Artisanal and small scale mining which takes place inside or along the borders of critical ecosystems and protected areas is a growing conservation and governance issue. A global study, based on in-depth cases in Liberia, Gabon and Madagascar, proposes solutions to reconcile livelihood needs and the preservation of important ecological sites.
Recent developments in trade policies of key timber consumer countries have increased the need for producer countries to ensure verification of the legal origin of timber. However, for the most part, tropical timber producer countries are not adequately prepared to meet such requirements. Bundling low cost tools for forest control and supervision could help government agencies meet their timber legality verification needs.
A compendium of evidence-based, forest governance data collection approaches could help countries decide between different options as they set out to respond to various requirements.
The experience of payments for environmental services (PES) systems set up in Costa Rica, Mexico, and Ecuador in the last decade provides valuable insights for shaping REDD+ strategies in participating countries in the Latin America and Caribbean region. Between them, these programs are currently helping to conserve over 3 million hectares of forests. Their experience shows how to make PES work, but also -- problems to avoid.
This activity produced an assessment of law enforcement, certification and legality verification schemes in Southeast Asia that includes recommendations for public and private stakeholders, including local banks to prevent unsustainable and illegal forest management practices in the region.
The forest transition theory holds that economic growth and deforestation go hand in hand. What is happening in the Amazon, the Congo Basin and Indonesia does not necessarily follow that model.
The LiberFor chain-of-custody system, is seen by experts as one of the few bright spots in a Liberian forest sector that has struggled to repair the damage done by years of mismanagement, corruption and over-exploitation under President and warlord Charles Taylor. The story of its rollout includes both successes and significant challenges that are relevant beyond West Africa, as a number of producer countries prepare to meet consumer markets’ stricter traceability and legality requirements.
PROFOR is launching an initial feasibility study to determine whether a methodology to systematically assess administrative and regulatory requirements for investment in the forest sector makes sense.
