1 / 14

Strategic Options to Advance The Conservation of Natural Forests

Strategic Options to Advance The Conservation of Natural Forests. Forest Trends Andy White, Augusta Molnar, Alejandra Martin, Arnoldo Contreras-Hermosilla, Sara Scherr Presentation to the GEF Roundtable on Forests, 2 nd UNFF, New York, 3/11/02. Overview. Findings (Lessons?) since Rio

blamb
Download Presentation

Strategic Options to Advance The Conservation of Natural Forests

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript


  1. Strategic Options to Advance The Conservation of Natural Forests Forest Trends Andy White, Augusta Molnar, Alejandra Martin, Arnoldo Contreras-Hermosilla, Sara Scherr Presentation to the GEF Roundtable on Forests, 2nd UNFF, New York, 3/11/02

  2. Overview • Findings (Lessons?) since Rio • In Transition: What has changed since Rio? • Looking Forward: Devising an Agenda • Opportunities to Increase Commitment and Incentives • Options to Advance Goals • Potential Roles for Key Players • Conclusion: To Johannesburg and Beyond • Implications for ODA and GEF

  3. Findings (Lessons?)Since Rio • Continued deforestation & degradation in developing, regrowth in developed • Limited impact/disenchantment/weariness of global processes • Problem much more complex than thought: driven by state actions, entrenched constituencies; face political tradeoffs rather than ‘win-wins’ • Despite rhetoric, poverty not a key concern; focus on public protected areas (PAs) • Low level of effort - in sum, not a priority: either in ‘South’ or ‘North’

  4. Lessons (?) Continued • Focus on PAs inadequate: must address forest matrix (1.0 billion hectares) • Owners (mostly govts) have no/limited incentive for conservation (protection and SFM) • Why so difficult to  commitment and incentives? • Govt. authority exceeds capacity (in terms of land and regulatory reach) • Existing policies and regulations make forestry more expensive than options (e.g. agriculture) • Financing for ‘public services’ has not yet materialized

  5. What has Changed Since Rio? • Newly perceived threats: alien invasive species & climate change • Both require multi-sectoral approaches • Both require reconsidering conservation strategies •  Community control of forests • At least 25% owned or administered • Must ‘engage’ communities: more rights or more compensation • Huge opportunity and challenge for global community •  domestic demand: tradeoffs between plantations and natural forests • DD is 90% of total trade; growing faster than int. demand • Plantations a ‘double-edged sword’: reduce pressure but reduce value • Natural forests: sole comparative advantage for millions of poorest

  6. What has Changed Since Rio? •  Globalization & industrial restructuring • ‘bad’: global reach of (corruptible) industry • ‘good’: (some) new players, new ethics, new money •  Demand for environmental services • Natural disasters driving new appreciation • Many innovations at domestic level: Brazil, Costa Rica, Colombia ($ billions) • New global mechanisms: CDM, others underway •  Attention to governance, certification • Illegal logging ‘out of the closet’ • Certification: greatest contribution – active, inclusive debate, required for payments for environmental services, but: raises costs of forest mgt.

  7. What has Changed Since Rio? •  assertiveness of ‘South’ and reduced ODA from ‘North’ • frustration with agreements: “show me the money!!!” • ‘N’ dissatisfied with results: “money down rat holes” • Looking for new mechanisms (partnerships ?) • Summary: reasons for hope • Old challenges: markets, tenure, governance, industry • New opportunities to achieve 3 goals (social, environment, economic): markets, tenure, governance, industry • Must increase domestic and international commitment and financial incentives • Must do things differently – but what?

  8. Looking Forward: Devising an Agenda for Conservation • Opportunities to increase commitment and incentives • Domestic constituencies necessary – but not sufficient • ODA: $ 1.2 billion/year and declining • GEF: $ 50 million/year and (?) • CEPF: $ 20 million/year and (?) • Private philanthropy: $ 70 million/year and stagnant • International payments: CDM - $ .063 – .36 billion/year • Private capital: $28 billion/year in exports (alone!) • In-kind contributions of poor: $ (?) billions • Domestic payments for env. services: $2- 5 billion/year

  9. Looking Forward: Devising an Agenda for Conservation • Summary analysis: • ODA/private philanthropy small player • If $2.5 billion/year: • $6.0/ha (210 million has of ‘hotspots’) • $1.8/ha (700 million has of PA) • $.7/ha (1.7 million has of all developing country forest) • Can’t compete with gov’t options: • royalties ($ 1-5/ha/year) + timber ($80/ha/year) • ‘Conservation concessions’ non-viable strategy (even less viable if consider the equity implications) • Private flows the big player • ODA should refocus to ‘leverage’ transformation in private sector: for conservation and for poverty alleviation

  10. Options to capture value and advance conservation • Addressing governance issues • Reform public timber concessions • Control illegal logging/corruption • Develop/strengthen independent certification • Adopt regular, independent audits of government performance • Shift ownership and access to communities • Increase investments to facilitate transition • Identify/clarify rights to forest services • Generate and share transition strategies

  11. Options to capture value and advance conservation • Reform policies to provide incentives for SFM • Remove regulatory barriers • ‘level the playing field’ for small-scale producers • Involve local producers in policy negotiations • Promote community enterprises and joint ventures • Characterize and establish markets for low-income producers • Improve market position/strengthen producer organizations • Promote business partnerships • Establish business services (links in chain) • Establish domestic markets for services • Build knowledge and capacity • Build institutional framework • Make deals (encourage innovation)

  12. Options to capture value and advance conservation • Establish international payment mechanisms for services • Strengthen existing innovative mechansims • PCF, PSequestrationFund • Transform CDM into more useful tool for natural restoration and development • Privilege natural over plantations • Reduce transactions costs for communities • Devise something new (for WSSD?)

  13. Conclusion: to Johannesburg and Beyond • Past: 3 goals, 3 strategies • Future: 3 goals, 1 strategy • Converging social/environmental/economic agendas: new scope for impact • Pro-poor policy and tenure reforms: • + social, + economic, + environmental • Shift focus from PAs to forest matrix • + mitigate threats, + social, + environmental, + economic development • Shift ODA/GEF/Private philanthropy from ‘ignoring’ to ‘transforming’ private sector

  14. Implications for ODA/GEF • What does “leverage” private sector mean? What is done differently? Some ideas: • Help build new institutional frameworks for markets • Advance certification • Help reform laws/regulations • Help devise standards, due diligence procedures • Identify innovation, ‘good’ practice, and disseminate • Help leaders from the ‘S’ learn from each other, connect with new sources of ideas and money • Remember: our challenge is to save 1.7 billion HAs of forest and alleviate the suffering of some 500 million people: must be much more strategic than we’ve been

More Related