Events

Ways Forward in Tropical Forestry - ECTF Workshop, Edinburgh

25th September 1998

A one day workshop. Six talks and discussion sessions were followed by a panel discussion session with all the speakers which produced some lively debate. Summaries of the six talks are below.

1) The Sustainable Rural Livelihoods Approach (DFID rural livelihoods strategy)

Jos Wheatley (DFID)

The 1997 White Paper on International Development commits the government to a series of International Development Goals, the most important of which is to reduce by half the proportion of people living in extreme poverty by 2015. The objectives of the White Paper reflect the economic, social and environmental pillars of sustainable development. These objectives are: 

• policies and actions which promote sustainable livelihoods 
• better education, health and opportunities for poor people 
• protection and better management of the natural and physical environment 

As some 70% of the population in developing countries live in rural areas, and poverty remains a predominantly rural phenomenon, the focus on rural poverty will remain a central DFID theme.

DFID is responding to the focus on poverty by developing a sustainable rural livelihoods (SRL) approach which encompasses the multi-sectoral complexities of poverty and seeks to empower the rural poor to participate in and determine the priorities for development. This approach requires new analytical processes, presents some new challenges for programme development and has implications for DFID's structure and skills base.

The SRL analytical framework aims to enable an holistic and inclusive assessment of the range of livelihood opportunities, constraints and options affecting the rural poor. The principal components of the framework include assessments of the assets, physical and socio-economic, available to the poor; the process and structures through which these assets are controlled; and the institutional and organisational structures, governmental, NGO and civil, which mediate the processes of change. This framework is people, rather than resource centred, and aims to identify local strengths as well as needs. 

Preliminary analyses of case studies assessed with the SRL lens suggest that DFID can contribute effectively in building up the asset base of the poor and ensuring that the structures and processes which define options are inclusive of the poor. On this basis DFID has drawn up provisional objectives for SRL to promote: 

• more secure access to and better management of natural resources 
• more supportive and cohesive social environment 
• more secure access to financial resources 
• improved access to education, and technologies and better nutrition and health 
• better access to facilitating infrastructure 
• policy and institutional environment which supports multiple livelihood strategies and promotes equitable access to competitive markets for all. 

While this is a broad agenda, the SRL approach does not necessarily imply interventions which aim to address all objectives concurrently; but rather to identify and address critical entry points. The approach recognises and demands a range of interventions at local, community and sectoral, government levels. 

The development of the SRL approach is itself an iterative process. The approach must be tested and developed in the field, and the necessary structures and skills must be developed to facilitate effective SRL interventions. 

2) Trends in Forestry for the New Millennium: A recipe for sustainability or disaster?

Dr Steve Howard, Worldwide Fund for Nature

For decades the destruction of the world's forests has been recognised as one of the biggest environmental problems of the twentieth century. Unfortunately as we reach the end of the century forests are increasingly threatened - in 1996 the Brazilian Space Agency revealed that the rate of deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon has increased by more than one third since 1992, with illegal logging accounting for as much as 80% of the 60 million cubic metres cut. The Philippine has switched from being a net timber exporter to an importer, with its forests mostly reduced to fragments, Thailand has been forced to impose a complete logging ban and the debate over industrial logging practices in old-growth forests continues to rage from British Columbia to Norway. A recent study by WWF and the World Conservation Monitoring Centre estimated that nearly two thirds of the Worlds forests have already disappeared.

Research for the WWF publication "Bad Harvest" compared the location of timber trade operations with areas of biological richness and primary forests, and concluded that "the timber trade is currently the most important cause of forest degradation around the world." However, no one would hold the forest products industry responsible for all deforestation and forest degradation. Plantations of cash export crops such as tea, coffee, tobacco, oil palm and pineapples frequently replace forests or take up the best agricultural land. The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation has estimated that an additional 90 million hectares, an area nearly four times the size of Britain, will be needed for cropland by 2010. Half of this is currently forest. Oil exploration and mineral extraction continue to have a substantial impact on forests, as do the huge energy demands of aluminium processing which can result in extensive forest clearance for fuel. Although some practices are improving, short term economic needs often still take precedent over environmental and social issues. Unfortunately certain elements of the forest products industry continue to use the many conflicting demands on forest resources as an opportunity to pass the buck, blaming everything from fuelwood to population growth for forest destruction. The recent forest fires in Indonesia with more than a million hectares burnt to clear land for oil palm and pulp plantations, has brought forest issues to the public eye. This was not the result of shifting cultivation, but the direct consequence of irresponsible industrial practice.  

So what are the major trends? Softwood and hardwood production from native forests and plantations increased by 28 and 54% between 1966 and 1988, and by 1990 the global production of round-wood had reached 3.43 billion cubic metres per year. World paper consumption has increased more dramatically than timber - fivefold since the 1950s, reaching 243 million tonnes by 1991, and paper consumption is set to double again over the next fifty years. Against this background of increasing demand there are two developments occurring simultaneously, the growth of forest certification and the expansion of international logging companies into the last large areas of natural forest in Central and West Africa, Latin America and the Russian Federation. 

Certification is growing. In the UK the WWF 1995+ Group has 82 members (according to a report by Delphi International the Group is likely to reach 250 members within 2-3 years) with a turnover in wood products of more than £3 billion and from DIY stores to High Street retailers they have committed themselves to their wood and wood products from Forest Stewardship Council certified sources. The UK imports 85% of its wood products, and the 1995+ Group import from 68 countries. There are now approximately five million hectares of FSC certified forests (set to double by mid-1998), from Bolivia to Sweden with sufficient products to permit an FSC trade fair in London next January. Buyers Groups such as the 1995+ Group, have now been formed in The Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, North America and are in the process of forming in several other countries. However, the race is on, with the expansion of poor practice currently exceeding the growth of good practice. Timber mining by some of the ILCs is in nobodies best interest, except the companies themselves, but poor planning and regulation, international debt burdens and an absence of corporate ethics are driving the stripping of forest resources at an unprecedented rate. 

The ingredients are all there. Dramatic increases in responsible consumers and companies, accessible certification systems with broad support such as the FSC, and the last grab of the timber barons. The challenge lies with the forest products industry, is this is a recipe for sustainability or disaster. Environmental organisations are frequently accused of scaremongering, but it is no exaggeration to say that we are the generation that will have more impact on the natural resources of our planet then any generation past or future. Will we except this responsibility or shirk it?

3) Agroforestry: Increasing the Emphasis on Timber and Non-timber Forest Products

Dr. R.R.B. Leakey, Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, Bush Estate, Penicuik, Midlothian, Scotland EH26 0QB

There are many well recognized agroforestry systems practiced worldwide, but research effort has concentrated on the more agronomic practices, which are mostly associated with the improvement of soil fertility, notably alley cropping/hedgerow intercropping. 

In its Medium Term Plan 1998-2000, ICRAF has shifted from this focus towards larger, longer-lived trees that can generate cash earnings for farmers, with programmes to:

• develop sustainable 'Alternatives to Slash and Burn Agriculture' based on perennial crops and,
• domesticate a range of priority species for timber and non-timber forest products.

In Indonesia, the indigenous damar agroforests are an example of an economically, socially and environmentally attractive alternative to slash-and-burn agriculture that is now being studied for its potential as a model for other areas in the tropics. In the humid lowlands of West Africa, the approach being followed is to introduce indigenous fruits into the cocoa farms and crop fields, while in Amazonia some timber trees, including Mahogany, are being tested in agroforestry mixtures. Timber trees are also becoming a feature of farmland in the East African Highlands. This diversification of farming with tree species provides alternative sources of income, while creating amore permanent landuse that can fulfil the same functions as a natural fallow. It also serves as an incentive to farmers to practice more sustainable land and resource management. The best examples of these 'agroforests' have clearly expanded both in area and in their economic importance in recent years. They have also been shown to have environmental benefits, such as maintenance of biological diversity, carbon sequestration and as sinks for greenhouse gases.

To promote this diversification into tree crops, domestication programmes have been started for indigenous trees producing edible fruits, medicinal products, and animal fodder, in six of the major ecoregions of the tropics. These programmes have identified the priority species of local farmers, established living genebanks, and initiated genetic selection of potential future cultivars, based on a knowledge of genetic diversity and identified ideotypes. This is running in parallel with a programme of germplasm collection and multiplication at the village/community level, and studies to assess the socio-economic benefits from, and constraints to, the wider cultivation of the selected species. 

This bringing together of the social, economic and environmental benefits from trees, in a way that is acceptable to small-scale subsistence farmers, offers an important development for poverty alleviation with simultaneous environmental benefits.  

4) Implications of the Kyoto Protocol

Prof. Paul Jarvis, University of Edinburgh

The aim of this talk is to bring to the attention of people working in forests and with forest business and forest management the main aspects of the Kyoto Protocol that may concern them. The Kyoto Protocol initiates a process that is likely to continue for many years and to have a significant impact on the way in which we manage forests in the tropics and elsewhere in the world. 

The talk will address a number of questions covering the origin of the Kyoto Protocol, the problems that it addresses, the communities to which it applies, the agreement that was reached, the way in which forests are implicated, how we measure stocks and fluxes of greenhouse gasses and the results achieved, and in more general terms the carbon sequestration capacity of forests. Attention will focus particularly on the current limitation of the Kyoto Protocol to the so-called 'Kyoto forests' that comprise those forests created or destroyed since 1990 through afforestation, reforestation, and deforestation. 

There will be a major emphasis on the complete carbon budget of stands of trees using new methods of measurement, the carbon budgets of forests as a whole and of regions. The role and limitation of stock taking as a means of detecting changes in the stock of carbon present will be discussed and particular attention will be paid to the estimation of changes of the stock of carbon in the soil, a major reservoir of carbon in forests world-wide. 

Some limitations of the Protocol, as presently constituted, will be discussed and how the Protocol may develop as a result of meetings in progress and the forthcoming major follow-up meeting will be addressed. The Kyoto Protocol is an instrument of governments but industry and business is developing its own agenda: the likely consequences of independent action through the buying and selling of carbon offsets will also be discussed. 

Finally, the challenge of managing forests to conserve carbon will be raised. Carbon management may be a new challenge for forest science and for forest practice. 

5) Biomass for Energy

James Sowerby, Shell International Renewables Limited

In October 1997, Shell (The Royal Dutch/Shell Group) launched Shell International Renewables Limited as its 5th core business. $500 million has been budgeted for its activities over a 5-year timeframe. Shell Renewables is based in London, and has operating companies and representatives around the world. Currently, its interests include plantation forestry and three forms of renewable energy: biomass, PV and wind power.

Shell Renewables was created as a response to a perceived growing need for the development of non-fossil fuel based energy sources. This can be justified by the '50:50 Vision', in which Shell foresees up to 50% of the world's primary energy needs supplied through renewable sources of energy by the year 2050. It is predicted that renewables will become a major energy supplier from 2020 onwards. 

Biomass energy systems involve the conversion of organic matter into a form which can then be utilized, most commonly for heat or power. In order to become a major contributor to the production of energy from biomass, Shell Renewables will build on its existing expertise and experience in Forestry, while supporting the development of recognised energy conversion processes. These two components will be integrated into an environmentally acceptable and commercially viable means of energy production. 

The challenge for the Biomass section of Shell Renewables will consist of the following:

• Identify markets 
• Develop appropriate feedstock production systems 
• Utilise appropriate technology 

Biomass energy systems operate at a number of scales, all of which Shell Renewables wishes to examine. It is to be expected that, as in the historical development of energy use, that certain technologies will be more successful, while others will not be widely adopted.  

With reference to the upstream side of these systems, Shell Renewables will aim to develop dedicated wood feedstock production systems, building on the experience gained during the establishment of plantations in 3 continents, and utilising its in-house R&D technology. The aim will be to cut wood feedstock costs, so heightening the competitiveness of biomass as a viable alternative source of energy to existing sources. Research may need to follow different paths than traditional wood and tree improvement programmes. In addition, opportunities for utilisation of residual or waste wood, where appropriate, will be examined and followed.  The design and implementation of appropriate feedstock production systems will concentrate in the following areas: harvesting, storage and processing; silviculture; management; and genetic improvement. It is certain that the application of biomass forestry and energy systems at different scales, for a variety of users, and in different geographical locations, will require flexibility in the prioritisation of these components.

In the commercial sense, biomass energy projects are still relatively high risk. Moreover, consideration must be taken of significant environmental and socio-economic implications inherent in the introduction of and/or change to this form of renewable energy.  

It is predicted that biomass will become an increasingly viable form of energy. Undoubtedly, however, biomass will face increasing competition from alternative sources of energy, not least other renewables. With this in mind it is hoped that biomass energy can become a point of focus for the many interested parties, in particular foresters, who can contribute to its development, and so produce the consequent benefits which this form of energy confers to its consumers, and society in general.

6) Synergy Between Local Livelihood and Global Biodiversity Objectives: Issues around tree-cultivation by small farmers

Anna Lawrence, Agricultural Extension and Rural Development Department, University of Reading, Whiteknights Road, Reading, RG6 6AL, UK

The paper reviews research in the Philippines and elsewhere to suggest policy and research directions which would encourage greater diversity of tree cultivation by small farmers. The IUCN has called for recognition of the high value of traditional agro-ecosystems in contributing to biodiversity conservation. The paper proposes some realism in asking what is being conserved, and in what way is it valuable, as well as a shift from the focus on 'traditional' agro-ecosystems to look at changing farming systems in areas of expansion on the forest margin. A third development from the IUCN focus is to ask what are the implications of tree-planting, as tree management moves away from the forest and on to farms.

Farmers are growing increasing numbers of trees in response to decreased supply from the forest, and increased market demand. Biodiversity policy and legislation often concentrates on protecting remaining resources, not on potential for conservation through use. To explore the potential contribution of on-farm cultivation to genetic diversity at local, national and global scales, we need to be much more explicit about the values of different species according to different criteria for different people. Work by ecologists in other countries suggests criteria for genetic importance related to ecological characteristics and scarcity; often the same criteria make it difficult for farmers to cultivate these species, indicating that it may be somewhat optimistic to assume that farmers can take responsibility for conserving biodiversity of global significance. Nevertheless, species grown on farms include endemics and quality timber trees threatened by over-harvesting, clearly making a contribution to biodiversity conservation at a national level. 

However government policy in the Philippines undermines farmers' interest in growing native species, through a focus on implementing harvesting restrictions. This contributes to a widespread distrust of foresters, and a belief that it is either forbidden or too complicated to grow native species. Local timber markets support this misapprehension by refusing to admit that they buy and sell native timbers even where legally produced on farm. Reforestation strategies have been driven by ambitious achievement targets which have led foresters to focus on quantity not quality of planting, therefore encourage the use of fast-growing exotics. Tenure insecurity is strongly linked with low on-farm diversity. Finally, foresters feel a need to educate farmers and are not aware of the diversity of species grown on farms. Key policy changes could create an enabling environment for farmers to grow and market native species.

Copyright © 2005 ECTF.