiss Organisation for Development and Cooperation (Intercooperation) has been participating actively as executing agency in forestry development programs in the three countries. The operational experience of this organisation gained in a dozen projects with forestry components forms the basis for this document.
In the introduction of the book the Andes region and the forestry activities in the area are described. The results of all experiences are presented in the form of four lessons that were learnt, such as the fact that the actors in forestry development have been changing over the years. Other lessons concern the land tenure and rural production, economic aspects of forestry in the Andes region, and strategic technical aspects such as native forests and the market for forest products.
For further
information contact:
Thomas Stadtmüller, Intercooperation,
Maulbeerstrasse 10, Postfach 6724, CH-3001 Bern, Switzerland.
Tel.: +41 31 382 0861. Fax: +41 31 382 3605.
Email: intercooperation@intercoop.ch
Internet: http://www.intercooperation.ch
A.B. Henkemans (2001)
This PHD-thesis is the result of a study of livelihood assets of Camba forest dwellers in the Northern Bolivian Amazon and the people's perceptions of the role of forest in their development. The study was carried out within the Programa de Manejo de Bosques de la Amazonía Boliviana (PROMAB). The aim of the study was to determine the scope for sustainable forest livelihoods in the region from the perspective of Camba forest-dwelling people and their livelihood objectives and based on long-term forest management practices. The study focuses on the different components of the people's livelihoods and the contribution of the forest in the form of assets and services.
The book contains nine chapters, including introduction and conclusions. First, the conceptual framework for the analysis of forest livelihoods is presented, followed by a general description of the research area, its history of forest extraction and the current transformation of forest settlements. Two settlements are presented in detail. The study elaborates on the forest dwellers' access to, categorisation and use of forest resources and analyses and calculates the main commercial and subsistence benefits of the forest resources. Moreover, the contribution of the forest to the forest dwellers' socio-cultural well-being is discussed. Finally, important concepts that have emerged and that are determining for the development of sustainable forest livelihoods in the region are highlighted.
ISBN: 903932905-2, 285 p. PROMAB Scientific Series 5.
For further
information contact:
PROMAB, Casilla 107, Riberalta, Bolivia.
Email: promab@latinwide.com.
Internet: www.bio.uu.nl/promab/promab,
or:
c/o Department
of Plant Ecology, Utrecht University, P.O.Box 80084, 3508 TB Utrecht, the
Netherlands.
Email: pbc@bio.uu.nl
H. Cleuren (2001)
This comparative study analyses the driving forces of deforestation in Brazil, Ecuador and Cameroon. The research focuses on the dynamics of forest conversion and the adaptability and mobility of the people involved. The study has three components: a theoretical review of the issue of tropical deforestation; three case studies, in Brazil, Ecuador and Cameroon, focusing on the key factors involved in the process of forest decline; and finally an analytical synthesis, in which theories are tested against data and conclusions drawn regarding the deeper mechanisms of forest conversion and the relationships between different actors.
The book is divided in seven chapters. The first component of the study is presented in the first two chapters. The first chapter describes the different categories of tropical rainforests and patterns and causes of deforestation. The second presents a theoretical perspective on deforestation. The third, fourth and fifth chapter present the three case studies. In chapter six the three case studies are compared and finally in the last chapter a number of solutions that have been proposed for better management of the tropical forest are summarised. In the end general conclusions are drawn and policy recommendations made for more efficient and effective collaboration for sustainable management in the Amazon and Congo basins.
ISBN: 90-5789-068-2, 261 p. CNWS Publications no.118. Leiden Development Studies, New Series, Vol.1. Research School of Asian, African, and Amerindian Studies (CNWS), the Netherlands.
For more
information contact:
Department CA/SNWS, Faculty of Social Sciences,
P.O.Box 9555, 2300 RB Leiden, The Netherlands
email: hcleuren@inbar.int
J.R. Cobbinah & M.R. Wagner (Eds) (2000)
Iroko is considered as the most generally useful timber species with distribution stretching across the entire width of humid Africa. In the late 1980s the Iroko Project was started as a mono-institutional project at The Forestry Research Institute of Ghana (FORIG) to develop strategies for the sustainable development of Iroko. It grew out to become a multi-country, multi-institutional, and multi-disciplinary study by the mid 1990s.
The papers of the closing workshop in November 2000 are presented in this publication. The papers deal with five themes: distribution patterns of Iroko, growth in relation to ecophysiological factors, screening for phenotypic and genetic resistance, mitigating the impact of Phytolyma lata, and deployment of resistant lines.
For further
information contact:
Director, Forestry Research Institute of Ghana University, P.O. Box 63, Kumasi,
Ghana.
Tel: (051)- 60122,- 60123 60373. Fax: 051- 60121.
N.M. Pasiecznik (2001)
Prosopis juliflora and Prosopis pallida are two of the most economically and ecologically important tree species in arid and semi-arid zones of the world. Therefore, considerable literature on these species exist in various languages. However, few attempts have been made to synthesise this information into comprehensive, concise and authoritative reviews. This monograph draws on all the available sources with approximately 650 bibliographic references included. Along with the associated outputs of a reference database (on CD-ROM) and a technical manual aimed at the Indian context, this publication provides information which aims to improve the management and utilisation of this valuable natural resource.
The book is divided in four chapters. The chapters can be read in any order. The first chapter opens by stating the importance of the P. juliflora-P. pallida complex and how and why these species were selected for special attention, before describing the genus in general and its relationship to mankind. Chapter two covers the complicated area of Prosopis taxonomy. Chapter three describes in detail the P. juliflora-P. pallida complex as a human resource, the composition, roles and production of tree products. The final chapter covers the management of the trees as resources, including nursery production, establishment, managing native stands and weedy invasions, and processing tree products.
This publication is an output from a research project funded by the United Kingdom Department for International Development (DFID) for the benefit of developing countries. Copies of this publication are available free to people and organisations in countries eligible for UK aid, and at cost price to others.
For request
please contact:
PJC Harris, NM Pasiecznik, HDRA, Coventry CV8 3LG, United Kingdom.
Tel.: +44 (0) 24 7630 3517. Fax: +44 (0) 24 7663 9229.
Email: pharris@hdra.org.uk or npasiecznik@hdra.org.uk
O. Eyog Matig et al (2001)
The SAFORGEN programme stands for research on the genetic resources of Africa's forests south of the Sahara. This publication presents the results of research on the woody plant species with medicinal properties in reports from 9 countries, complemented by papers on issues like biodiversity, exploitation and the development of the sector of medicinal plants. The reports and papers were presented at a meeting of the so-called "network on medicinal woody plant species" in 1999 in Cotonou, Benin, which was attended by 30 experts from 12 countries.
ISBN 92-9043-470-8, 131 p.
For more
information contact:
IPGRI Regional Office for sub-Sahara Africa, c/o ICRAF, P.O.Box 30677, Nairobi,
Kenya
J.J. Jansen (Editor-in-Chief)
This new quarterly journal has been launched to provide a forum for scientific articles and reviews on all aspects of fast growing, multi-purpose pliable species. The scope of the journal encompasses income security, craft industry, small to medium size enterprises, industrial fibre and fuel. Articles related to natural distribution and conservation of species, genetics and biotechnology, harvesting and production systems, and environmental applications are also included, as well as papers on marketing and policy restraints in relation to bamboo, rattan and related species.
The price for Volume I (2001/02) is EUR 114/US$ 132 for institutions and EUR 68/US$ 79 for individuals.
Price includes postage and handling charges, as well as access to the electronic version. Dispatch of issues/electronic access will commence only after receipt of correct payment.
Subscription
orders should be sent to:
Brill Academic Publishers, P.O.Box 9000, 2300 PA Leiden, the Netherlands.
Email: orders@brill.nl.
For further
information contact the editor-in-chief J.J. Jansen at Eindhoven University,
P.O.Box 513, 5600 MB Eindhoven, the Netherlands.
Tel.: +31 40 247 2948. Fax: +31 40 243 8575.
Email: j.j.a.jansen@bwk.teu.nl
or visit the website of the publisher at www.vsppub.com.