| European
Tropical Forest Research Network |
PARTNERSHIPS FOR SUSTAINABLE FOREST MANAGEMENT: LESSONS FROM ESMERALDAS PROVINCE IN ECUADOR
By Nathalie Walker and Laura Rival
The coastal province of Esmeraldas in Ecuador has received attention from a number of international conservation and development organisations because of the high levels of biodiversity in its moist tropical forests, the high rate of deforestation and the high level of poverty in the region. The forests form part of the Chocó biogeographic region, which has been designated a biodiversity 'hotspot', but the forests of Esmeraldas have been reduced to less than 10% of their original size due to agricultural activity, oil palm plantations and unsustainable logging.
In contrast to many countries in Latin America, very little forest is state owned and over 70% of the forests are community owned. The majority of the timber in Ecuador is produced in Esmeraldas province and most of the remaining forests are owned or occupied by Afroecuadorian and indigenous Chachi and Awá communities. This situation has provided an incentive for the formation of partnerships between communities and both NGOs and timber companies to set up sustainable forestry operations and to seek certification from the Forest Stewardship Council.
This study analyses the views and findings of national and international NGOs, logging companies and communities involved in such partnerships in the north of Esmeraldas province in order to understand their potential and limitations. Preliminary results are based on a series of in-depth interviews with representatives of stakeholder institutions. A number of issues were found to be important to all partnership schemes, namely community organisation, land ownership and land security, ease of transport, access to markets, external financing and expertise and government legislation. The challenges of attaining forest certification and the benefits this could afford are also considered.
Conditions for successful
partnerships
Features of communities that were found to facilitate the success of forestry
operations include a strong organisation with a good level of cooperation and
planning and a sound awareness and understanding of the need for forestry to
be carried out sustainably. There are many differences in community structure
and organisation between the Afroecuadorian communities and the indigenous communities
in Esmeraldas and it is important for partner organisations to take these into
account. Where partnerships between communities and timber companies are concerned,
a strong community organisation is particularly important and community empowerment,
with external support, may be required to ensure that the partnerships are fair
and that communities have the capacity and information to negotiate with the
companies.
Ecuadorian law entitles indigenous communities to land tenure and community land cannot be sold, but invasions by colonists, logging and the activities of oil palm companies have altered the situation. Partnerships were able to help to legitimise the forestry operations and could help prevent such invasions. The Afroecuadorian communities involved in forest management programmes with NGOs obtained land tenure with legal assistance from the NGOs and this helped the communities to benefit from the alliance early on. Land tenure is often a pre-requisite for the success of forestry operations but there can be additional complications. Some communities had internal land ownership problems such as areas of land within the community territories that were owned by individuals or families and disputes between communities about the boundaries between their territories are common and need to be resolved before the logging can begin.
Partnerships were able to provide expertise in all areas of forest management and the training of community members is of prime importance. Training helps to empower communities and results in the involvement of a lot of community members and improves local enthusiasm for the partnership.
Constraints
The forested areas in the north of Esmeraldas have few roads and most communities
are spread out along a network of rivers, which are used to transport timber
to coastal towns for processing and sale. Transportation difficulties have been
a constraint to schemes but the ability to obtain fair prices for timber is
equally important, especially in Esmeraldas, where timber prices have fluctuated
greatly in the last five years. Partnerships can provide communities with greater
market access and the ability to cut out middlemen so that they can obtain better
prices for their timber.
It is widely agreed that communities will not be able to carry out sustainable forestry operations without external financing, which is why there is a need for partnerships to be formed. In a number of cases, where profits are obtained relatively early on in the operation, communities are more likely to be more supportive but it is important that they have a realistic idea of the levels of profits that they can expect.
Government legislation on forests has only supported sustainable forest management in Ecuador during the last few years in the guise of new forest norms and measures put in place to reduce illegal logging. The partnerships between communities and NGOs have helped to influence government policy and there are good connections in Ecuador between people working for international NGOs and government policymakers, particularly regarding decentralisation and policy implementation.
Potentials
Certification can provide access to new markets and can enable forestry operators
to acquire better prices for their products. The certification process is also
seen as an opportunity for an external evaluation of the operation. However,
in all cases, the conditions and preconditions required have been found to be
extremely demanding. At present, although a number of schemes have started the
evaluation process, none have yet attained certification.
Partnerships between communities and NGOs or timber companies have the potential to help develop an impoverished region of Ecuador whilst at the same time protecting its internationally important and threatened forests. Alliances require a considerable amount of financing, but there is great potential for success and if a few schemes prove successful and are able to attain certification, they may be able to serve as a model that will lead to such initiatives spreading.
Further information:
Nathalie Walker
Queen Elizabeth House, International Development Centre
21 St. Giles, Oxford, OX1 3LA
United Kingdom
E-mail: nathalie.walker@qeh.ox.ac.uk