THINKING beyond the canopy

Opportunities and obstacles for smallholder and community Forestry in the MAP region

byPeter Cronkleton

Amy DuchelleRosa Cossio

Taking stock of smallholder and community forestry

March 24, 2010 Montpellier, France

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Objective: Compare smallholder and community forestry in MAP region

How reforms and initiatives opened opportunity?What outcomes resulted from these changes?

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Juncture of international boundaries between Peru, Brazil and Bolivia• Madre de Deus ,Peru• Acre, Brazil• Pando, Bolivia

The MAP REGION

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MAP: historical linkage and divergence

Initially settled in late 19th century during rubber boom

Early 20th century

• National boarders defined

• International price of rubber collapsed

Region marginalized, stagnant economy, boom-bust cycles

Rural workforce formed communities and developed diversified forest-based livelihoods

Late 20th century - transportation corridors makes region accessible

• Frontier change

• Promotion of CFM

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Madre de Dios, Peru

8.5 million ha Population 109,555 4.7 million ha of protected

rainforest ecosystems 2.5 million ha permanent

production forestsExtractive economy Logging employs 65% of the

economically active population

22 to 30% of population derive income directly or indirectly from the Brazil nut trade (FAO 2005)

Alluvial gold mining major economic activity

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Forestry and Wildlife Law (N°27308) of 2000

Mechanisms to grant use/management rights to smallholders and communities

forest concessions (40 years) permits and authorizations (variable

duration) All commercial use requires approved

management plan and payment of harvest fee

Photos: Cossio 2009

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Forestry and Wildlife Law (N°27308) of 2000

Timber concessions intended for small and medium scale loggers

• Form associations (Small and Medium Forest Enterprises: SMFEs)

• Concession contracts awarded through licitation process

• 2002-2003: 1,311,705 ha granted as forest concessions to 73 SMFEs

• Rights are transferable leading to some concentration by large industries

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Forestry and Wildlife Law (N°27308) of 2000

NTFP concessions

• 982 contracts for Brazil nut concessions

• area under Brazil nut management is 1,200,000 ha

• 2004 resolution authorized harvesting up to 5 m3/ha of timber in brazil nut concessions

Logging permits for Indigenous communities and smallholders: 2002-2007

• 4 indigenous permits for 31,801 ha

• 1640 smallholder permits for 154,318 ha

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Results in Madre de Dios Forest concession system,

• created a large sector of private SMFEs,

• lacks adequate state resources for sufficient oversight to ensure legal forest management;

NGO support proved crucial for the implementation of the forest concession system, but. . .

• assistance constituted a patchwork with little coordination, shifting in priorities and poor collaboration

• limited capacity failed to manage realistic expectations NGO assistance tended to be very short-term instead of sustained

support over time; SMFEs capacity variable, generally inadequate for sustainable

forest management (Cossio 2009)

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Acre, Brazil 16.4 million hectares Population 669,736 (46% in Rio Branco) Birthplace of Brazil’s rubber tapper movement to defend

forest property and livelihoods of regions rural people 41% of state is property controlled rubber tappers,

indigenous people and smallholders

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Key programs and reforms

1992 Program for the Conservation of the Brazilian Rainforest (PPG7), • funding early CFM pilot programs in

Amazon 1998 Simplified Forest Management

Plans (PMFSimples) • introduced for community project up

to 500 hectares 1998 ‘Forest Government’ elected,

• institutes pro-forest community policies (Chico Mendes Law, NTFP and integrated management, cooperatives)

2006 Decentralization of authorization to state level IBAMA office and delegation to IMAC

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Timber management

Initially much debate about role of timber management

Implementation accelerated after 2006

Currently 18 community forestry projects approved or pending approval

Area under community management 32,525 ha

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Results in Acre

Most proactive policy to promote timber management

Conversely smallest area under community management plans

Although tenure relatively secure, tenure insecurity seen as key bottle neck

Bureaucracy another constraint to local management

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Pando, Bolivia

Characteristics 63,827 km2 52,525 inhabitants Over 95% forest

cover Historic dependence

on NTFP extraction

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Economy Based on extraction of Brazil Nut

(Bertholletia excelsa)

Export loans and improved access led to investments in processing industry starting in late 80s

Bolivia major source of world’s Brazil nuts

Bolivia’s #1 forest export (USD 74 M in 2005)

80 % originate in Pando

Until 2004 most producers relied on customary property rights

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Bolivia’s 1996 Tenure and Forestry Reform

Tenure Reform Law (Ley INRA): redistribution based on technical and legal

groundsNew Forestry Law: promote sustainable management democratize access to commercial benefits

For communities emphasized:• communal property rights (inalienable,

indivisible, non-reversible, collective, and non-mortgageable and tax-exempt)

Modified to recognize agro-extractive communities• 500 hectares per family • Titled at community level• Accommodates customary tree tenure

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Advances in tenure reform

Agro-extractive communities

159 communities 2,002,436 hectares titled

Indigenous territories (TCOs)

2 TCOs 432,899 titled

0 90 Kilometers

N

EW

S

Legend:

RoadsAgro-extractive communitiesMunicipal boundary

Graphic Scale

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Results in Pando

Emphasized timber management Between 2002 to 2008, 28 forest

management plans approved in agroextractive and TCOs.

A total of 342,807 ha of forest under management

Difficult for communities to meet requirements without assistance

23 of plans assisted by logging companies attempting to gain access to community forests

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Conclusions Region dominated by livelihoods based on community

forestry prior to reforms

Emphasis of policies and programs was introduction of timber management not NTFPs

Timber management projects based on externally introduced strategies

Relatively small percentage of rural population has benefited from forest management opportunities offered by reforms and projects

Those communities that did benefit were heavily dependent on external assistance from NGOs or others

Response of state agencies to community needs weak, insufficient or contradictory

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