Strategy to Combat Illegal Forest Activities in Guatemala

APPROACH
Since 2008 in Guatemala the World Bank's FLEG program has supported the national forest authority (Instituto Nacional de Bosques INAB) by providing assistance in the implementation of the Strategy to Combat Illegal Forest Activities. In its initial phase this assistance aimed to develop the necessary analytical work to understand the institutional, socio-economic and environmental causes of illegal activities.

RESULTS
Outputs included :

• a proposal for policy and legislative changes and adjustments  resulting from analytical work and a technical proposal for institutional changes to improve the implementation of the Strategy to Combat Illegal Forest Activities;
• a technical proposal to improve current forest control and supervision procedures (forest licenses, timber mobilization permits, logging volume control, complaints, etc) and a manual for forest control and supervision;
• a financial and cost effectiveness analysis of forest fees, royalties, other revenues and taxes, and a proposal for consideration of  new forest fees;
• an information system containing baseline data and information related to illegal activities in the forest sector;
• a training program targeting staff from INAB and other government agencies and groups involved in the implementation of the Strategy to Combat Illegal Forest Activities;
• and a national communications and awareness program targeting the general public related to illegal practices in the forest sector.

Available here in Spanish is a cost-benefit analysis of illegal activities in the forests sector and a proposal to strengthen INAB's control of the forests sector. 

NEXT STEPS
In February 2010, INAB’s Board of Directors approved an Action Plan to Prevent and Reduce Illegal Logging. The Action plan includes legislation and regulatory changes to reduce illegal activities, review current forest fees, design forest control and supervision plans and campaigns, develop forest audit protocols and plan and initiate capacity building activities.

The implementation of this plan, developed on the basis of analytical work and technical proposals previously sponsored by the FLEG Program, demands the cooperation of various public administration and law enforcement agencies and stakeholders. PROFOR-FLEG is helping strengthen forest control and supervision through its activity Auditing timber supply to the Guatemala forest industry.