FORESTRY OUTLOOK STUDY FOR AFRICA
Draft List of Thematic Papers
(Note: changes recommended in the Southern African sub-regional workshop are indicated in italics)
The thematic papers will provide an overview of the situation, trends and future prospects (to the year 2020) of key areas related to forest conservation and development in the Africa region. The papers will provide a regional analysis of the topic, but should indicate differences within the region, where applicable presenting the information by sub-region (using the FOSA sub-regional breakdown).
These papers will draw upon the information made available in the two FOSA baseline papers: 1) population and income/economic features; and 2) land cover and land use in Africa. The thematic papers are to use the demographic, economic and land cover/land use datasets provided in the baseline documents in calculations involving these variables. They should also adopt the assumptions that have been used by the baseline papers in making predictions of future scenarios for population, economic conditions and land cover.
The emphasis of the thematic papers should be on the trends and future, rather than on the past and present. The papers should all take a similar approach by including the following points: a) overview and current status of the topic; b) discussion of the constraints/issue; c) analysis of underlying driving forces/causal factors of the constraints (distinguishing between the endogenous and exogenous factors); d) likely outcome and prospect in response to these trends; e) available responses (to endogenous factors); f) presentation of future alternative scenarios; g) external assumptions and linkages to other relevant sectors and analyses; and h) (annex) main sources of information used.
The following is a preliminary list of thematic papers proposed for the Forestry Outlook Study for Africa.
1) Forest and Agriculture Interface in Africa: Current Status and Future Directions
Analysis of the current and future relationship between forestry and agriculture in Africa - forests as a "land reserve" for agricultural expansion (where and how much); trends in integrated land use systems (agriculture on forest lands; forestry on agriculture lands); trends and future scenarios for management of silvopastoral systems in Africa; current and potential impacts of developments in agricultural research and agricultural policies on forests; impacts of economic policies on the relationship between agriculture and forestry land uses; general trend with regard to dependency on land and its implications on land use.
2) Impacts of Urbanisation on Forest Resources and Situation, Trends and Prospects in Urban and Peri-urban Forestry in Africa
Links between urbanisation and forest cover, land use, and consumption of forest products; prospective urbanisation patterns and potential impacts on forest resources; options and prospects for mitigating negative impacts; responses in rural, peri-urban and urban areas.
(recommended to delete - unless not adequately covered by the social and economic baseline paper)
3) Impact of globalisation on forestry sector in Africa
Effect of globalisation on Africa as a region and on its sub-regions; sectors and activities that will be most affected; their impact on forestry sector; probable changes in comparative advantages of the sector in relation to the factor endowments; potential opportunities and the areas/sub-regions/ sectors that could take advantage of the emerging opportunities; how well are they prepared to benefit from these opportunities; which sectors are most likely to have negative effects; what measures are to be taken to mitigate the adverse effects; impacts of macro-economic changes.
4) Susceptibility to and Impacts of Natural Disasters, Wars and Civil Unrest on Forests and Forest Resources (including wildlife) in Africa
Impacts of past natural disasters, wars and civil unrest on forests and forest resources, efforts and their effectiveness to mitigate the negative impacts, possible future impacts.
5) Status, Trends and Future Scenarios for Management of Moist Tropical Forest Ecosystems in Africa
Location, extent and condition1 of moist tropical forests in Africa; land tenure patterns and issues; status and trends in forest use; complementarity and conflicts with other land uses; degree and causes of deforestation and forest degradation; illegal and poor logging practices; status and trends in management and relative emphasis give to productive (for wood and non-wood forest products) and protective functions; efforts to improve management and harvesting practices; implications of criteria and indicators for sustainable forest management; long-term prospects for sustainable management of moist tropical forests.
6) Status, Trends and Future Scenarios for Management of Dryland Forest Ecosystems in Africa
Location, extent and condition2; land tenure patterns and issues; status and trends in use of dryland forests in Africa; status and trends of management and relative emphasis give to productive (for wood and non-wood forest products) and protective functions; degree and causes of deforestation and forest degradation; role of and response to forest fires; efforts to improve management practices (for wood and non-wood forest products, grazing, etc.); complementarity and conflicts with other land uses; developments and role of criteria and indicators for sustainable forest management (SFM); long-term prospects for sustainable management of dryland forests; extent, location and causes of desertification; ongoing efforts to control desertification and their efficacy; role of forestry in mitigating desertification; inter-country collaboration in combating desertification; ); implications of the Convention to Combat Desertification on dryland forest management.
7) Status, Trends and Future Scenarios for Management of Upland Forest Ecosystems in Africa
Location, extent and condition; use patterns of upland forests in Africa; land tenure patterns and implications on management and use; role of upland forests in watershed management and in mountain development; status of management; degree and causes of deforestation and forest degradation; efforts to improve management practices; long-term prospects for sustainable management of upland forests.
8) Status, Trends and Future Scenarios for Forest Conservation including Protected Areas in Africa
Analysis of situation, trends and future prospects for nature conservation, with an emphasis on parks and protected area establishment and management; the current and future significance of parks and protected areas in biological diversity conservation and wildlife management; relationship between conservation and development; trends in and lessons from the integrated conservation and development approach and buffer zone management; current status and future prospects for ecotourism.
9) Status, Trends and Future Prospects of Wildlife Resources in Africa
Analysis of situation, trends and future prospects of wildlife resources in Africa; use and management; domestication and commercialisation; national and international trade; traditional and local user rights vs national and international efforts to conserve biological diversity.
10) Status, Trends and Prospects for Forest Plantations in Africa
Situation of forest plantations in Africa (extent, species); trends in plantation establishment and management; economic, environmental and technical factors influencing future development; policy initiatives that support or hinder plantation development (including privatisation, land tenure issues); future prospects for forest plantations; marketing issues; trends and potentials of outgrower schemes.
11) Status, Trends and Prospects of Trees Outside Forests in Africa
Status and trends in the extent, ownership and use of trees and tree resources outside forests (in other wooded lands, trees on agricultural lands, scattered trees in the landscape); economic and environmental roles of trees outside forest, management issues; policy and legal issues and efforts related to development of the resource; future prospects for development.
12) Information Systems for Forest Management in Africa (additional paper)
Status of information collection and analysis, including resource assessment and monitoring; information needs for sustainable forest management; development of sub-national information systems and harmonisation with national information bases; harmonisation of national with sub-regional and regional databases; management of information; information within and between countries; potential impacts of improved information and communication technologies.
13) Fire Management and Wildfire Prevention and Control in Africa (additional paper)
Role of fire in forest management; trends in wildfires (number, intensity and duration); impact of wildfires; country experiences in prevention and control of wildfires; transboundary effects and control of wildfires; potentials for sub-regional collaboration in preventing and controlling fires; information sharing on significance, impact and management of fires.
14) Current and Potential Roles of Forests, Woodlands and Trees in Income Generation, Poverty Alleviation and Rural Development in Africa
Analysis of the role forest ecosystems and trees play in poverty alleviation, food security and the sustainable livelihoods of forest dwellers and forest dependent people in Africa; analysis of gender-related issues in forest and tree management; current situation and future prospects for increasing the social benefits of forests for the poorer and more disadvantaged sectors of the population.
15) Socio-cultural significance of forests in Africa
Importance of forests for human habitats (forest-dweller), burial grounds, sacred groves, etc. and their role in maintenance of cultural values and in environmental conservation; impact of cultural values and beliefs on forestry development.
16) Current and Future Roles of African Forests in Mitigation of Global Climate Change and Opportunities for Forestry Investment Through Carbon Offset Initiatives
Role of African forests in carbon storage and sequestration; implications of the Kyoto Protocol for future investments in forestry (through conservation, afforestation/management, substitution); experiences in carbon investments and trading in Africa to date; relative attractiveness of the land use and forestry sector vs. the energy sector in joint implementation arrangements and the Clean Development Mechanism; prerequisites for carbon investments in forestry; potential benefits and risks for African countries.
17) Role of Forests in Watershed and Water Management in Africa (additional paper)
Relation of forests in Africa to major watersheds; role of forest cover in watershed protection; current and potential impacts of deforestation and forest degradation on water resources in Africa; role of trees in on-site water management (trees in irrigated agricultural lands); current and potential role of forests in wastewater management and disposal.
18) Wood Demand and Supply Situation, Trends and Prospects to 2020: Implications for Wood Products Production, Consumption and Trade by Africa
Analysis of current situation and future prospects for production, consumption and trade of wood products (industrial roundwood, sawnwood, wood-based panels, paper and pulp for paper, including non-wood and recycled fibre in Africa); impact of timber certification and logging bans on forest product trade; impact of regional and global trade agreements on forest products trade.
19) The Role and Future Prospects to 2020 for Woodfuels in the Energy Sector
Quantity and patterns of woodfuel (fuelwood and charcoal) consumption and production (links with gender, income levels, urban/rural dynamics), sources of woodfuels and changes in supply; availability of alternative fuels; impact of fuelwood use patterns on forest and tree cover; future scenarios for woodfuels supply and demand, related also to possible effects of policies related to other energy sources.
20) Status, Trends and Prospects to 2020 for Non-wood Forest Products Production, Consumption and Trade
Analysis of current situation and future prospects for production and consumption of non-wood forest products (main collectors/users; main products in various parts of Africa, major sources (degree of domestication vs. collection from the wild), commercialisation, value-adding and marketing issues, degree of international trade, bioprospecting and intellectual property rights, and future prospects for non-wood forest products development; status of and needs for information and monitoring the resource.
21) Forest Products Industries: Status, Prospects for Technological Developments, and Institutional Arrangements
Status of forest industries (sawmilling, pulp and paper, wood-based panels) - level of development and technological know-how; potentials for increasing processing efficiencies; potentials for increased use of lesser-know species and plantation-grown wood; matching processing capacity and processing location with resource availability; public/private ownership patterns; efforts to encourage investment in forest industries; role of forest industries in employment generation and provision of social services; future prospects for forest industries.
22) Trends, Outlook and Options in Forest Policies and Legislation in Africa
Situation and trends in sectoral planning; potential impact of increased emphasis on national forest programmes; situation and trends in forestry policies; relationship between national policy and international initiatives and conventions related to forestry; trends in forestry legislation; new approaches to policy development; future emphases in forestry policies.
23) Institutional Framework for Forest Administration and Governance in Africa
Situation and trends in forest administration; patterns of resource deployment for the protection and management of forests; indications and reasons for institutional failures in the forestry sector in Africa (i.a.; effect of poor governance and corruption on forest conservation and management; insufficient or inappropriate resource allocation); various institutional structures employed at the national level to implement national forest policies (parastatals, commissions, ministries, etc.); roles and values of the main stakeholder groups and options for overcoming resistance to change; impact of macroeconomic adjustment on forest management; alternative institutional models (e.g., private sector, community-based management), their relations to forest administration and the legal and policy conditions necessary for their effective operation; main elements of a future strategy for development finance institutions in supporting forest institutions in African countries.
24) Situation and Opportunities for Financing Investments in the Forestry Sector
Status and trends (amount and emphases) in investment in the forestry sector by public and private sector; shifts in priorities (e.g., in favour of SFM); amount and shifts in official development assistance in forestry and related to other sectors; linkage between government funding, ODA and private sector investment in forestry sector; current status, trends and prospects of private sector involvement in forestry in Africa; factors contributing to increased private sector investment; complementarity between private and public sector investment; social and environmental aspects of private sector investment; traditional and innovative financing mechanisms for forestry (including improved "rent capture" from production forests; opportunities for carbon offset payments; water taxes for financing watershed protection and reforestation, etc.).
25) Valuation of forest goods and services (additional paper)
Efforts to value fully forest goods and services, particularly the range of environmental services whose values are underestimated; efforts to reflect these in National Accounts; potential means to capture these values.
26) Roles and visions of non-governmental organizations in forestry (additional paper)
The status and trends in non-governmental organizations in Africa (including national advocacy organizations, grassroots community-based organizations, farmers and forestry cooperatives); their capabilities and changing roles vis-à-vis government administrations and the private sector; their visions and expectations related to forests in Africa in 2020.
27) Impact of international conventions and agreements on national forest programmes (additional paper)
The status of ratification of forest-related conventions and agreements (conventions on biological diversity, climate change, and combating desertification, and ITTO) by African nations; the impact (positive and negative) of these conventions on sustainable forest management in African countries; compatibility with national policies; the role of African countries in the debate on a forest instrument.
28) Status, Trends and Future Prospects for Forestry Research and Extension in Africa
Status and trends of forestry research in Africa (investment levels, human resources, institutional arrangements; main research themes; ability of research institutions to respond to emerging issues); potentials and constraints of regional and sub-regional collaboration; international research efforts; ongoing efforts and prospects for strengthening the science and technology base of forestry in Africa; potential impact on new technologies and networking for information exchange and facilitation of collaboration; local/informal innovation and its linkages with formal research; changing role of the private sector in research; role of extension in the spread of new technologies/ practices; current state of extension systems and their responsiveness and efficacy; emerging scenarios and alternative arrangements for extension; new trends in extension approaches; options for adjusting extension structures to meet the emerging needs; future scenarios for research and extension in Africa.
29) Status, Trends and Future Prospects for Forestry Training and Education in Africa
Overall state of forestry training and education (technical and professional) in Africa (number of institutions, number of people annually trained, etc.) and sub-regional variation; adequacy of education facilities; linkage between research and education; needs assessment; response of education system to emerging needs; recent changes in curriculum; emerging areas of importance and the ability of the education system to respond to these; role of the private sector in training; future scenarios for training and education in Africa.
1 data on location and extent to be taken from the baseline paper on land use
2 data on location and extent to be taken from the baseline paper on land use
