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REDUCING VIOLENT CONFLICTS
OVER FORESTS
By Mary Melnyk, Jay Singh, Scott Bode, Kim Sais and Julie Kunen
Conflict financed or sustained through the harvest and sale of timber, or conflict emerging as a result of competition over timber or other forest resources is a major challenge to development, further impoverishing and contributing to instability in many countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America. The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has taken a strong stance on the issue and is actively funding activities to reduce conflict while creating opportunities for sustainable livelihoods. Our comprehensive approach to directly reduce conflict includes rigorous analysis, strategy development, engaging staff and implementing activities in countries across the globe.
Analysis and strategies
Since 2001, USAID has been working with
the Foundation for Environmental Security
and Sustainability (FESS) to develop an
environmental security framework to
address a broad range of environmental
issues, including deforestation, as they
apply to regional security, stability and
conflict. FESS’ Environmental Security
Assessment Framework (ESAF) is an
analytical tool that assists in evaluating,
assessing, prioritising and monitoring
regional environmental threats. A field
assessment in Nepal constituted a pilot test
of ESAF. Further information can be found
at http://www.fess-global.org.
As a first step for well-targeted and effective programming related specifically to forests and conflict, in 2002 USAID commissioned the analysis Conflict Timber: Dimensions of the Problem in Asia and Africa (http://www.ardinc.com/htm/projects/p_timber.htm). Its primary objective was a comprehensive examination of the economic, ecological, political, social and security dimensions of conflict timber in Asia and Africa. It profiles 14 countries with indepth case studies of Indonesia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Further in-depth analyses have been done for the Philippines and Cambodia. This analysis identified a strong link between conflict timber and poor, inequitable systems of governance. Ambiguous property rights to forests further promoted struggles over timber. Also, loose financial oversight generates opportunities for powerful individual actors (military, police, politicians) to engage in conflict timber activities.
To raise awareness and engage staff on the issue of forests and conflicts and other natural resources, a series of reports have been developed. These reports, entitled toolkits, should help staff develop strategies to reduce or prevent conflict. They are discussed in the paper by Feil and Voils (this issue, page 19).
Activities to reduce conflict over forest
resources
USAID offices around the world are working
on programs to reduce conflict over forest
resources. Vital to many activities is the
empowerment of local communities to
manage their forest resources and the
incorporation of natural resources
management into programs to strengthen
democracy and the rule of law. With USAID
assistance in the Philippines, local
governments and communities jointly assessed forest status and decided on
forest allocation while adopting and
budgeting for forest use plans. The forest
land use plans govern who has rights to
the forests, law enforcement, forest
protection, and production-related activities.
In 2003, for example, 31 local governments
committed $270 000 to reduce illegal
logging, place open-access areas under
management, and mitigate forest-related
conflicts on at least 670 000 hectares of
forestlands.
Grants to local NGOs in Cambodia are working to resolve forest and land conflicts by disseminating information to communities on their legal rights in accordance with Cambodia’s new Forestry and Land Laws. The NGOs will work with ethnic minorities to demarcate their ancestral lands, register these claims with provincial authorities and prevent the further encroachment of forests by immigrants. In response to communities’ requests, the NGOs will also strengthen their capacity to organise and manage forests, while providing them with cell phones to report illegal logging to authorities. Likewise, in Ecuador, USAID support to the World Wildlife Fund assisted the Awa indigenous group to develop a new forest strategy that formally recognized their ancestral rights to the forest, thus helping to resolve an ongoing land tenure conflict.
There are many conflicts over forest and land use in the watershed areas of Lampung, Indonesia. Yet, now there are opportunities to address these conflicts because many government functions have been decentralized. Methods to negotiate land and forest disputes are being developed by the World Agroforestry Center (ICRAF) and partners, supported by USAID. Policy dialogue on tenure and negotiations on land use have begun to yield significant results. Several agreements have been reached between farmer groups and local government. A consultative group composed of government officials, community members and non-governmental and research organisations has also been organised with ICRAF’s assistance at the West Lampung district level and a framework policy for Integrated Natural Resource Management is currently being drafted.
In Senegal, conflict over use of forest resources arose between indigenous people and migrant farmers. A conflict assessment involving about 5 000 residents, development partners and businesses in the area identified pragmatic options for addressing the conflict, and an ensuing meeting opened dialogue for drafting an action plan. Subsequently, the community developed another action plan to promote sustainable management of the 73 000-ha Pata forest, creating forestmonitoring committees. This also strengthened democratic processes while reducing conflicts over these resources.
The Liberia Forest Initiative explicitly addresses conflict timber and the need for reform of the forestry sector. It is a United States government effort to help accomplish Liberia’s transition from war to peace. To avoid the use of timber to finance conflict and to promote the gainful employment of ex-combatants, the program will establish a new system for competitive and transparent allocation of forest concessions, and it will employ excombatants for forest conservation. Furthermore, the program will work to gain rights for communities to manage forests. Other elements of the program will develop regional collaboration for a cross-border peace park and a transparent process for the administration of budgets by Liberia’s Forest Development Authority.
The future
USAID’s approach is part of a growing
concerted effort to address natural
resources, specifically forests, taking into
account the environment, corruption,
government accountability, and economic
growth so as to reduce conflicts, empower
local populations and improve their health,
and create conditions for sustainable
growth. Working across regions and
technical areas, USAID hopes to achieve
multiple benefits for development by
reducing conflicts over forests.
More information on request from:
Mary Melnyk (mmelnyk@usaid.gov), Asia
Near East Bureau, Office of Technical Support
Jay Singh (jasingh@usaid.gov), Bureau for Democracy, Conflict and Humanitarian Assistance, Office of Conflict Management and Mitigation
Scott Bode (sbode@usaid.gov) and Kim Sias (ksais@usaid.gov) Bureau for Economic Growth, Agriculture and Trade (EGAT), Office of Environmental Science and Policy
Julie Kunen (Jkunen@usaid.gov)
EGAT Bureau, Office of Natural Resource
Management
Address of Authors care of their office:
USAID
1300 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20523
USA