FO: LACFC/2000/11  |
| FO: LACFC/2000/11 |
LATIN AMERICA AND CARIBBEAN FORESTRY COMMISSION |
Item 8 of the Provisional Agenda |
TWENTY-FIRST SESSION |
Santa Fe de Bogota, Colombia, 4 - 8 September 2000 |
IN-SESSION SEMINAR: FORESTRY SECTOR INFORMATION PROJECTS AND OUTLOOK STUDY FOR LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN |
Secretariat Note |
DATA COLLECTION AND OUTLOOK EFFORT FOR FORESTRY IN THE CARIBBEAN
FOREST INFORMATION DEVELOPMENT AND OUTLOOK STUDY IN LATIN AMERICA
PROPOSED FORESTRY SECTOR OUTLOOK STUDY FOR LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN
1. The purpose of this in-session seminar is to give an overview on the EC/FAO Projects on Forest Information in Latin America and the Caribbean, and to introduce the concept of an Outlook Study for Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC). This Secretariat Note gives background information for the discussion. A number of issues are presented for the Commission's decision and guidance.
2. Reliable information and knowledge management are essential underpinnings for policy making, investment and operational decisions, and for targeting responses in a manner that enhances their effectiveness. Information includes both statistics and data for preparing analyses and should be available on the forestry sector itself as well as on linked sectors and the general economic and social environment within which forestry exists.
3. FAO includes among its primary constitutional responsibilities the function of collecting, analysing, interpreting and disseminating information on the food and agriculture sector, including forestry. Its work on information provides a basis for the technical and policy advice which it is often called upon to offer to governments.
4. In cooperation with the African and Caribbean countries that are signatories of the Lomé Convention (ACP countries), the European Union (EC) and FAO are implementing a joint three- year programme to improve the quality and reliability of forestry data: "Data Collection and Analysis for Sustainable Forest Management in ACP countries: Linking National and International Efforts" (1998-2000).
5. This EC-FAO Partnership Project aims to promote sustainable management of trees and forests in the tropics, founded on policies that integrate and balance relevant economic, environmental and social aspects of forestry. It aims to strengthen national capacity to collect and compile reliable and up-to-date information on forestry and to analyse the forest sector. Specifically, this project shall:
6. In the framework of this project, a workshop was held in Port-of-Spain, Trinidad and Tobago (21-25 February 2000), in order to promote, review and develop data acquisition, contribute to country capacity for the collection and effective use of forestry sector data, develop opportunities for further cooperation between the participating countries and develop processes to prepare individual country and regional forestry outlook study reports. The participating countries were Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Cuba, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, St. Lucia, St. Vincent & the Grenadines, St. Kitts & Nevis, Suriname, and Trinidad and Tobago.
7. The EC and FAO agreed on a new partnership programme to support work on improving forestry information in 13 tropical countries of the region. The three-year project "Information and Analysis for Sustainable Forest Management: Linking National and International Efforts in 13 Tropical Countries in Latin America" (2000-2002) started in April 2000. The project covers the following 13 countries: Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru and Venezuela.
8. A vital contribution of this project is to increase access to and transparency of key national forestry data to the region's main stakeholders and provide policy analysis, in particular through institutional capacity building. That strengthened capacity will be capable of analyzing forest sector issues holistically, producing the outlook for the forestry sector and proposing adjustments needed for sustainable forest management. In particular, the activities focus on two inter-related themes, namely:
9. The project will be implemented by FAO in close partnership with the forestry departments and relevant institutions of the participating countries in Latin America, thus taking full advantage of available regional and international expertise. The project will liaise with ongoing national and regional activities related to forestry information gathering and analysis, such as the EC-FAO project mentioned above for African and Caribbean ACP countries, tropical Asia and FAO Regular Programme activities covering Forest Resources Assessment (FRA 2000), forest policy reviews and forestry outlook studies. Direct collaboration will be established with the EC through EC-sponsored forestry projects such as "TROPICS" and "TREES" (Tropical Ecosystem Environment observation by Satellite), with International Organizations, such as the International Tropical Timber Organization (ITTO), and regional and sub-regional forestry institutions such as the Forestry Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (LACFC), the Amazon Treaty and the Council of Central American Countries.
10. To cover the whole region, the four countries not included in the EC-FAO partnership programme (Argentina, Chile, Paraguay and Uruguay) can be taken into account using other FAO resources on related programmes such as activities in support of national forest programmes or the Regular Programme for the outlook study (see below).
11. In response to the requests from its governing bodies, FAO has expanded its programme of regional outlook studies beyond Europe and North America (where regular outlook reviews have been undertaken over many decades). The first of the new generation of regional outlook studies have been concluded for Asia and the Pacific, and the second is under way for Africa and ACP countries; the study for the LAC region is the subject of this Secretariat Note.
12. The two EC-FAO projects mentioned above already propose to support the outlook study for the LAC region, which constitutes one of their objectives.
13. The proposed objective of the LAC outlook study is an in-depth analysis of the status, trends and driving forces which are shaping LAC forestry and the prospects for placing it on a path towards sustainable development. The study will provide decision-makers with the implications, within and outside the sector, of important developments on policy, economics, environment and sustainable development.
14. The need is for a study with a practical orientation; a study that addresses questions that LAC's own stakeholders and governments, as well as their external partners, ask about key opportunities and obstacles which hinder success. Among the outcomes of a study of this nature could be proposals and recommendations for priorities, and the need for policy improvement or investment with the evolution of the sector.
15. The study could also identify regional issues relevant to success for forestry sector development as well as key constraints to be overcome so that actions taken towards sustainable development of the forestry sector can be effective in releasing the sector's potential for contributing to economic, social and environmental well-being and sustainability. Among other things, therefore, the study should identify the critical policies and institutional changes needed to create a supportive environment for the sustainable development of the forestry sector, considering the social, economic and ecological needs of the countries.
16. Briefly, the Forestry Sector Outlook Study for Latin America and the Caribbean would collect, review and interpret in a sub-regional perspective existing and specially-commissioned information on the status and trends of key aspects of the forestry sector and developments which affect it. Possible paths for future development of the forestry sector until the year 2020 would be developed, including the most likely scenario and both optimistic and pessimistic alternatives. An important element would be to draw attention to the implications of each scenario for policy and for action, including for investment. The approach will be not so much to recommend specific policy or action initiatives, but will present options for decision-makers, particularly governments, to decide what actions they prefer to take.
17. It may be noted that the proposed study would be responsive to LAC's particular situation by paying attention to issues of land degradation, deforestation and sustainable management. The ecological diversity of the region calls for forest management options to be discussed from different viewpoints of stakeholders. With these and other considerations in mind, the Commission is invited to provide guidance on the scope of the study.
18. The forestry sector needs a sound information base on which to base critical decisions. The proposed outlook study is intended to give a balanced view of the opportunities while clearly also identifying the main hurdles that would have to be overcome to release the region's forestry development potential.
19. A regional or even global perspective is a necessary complement for country-focused analysis, since developments in one country influence its relationship with others, if only through trading relationships.
20. As already demonstrated in some countries of the region, forestry contributes to sustainable development in Latin America and the Caribbean. There is a potential to increase this contribution. The proposed outlook study should seek to answer some key questions such as: What are the main opportunities? What goals are realistic? What are the main challenges? What are the main factors contributing to challenges and opportunities? How can these factors be influenced? What tasks require action and policy changes in member countries? What are the priorities for LAC's diverse sub-regions and for the region as a whole? What policy choices must be exercised now to achieve goals?
21. FAO is aware that many studies have been completed or are under way on specific issues. What is perceived to be missing is a comprehensive and inclusive look at the forestry sector which assesses its trends and development prospects after a balanced and rational consideration of the major issues and driving forces within and outside the sector which can and will shape the future of forestry in the coming decades.
22. Perhaps as important as the results would be the benefits of the process proposed to implement the study: the intention to closely involve LAC experts and institutions and to stress a collaborative approach and the mutual exchange of knowledge among regional experts. Such inter-country collaboration in analysis has long-term value in terms of capacity building and cooperation between countries.
23. A hallmark of proposed implementation modalities will be reliance on close involvement and therefore ownership of the study by member countries and by major interest groups, including the commercial private sector and non-governmental organizations (NGOs). To achieve such participation, this in-session Seminar may wish to request the Commission to encourage private and public sector institutions in member countries to actively participate in and support the implementation of the study.
24. The outlook study is proposed to become an activity of the Commission. It is recommended that FAO function as Secretariat, and coordinate and promote the implementation of the study.
25. Co-operation would be sought with other international organisations active in LAC forestry, such as the World Bank, the Inter-American Development Bank, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the ITTO as well as with sub-regional LAC institutions.
26. The Secretariat hopes that the process it is launching may come to be owned and supported by member countries as an important area for co-operation among them. It suggests that the in-session Seminar discuss the matter and provide recommendations to the Commission for decision or guidance to the Secretariat. Specifically, the Secretariat seeks guidance on the following aspects: