Financiación

The present project proposal is a follow up of the project PD 57/99 Rev.2 (F) “Sustainable Management of Production Forests at the Commercial Scale in the Brazilian Amazon – Phase I” with the final objective to encourage the adoption of good forest management practices by timber enterprises in the Brazilian Amazon. In its first phase, the project developed and validated, in collaboration with two timber enterprises, a set of silvicultural and managerial tools to support enterprises working in terra firme forests of the Brazilian Amazon in planning, implementing and monitoring its operations to achieve sustained financial benefits under current and foreseeable environmental and social conditions. The here presented second phase of this project focus on the transfer of these tools to timber enterprises in the Amazon. In particular, the project will consolidate the tools for Sustainable Forest Management - SFM developed in the first phase, build capacity of training centres and universities of the Amazon region to transfer the SFM tools to timber enterprises and government environmental agencies responsible for forest management, evaluate the direct and indirect impacts of transferring the SFM tools to timber enterprises, and disseminate project achievements and products to a large audience of relevant stakeholders.

The project-executing agency is the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation, Eastern Amazon Embrapa. The Ministry of Environment - MMA through the Brazilian Institute for Environment and Natural Renewable Resources – IBAMA - and its Forest Management National Support Centre – CENAFLOR, the Brazilian National Forestry Programme - PNF, and the Brazilian Forest Service - SFB will be main partner institutions in this Project, together with Tropical Forest Institute - IFT. The Ministry of Environment - MMA through SFB who is in charge of managing Public Forests in Brazil is presently establishing the first forest concessions in the country. The Brazilian Amazon is the key region to start the process. The concessionaires are required by contract to apply good management practices in the forest. The application of those practices will be monitored by IBAMA and by SFB. Thus training in the use of the forest management tools developed by the project in its first phase by the concessionaires is of utmost importance. To accomplish this goal, CENAFLOR will play an important role regarding the support to train the concessionaires in applying the tools. The Centre for International Forestry Research - CIFOR and the University of Freiburg (ALU-FR) will collaborate with institutional support. In addition, a number of governmental and non-governmental institutions in the region will participate or benefit from the project.

The remote and isolated 35,400ha Sungai Medihit Watershed in UluLimbang Division, Sarawak, MALAYSIA is home to two ethnic communities, Kelabit and Penan, who subsist in a state of poverty on shifting agriculture and resources collected from the increasingly disturbed surrounding forests. The project is designed to promote the sustainable forest management in Sungai Medihit watershed area by building the capacity of the community, demonstrating innovative operational model and establishing new governance mechanism on community development. Specifically the project will promote the sustainable forest management by rational planning, technique innovation and mechanism design; enhance the capacity of the community on forest management and livelihood development to contribute sustainable development of local communities; and better the living conditions by renovating the community service infrastructure.

The benefits of the project will flow as stakeholders continue their initiatives and use the Stakeholder Forum and process developed by the Project to continue to meet to synergize over new initiatives for innovative resource conservation and management. The community livelihood activities include: 1) demonstrating the small livestock raising project to ease the threat of hunting to wildlife; 2) demonstrating the household vegetable cropping to tackle the shortage supply of the vegetables; and 3) demonstrating the innovative cultivation approaches to generate the economic benefit flow for the community. Sarawak State Government departments and agencies will benefit by gaining a model process for stakeholder consultations for strategy development and model strategies that can be applied in other areas in Sarawak.

The utilization of cempaka wood, indigenous and local species trees in North Sulawesi, has increased with a high demand for local wood production materials such as traditional house (Woloan), ships, traditional music tools and other house hold tools. The demand of Woloan as traditional house is increasing around 60% in the 2011. In recent years, cempaka wood supply from natural forest is declining. The unbalance between supply and demand for cempaka wood may result in unsustainable utilization of cempaka resource in North Sulawesi. The alternative solution is to promote the development of cempaka plantations which currently are very limited in extent. The development objective of the proposed project is to contribute to the conservation of cempaka species that are the icon species of North Sulawesi. Its specific objective is to develop the conservation and plantations of cempaka with the involvement of local communities in North Sulawesi.

Strategic actions will include: technical guidance for development of community cempaka plantations for sustainable cempaka species; development of nurseries and community cempaka plantations; establishing a stakeholder forum on cempaka plantations; and policy development for cempaka plantations and sustainable management. The expected outputs are: (i) capacity of local communities in cempaka plantation development enhanced, (ii) participation of local communities in cempaka plantation development increased, and (iii) government policy on the conservation and utilization of cempaka species reviewed and strengthened.

This small project stems from project PD 583/10 Rev.1 (F), which was implemented to assess the feasibility of restoring arid or sub-humid ecosystems in the southern coastal region of Peru and which has proven to be highly beneficial from an environmental and socioeconomic viewpoint after reforesting 75 hectares with Caesalpinea spinosa in eriaza (waste) lands that previously had no economic or environmental value.

As a result of that project phase, it has been possible to develop a new flora and fauna ecosystem of considerable significance and the future outlook of nearly one million hectares in this Peruvian coastal ecosystem has been improved by contributing not only to the socioeconomic development of the region but also to carbon sequestration, increasing CO2 storage levels from 0 to an average 8-10 Mt/ha/year. This is fully consistent with the concepts and strategies of climate change mitigation and rehabilitation of degraded forest lands.

This project will be implemented in the Department of Arequipa, Province of Camaná, in Southern Peru. Given its ecological, environmental and socioeconomic conditions, this region is highly significant and representative of tropical semi-arid or sub-humid areas in Peru, where social, economic and environmental alternatives need to be adjusted to the shortage of water for both irrigation and human consumption, so as to generate economic income to help improve the living standards of the rural population. The specific objective of the project is to develop guidelines for SFM and agroforestry systems with a view to the rehabilitation of degraded lands in the Peruvian coastal region and develop a technological package that can be used for reforestation with Caesalpinea spinosa and agroforestry systems.

The following outcomes are expected to be produced by the end of the project: i) Consolidation of technical experiences in the management and competitive production of Tara in the southern coastal region of Peru through a high productivity module; ii) Development of a technological package for the management of Tara and associated agroforestry systems; and iii) Guidelines for SFM in Tara plantations and rehabilitation of degraded and eriaza lands to be applied throughout the coastal region of Peru.

The Ahua Forest Reserve has deteriorated sharply due mainly to land clearing for the establishment of crops, illegal logging to meet the needs for fuel wood (charcoal and firewood). Therefore, this trend has to be reversed in order to put a stop to the degradation of this forest reserve by engaging in rehabilitation activities involving agroforestry practices, which will be initiated with women members of the MALEBI Association.

Thus, the MALEBI Association developed the idea to prepare this project for its women members; so that these women must shift from the status of persons consuming raw wood (for charcoal production), to the status of persons contributing to raise the level of forest resources through rehabilitation activities on the Ahua Forest Reserve. These project pilot rehabilitation activities, to be conducted by the Women's Association MALEBI, are to set an example for the local communities surrounding the Ahua Forest Reserve.

The project will contribute to increase the forest cover of the Ahua Forest Reserve (AFR) through the involvement of local communities surrounding the AFR. The project specifically aims at implementing the gradual rehabilitation of the Ahua Forest Reserve with women members of the MALEBI Association, in order to compensate for the wood they remove and use to produce charcoal.

The two outputs expected from the implementation of this project are the following:

• One production and distribution structure for quality seeds and seedlings is operational; and
• The 100-ha agroforestry plantation of Cassia siamea, Tectona grandis and Triplochiton scleroxylon, mixed with food crops (rice, maize, yams and cassava) is established.

Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+) has great potential for reducing emissions and achieving sustainable forest management but it is a relatively new concept in Cambodia. REDD+ project development activities in Cambodia initiated in 2008 are increasingly important for the achievement of SFM in the country. The project aims to advance the REDD+ program in Cambodia by building on the experiences of those on-going REDD+ activities to standardize the procedures to meet, in an efficient and effective manner, the technical specifications of REDD+ jurisdictional standards to reduce the drivers of deforestation and forest degradation in the Tomring Forest in Kampong Thom province. The project also seeks to provide appropriate incentives to reduce dependence on the unsustainable use of forest resources to local communities, especially those participating in community forestry management activities in the Tomring Forest and provide REDD+ implementation training to strengthen the capacity of government officials and community members who are expected to assume increasingly important roles in efforts to reduce the drivers of deforestation and forest degradation.

The project site in the Tomring Forest is expected to be considered for validation and verification under the Climate, Community, and Biodiversity Alliance (CCBA) and Verified Carbon Standards (VCS) using the innovative jurisdictional and nested REDD+ (JNR) approach. Outputs at the close of the project include: (1) awareness of carbon emissions and mitigation and adaptation measures will have been enhanced; (2) control of the drivers of deforestation and forest degradation in Kampong Thom province will have been strengthened; and (3) institutional capabilities to implement REDD+ initiatives will have been increased.

The implementation of forest incentive programs in Guatemala has given rise to production initiatives by community groups based on goods and services derived from forests and/or forest plantations. Community enterprises are usually established through local non-profit social development projects and their most common weakness is a lack of capacity for effective production and marketing of forest products.

In this context, there is a clear need to strengthen the business management capacity of these community groups through the provision of technical assistance to develop their business profiles and identify sources of financial support as well as training on markets, product design, marketing and sales, and access to the formal sector to enable them to address new markets and expand their production.

To this end, the implementation of a pilot project is proposed to: help build local business management capacities through INAB’s trade liaison officers; provide guidance to community groups in the identification, establishment and promotion of forest enterprises; and support the training of these groups in production, administration, accounting, legal and business issues and product design, while providing them with technical assistance to facilitate their access to financing sources.

The development objective of the project is to “Contribute to poverty alleviation and local development by strengthening community enterprises involved in the production and marketing of timber and non-timber products and environmental services”.

Its specific objective is to “Improve local business management capacities to develop and manage forest MSMEs”.

The western part of Côte d'Ivoire was the scene of violent clashes during the successive crises of 2002-2011. This area took a heavy toll during the warfare, which has generated many internally and externally displaced populations (to Liberia and Ghana) and led to the establishment of refugee camps in the towns of Duékoué and Guiglo. To flee warfare areas, some communities settled in the reserve forests destroying the existing natural resource bases and assets.

The Duékoué and Scio forests (52,675 ha and 88,000 ha respectively) were not spared – they were literally plundered with local communities, displaced persons and refugees engaging in uncontrolled logging and wood harvesting. Therefore, it has become urgent to take steps for the recovery of all lost forest assets through the involvement of local communities (displaced and /or refugees).

To achieve this goal, the project will include the rehabilitation of 2,000 ha of forest land through the establishment of taungya agroforestry plantations, with the involvement of local populations (displaced persons and refugees), the production and dissemination of high quality seeds and seedlings to local communities, the subcontracting of forest rehabilitation work with local communities and distribution of processing equipment for the marketing of food products to improve the living conditions of these communities.

Mangrove forests constitute one of the most vulnerable ecosystems to climate change, while at the same time they are one of the ecosystems that can sequester and store the highest volumes of carbon, and while the National System for Natural Protected Areas (SINANPE) has contributed to the sustainability of this ecosystem by establishing the National Sanctuary of Tumbes Mangroves (Santuario Nacional de los Manglares de Tumbes – SNLMT), there is an insufficient number of participatory mechanisms for the overall conservation of mangrove forest ecosystems in the Piura and Tumbes regions. This in turn leads to low living standards for the communities living in mangrove ecosystem areas and to the loss of biodiversity.

In order to address this situation, this proposal envisages improving the standard of living of the population in mangrove ecosystem areas in the regions of Tumbes and Piura. More specifically, it will increase the number of participatory mechanisms for mangrove forest protection and conservation in the regions of Tumbes and Piura through the: 1) Adequate use of legal powers by regional and local governments for the conservation of mangrove forests; 2) Improved level of forest administration and management so as to preserve mangrove ecosystems; and 3) Financial sustainability strategies for mangrove forests developed and under implementation.

The main project outcomes that are expected to be achieved upon project completion are: (i) The management capacity for the conservation of mangrove forests in two (2) regional governments and two (2) municipalities will have been strengthened; (ii) three (3) protected areas will have been established: the Mangrove /Dry Forest Biological Corridor, the San Pedro de Vice Mangrove Forest and the New Vichayal Mangrove Forest; (iii) the management efficiency of the National Sanctuary of Tumbes Mangroves (SNLMT) will have been improved; (iv) the appropriate use of resources (forest and hydrobiological resources) in mangrove forests will have been promoted through the implementation of 10 sub-projects for sustainable economic activities, and (v) two (2) financial mechanisms will have been promoted so as to contribute to the sustainability of mangrove forests.

This project proposal is aimed at following up one of the outputs of ITTO-financed project PD 405/06 Rev.3 (F): “Extending the area under sustainable forest management in the forest lands of the Emberá-Wounaan Comarca, Darien, Panama”, which characterized and described institutional, administrative and socioeconomic factors promoting illegal logging in the region of Darien and, as a result, produced a framework document on guidelines and strategies requiring immediate institutional action to counteract incremental forest degradation, which leads to illegal logging related practices and other unsustainable activities.

Thus, the main aim of this project proposal is to support the implementation of the Strategy for Illegal Logging Prevention and Control, as the problem of illegal logging has become out of control. Its negative effects not only hinder any forest land management initiatives through unfair price competition and non-payment of stumpage fees but, most importantly, lead to a drastic reduction of the forest cover and continued loss of biodiversity in the country, including in the Darien National Park and other protected areas.

Expected project outcomes at the macro level are: (i) Establishment of an institutional and governance framework for illegal logging prevention and control based on a cross-sectoral agreement and the adjustment of harvesting permits to the size of forest management units (FMU), the allocation of technical and legal responsibilities to forest professionals (forest regency system) and the revision of harvesting standards by local governments (Comarcas and Municipalities); (ii) Incorporation of an efficient timber flow monitoring and control mechanism, including: a) origin and legality; b) rotational forest permit verification systems; c) checking of timber volumes both at processing centers and transport points; d) development of software for production and transport control; and e) establishment of a traceability and chain of custody system; (iii) Development of a proposal on financial mechanisms to promote responsible forest management and trade in the natural forests of Panama by: a) exploring various incentive mechanisms; and b) promoting responsible purchasing policies as an incentive for stakeholders involved in sustainable forest management practices; (iv) Development of a responsible purchasing campaign so as to raise awareness on the administrative and institutional provisions of the Strategy and promote the certificate of origin “Darién Responsable” (Responsible Darien) for timber products and by-products from forests under good management practices in the region of Darien.

The PNG Forestry Authority (FA) currently is implementing 5 REDD+ demonstration activities and has undertaken a variety of initiatives to fully promote the concept of REDD+, including reviewing provincial forest plans, undertaking internal restructuring and launching new policy initiatives. However, there is an increasing need for more consultation in the design of the national REDD+ strategy and related policy and guidelines. Strengthening the governance has been recognized as an important challenge to ensure the effective design and implementation of REDD+ with support across departments and broad stakeholder support towards REDD+ performance-based payments.

In light of the need to strengthen the governance of REDD+ in PNG, the development objective of the proposed project is to contribute to good governance of REDD+ in the country so as to facilitate the achievement of climate change mitigation and national development goals through the sustainable management and enhancement of forest resources. Specifically, the project aims to develop a voluntary standard for REDD+ quality-of-governance, which can strengthen governance by guiding and evaluating REDD+ structures and processes at national and sub-national levels. The REDD+ quality-of-governance standard will be developed through a multi-stakeholder process that involves an online survey, face-to-face interviews with key stakeholders, a multi-stakeholder forum workshop, and field-testing at demonstration sites. The project will also analyze the process and outcomes of the research and determine the feasibility of applying such standards regionally and internationally.

The coastal and mangrove wetlands in the Rewa Delta (35,238 ha), Fiji, is undoubtedly a source of important resources for local communities in the area for both marine and terrestrial resources but more importantly, safeguards the entire coastal ecosystem that supports riparian flat lands. However, these wetlands have been affected by social and economic pressures without any specific policy aligned to a single Government Agency. Excessive resources extraction has resulted in reduction in vegetation area and critical habitat loss as well as declining sustainable livelihood opportunities.

The development objective of the project is to contribute to sustainable management of coastal and mangrove wetlands in the Rewa Delta while improving the livelihoods of local communities. Specifically, the project proposes the restoration and management of at least 3,381 hectares as demonstration site; training of 17 communities involved in awareness creation on the importance of wetlands, and development of alternative livelihood options to reduce overdependence on the coastal and mangrove wetland vegetation. The target community lies within the Tikina of Bau, Tailevu; a densely populated area in the Rewa Delta. Expected outputs of the project include the collation of key issues on coastal and mangrove wetlands and the formulation of relevant policy framework. In addition, it is expected that communities will adopt alternative livelihoods that will reduce pressure from overutilization of coastal and mangrove wetland resources; and by the end of the project at least 500 ha of the degraded area in the selected demonstration site would be rehabilitated with appropriate coastal tree species to support ecosystem services and human wellbeing in the long term.

Sumatra is one largest island in Indonesia which has abundant biological diversity, including indigenous plant species. Some of the high-value indigenous species are Sumatran yew (Taxus sumatrana), Sumatran merbau (Intsia palembanica), lesser-known non-timber forest products (NTFPs) producing species. However, overexploitation, encroachment, and illegal activities have made such high-value species threatened to extinction. High commercially valuable timber species such as Sumatran merbau, kulim, andalas, and giam have been excessively and illegally logged for last several decades. Lesser-known NTFPs producing species have also been illegally logged for collection. Whereas, endemic and relatively limited distribution and small population size (T. sumatrana) has been threatened by habitat encroachment, population disruption and illegal logging.

The overall objective of this project is to contribute to the sustainable management of high-valued indigenous species of Sumatra. The specific objective of the project is to enhance the achieving of conservation goal through revitalization of the existing conservation program, harvest control systems, and regeneration. The expected outputs are: (1) The conservation of selected high-value indigenous species accelerated, (2) The harvest control of those species promoted, and (3) Regeneration capacity of those species improved. Primary beneficiaries of the project are local communities, local governments, Directorate of Biodiversity Conservation (MoF), Ministry of Environment, BAPPENAS, and Indonesian Institute of Science (LIPI). The benefits range from updated data and information on distribution, the conservation status and protection (conservation), and regeneration for selected high-value indigenous species. This proposed project will also contribute to the socio economic improvement of forest dependent community.

This project was formulated pursuant to ITTC Decision 4(XXIX) in order to develop a framework of cooperation between ITTO and ATO for the promotion and application of ATO/ITTO principles, criteria and indicators (PCI) for the sustainable management of African forests, which could eventually lead to credible assessment and certification systems. The specific objectives of the project are to establish key elements of adequate capacity:

(i) to implement ATO/ITTO PCI at national level in the African member countries of ITTO.
(ii) for effective regional-level cooperation through the ATO to support individual member countries to implement the ATO/ITTO PCI.

Under Phase I of the project, the draft ATO/ITTO PCI were drafted for endorsement by both organizations and some 160 relevant forestry staff in 7 countries were trained in their implementation. An auditing framework for African forests was also developed. More than 100 trainers were trained to conduct audits based on the ATO/ITTO PCI at the forest management unit level. National PCI/certification standards were developed in 5 countries, collection of data on PCI was undertaken in 9 countries, improvement of national monitoring/auditing frameworks commenced in all 10 African producer countries, and ATO’s advisory and dissemination capacity in relation to PCI was enhanced.

Phase II continued with efforts to extend these activities to all ITTO Producer Members in Africa and was reported complete at the 46th ITTC session. Phase III, Stage 1 was funded at the same session and commenced implementation in 2011. It was reported complete at the 49th ITTC session in 2013. Phase III Stage 2 will result in all African member countries of ITTO (including new members Benin, Mali and Mozambique) having nationally agreed and internationally accepted C&I/auditing frameworks which will serve as the basis for independent certification for countries desiring or requiring this.

In 2003, Côte d’Ivoire implemented ITTO pre-project PPD 61/02 Rev.2 (M) to provide a diagnosis of the current status of forest statistics in Côte d’Ivoire and to develop a strategy and a project to establish a national forest statistics management system. Since then, the implementation of this strategy has been initiated. An Integrated Forestry Activities Management System (SIGAF) was designed within the Ministry of Water Forest Resources (SIGAF). Several computerized forest statistics management systems have been developed but the system is still not operational.

This project constitutes a new stage in the implementation of the national strategy for improving the forestry statistics management system contained in the strategy document resulting from the pre-project. This stage is to effectively implement the system. Specifically, this project is to provide for the following:

• Testing and improving the information system to better address the expectations of users and better adapt to the requirements of the FLEGT mechanism currently under formulation in Côte d’Ivoire.

• Building the capacities of the personnel in those structures mandated to collect and process forest statistics, both within MINEF and economic stakeholders of the timber industry.

The implementation of this project will achieve the full computerization of the forest statistics data collection and processing system and thereby contribute to improving the decision-making process within the forest sector.

With the ever-increasing consumers’ awareness to sustainable forest management, forest product certification is becoming an important precondition for global market access. Despite its status as a major exporter of wood including West African teak, Benin has experienced a long delay in forest certification. In fact, until now, no forest certification initiative has been launched there and stakeholders are not sufficiently informed or trained. Principles, criteria and indicators for sustainable forest management which are the prerequisites for certification have not been formulated. This set Benin forest products at a disadvantage and causes losses of economic and financial opportunities on the global market. This pre-project proposes to meet this challenge. It aims to comprehensively contribute to the sustainable management of forest resources through the certification of forest products from natural forests or plantations under sustainable management plans. Specifically this pre-project aims at gathering the information required to formulate a project forest certification project proposal in Benin. Upon completion of the pre-project, the main expected outputs are: (i) baseline information for the certification of ONAB national plantation estates is available, (ii) a project for timber certification in Benin is formulated and submitted to ITTO for approval. In more detailed and practical terms, this project will identify and describe the types of players and stakeholders involved in the certification process, conduct consultations and advocacy activities directed at all players and stakeholders involved in the forest certification process, formulate national-level PCIs and conduct a market review.

The development objective of this proposal is to contribute to the enhancement of the efficiency and competitiveness of Guyana’s wood processing sector as a means of achieving sustainable utilization of timber resources and national development. The specific objective is to strengthen the performance of the wood processing sector through building local capacity and enhancing national system that will promote and facilitate efficient trade and utilization of lumber for local and export markets.

The project’s outputs are:

• Trained personnel operating within wood processing operations. (Management, Supervisors, Operators, and Regulators);
• Report on a National system for local and export trade of lumber that is supported through a reviewed Guyana Timber Grading rules, and quality/dimensional standards for lumber to be used in the construction sector; and
• Awareness increase for persons using lumber (Contractors, Architect, Value-Added Operations).

At the end of the project period the following outcomes will be achieved:

• The wood processing sector in Guyana will be facilitating sustainable utilization of timber resources and making a greater impact towards national development in the long term, through the creation of employment and the operation of efficient and competitive companies that are producing quality products for local and export markets.
• The enhancement of the National system for local and international trade in lumber will influence fairness in the trade of lumber, proper use of wood, and reduce waste.
• The Regulatory agencies will be better able to exercise their mandate in relation to the wood processing sector.

Systematic approach of managing forest resources, also known as Sustainable Forest Management (SFM), has evolved throughout the years to fulfil environmental and conservation needs, as well as, achieve optimum economic production. This practice was carried out systematically where damaged to the stand was minimised and controlled during timber harvesting, taking into consideration other aspects such as environment and biological diversity.

Over the years, Reduced Impact Logging (RIL) as a key component of SFM has gained much of attentions especially when it takes into consideration aspects such as environment and biological diversity in its intensive planning and carefully controlled timber harvesting operations to minimise environmental impact on forest stands and soil. This has not only believed to enhance the productivity of the residual stand and to shorten the cutting cycle but also believed to reduce forest degradation in terms of total carbon stocks.

While considerable progress has been made towards some aspects of RIL, attitudes and implementation on the ground have changed little in many areas. Moreover, awareness about RIL and understanding of its concepts and components remain weak. There are concerns that the implementations of RIL are not being met so far and thus affecting the productivity of the residual stands and biological diversity. This was believed to be due to the lack of trained and skilled personal on the ground as well as lack of RIL training (RIL training manuals and modules, and RIL training curriculum), RIL training centre and RIL demonstration site (field training station). Therefore, it is very crucial that formal knowledge and skills on RIL and its implementation on the ground be inculcated among trainers and forest workers.

The main objective of RIFFEAC is to promote inter-institutional collaboration at sub-regional level between training institutions in order to improve training standards and address the needs of sustainable forest ecosystem management in the Congo Basin. RIFFEAC priority actions are as follows: a) to promote the involvement of all stakeholders in sustainable forest ecosystem management; b) to incorporate the notion of sustainable forest management in the training programmes of member institutions; c) to harmonize training programmes and activities among member institutions; d) to review common problems and seek solutions, and e) to promote knowledge and experience-sharing among members, especially in training and research areas.

This project will contribute to building human resources capacities required to achieve sustainable forest ecosystem management in the Congo basin by reconciling social economic imperatives and the maintenance of ecological balances.

The project specifically intends to build the capacities of environmental and forestry training institutions in Central Africa to ensure they are capable to train qualified personnel to implement sustainable forest management, while ensuring the biodiversity conservation in the Congo Basin.

The project will contribute to achieve the abovementioned goal and objectives through the main following expected outputs:

• Output 1: Six (6) harmonized reference training modules/programmes in sustainable forest management developed, reviewed, adapted and implemented, while taking into account the biodiversity conservation requirements under the framework of CBD’s Programme of Work on Forest Biodiversty. One of the the six modules should be focusing on biodiversity conservation issue
• Output 2: One hundred ten (110) full-time trainers one hundred seventy (170) supernumeray/part-time trainers in seven (7) RIFFEAC founding training institution members updated and/or trained on the utilization of equipment and materials acquired for the capacity reinforcement, in relation to the six (6) harmonized reference training programmes/modules to be finalized under Output 1
• Output 3: Training and teaching equipment and materials acquired and provided in each training institution, as well as infrastructure (teaching rooms, laboratories and other facilities) enhanced, in accordance with the needs of each training institution, in order to progressively contribute filling the yearly gap of one hundred eighty (180) engineers and four hundred forty (440) technicals required for the sustainable forest management and biodiverity conservation actions in the Congo Basin countries

Out of the total amount of US$4.4 million of the ITTO budget, three governments (Belgium, Japan and Switzerland) have already pledged 88.25%, as follows:

Sources Contributions - (in US$) - (%)
ITTO / Japan - 3,523,645 - 79.93
ITTO / Switzerland - 270,000 - 6.12
ITTO / Belgium - 97,037 - 2.20
ITTO / Other Donors (to be determined) / Outstanding balance - 517,875 - 11.75
TOTAL: 4,408,557 - 100.00

The project implementation started in March 2012 with funds pledged during the 47th ITTC Session in November 2011, although the project was not fully funded. That is why ITTO is already calling on other donors to complement the outstanding balance of 11.75%, in order to get this project fully funded for the full implementation of all project activities.

Production forests in the province of Bengkulu, Indonesia have been severely degraded during last 20 years. The degraded forest lands have been reached to about 140 thousand ha or about 62% of the province’s production forests. This high degradation rate was caused by illegal logging, lack of land rehabilitation and protection activities, lack of sustainable income sources, lack of public awareness of multiple forest functions and poor forest law enforcement.

The project aims to contribute to the sustainable management of tropical forests in the province of Bengkulu through rehabilitation of degraded forest lands with promising indigenous species. The rehabilitation of degraded forest lands, which is the main activity of the project, will be carried out by local communities in the project site. The specific objectives of the project are: (i) to implement suitable technology for the production of high quality planting materials of locally adapted species for plantations; and (ii) to improve stakeholders’ involvement and community development through successful plantations of local indigenous species. The project will hold consultations with local communities to mobilize their participation in many project activities and carry out extension services to improve institutional capacity, community awareness and coordination for SFM in the province. Expected outputs of the project are: (i) seed sources of indigenous species identified and suitable technology for seeds collection and processing developed; (ii) technical guidelines for forest plantation with the selected species developed and disseminated; (iii) high quality planting materials produced and distributed; and (iv) community-based forest plantation models developed.

The sustainable management requires the availability and control of related statistical and geographical information. The forest sector of Togo is characterized by a lack of geo-spatial organization and insufficiently reliable data. This represents a barrier to the planning and forestry development. Therefore, it is important for Togo to organize and improve information on the forestry sector.

This project aims to contribute to the optimization of forestry potential and sustainable management of forest areas in Togo. It specifically intends to improve the management of forest geo-spatial information in Togo.

Expected outputs are:

• The collection and processing of forest sector data are based on the use of modern equipment and methodology;
• Stakeholders trained in the use of forestry GIS do make use of the skills they have acquired; and
• A system of decentralized geo-spatial information management for forests is in place.

The main objective of the project is to promote the sustainable conservation management of the Betung Kerihun National Park (BKNP), which was established in 1992 through the Ministerial Decree and was enlarged to 800,000 ha, in the context of transboundary ecosystem management between Indonesia and Malaysia (Sarawak). The project builds on the outcomes of ITTO Project PD 26/93 Rev.1 (F) “Development of Betung Kerihun Nature Reserve as a National Park, Phase I” and PD 44/00 Rev.3 (F) “Implementation of a Community-Based Transboundary Management Plan for the Betung Kerihun National Park, West Kalimantan, Indonesia, Phase II”. Although much progress had been made through the previous projects, the BKNP management as a transboundary conservation area (TBCA) is still facing several challenges. There is a growing recognition that effective strategies to conserve biodiversity requires more strong transboundary cooperation between the countries in relation to shared ecosystems and other conservation concerns.

The proposed strategies and activities of the project are in line with transboundary conservation areas cooperation with the Lanjak Entimau Wildlife Sanctuary (LEWS) and the Batang Ai National Park (BANP) in Sarawak sites which are adjacent to BKNP in Indonesia. The project will be implemented by BKNP in collaboration with many stakeholders including WWF-Indonesia in order to ensure the conservation of the integrity of BKNP’s biodiversity values. The project activities include establishing a joint task force for the efficient implementation of TBCA with the participation of representatives from LEWS and BANP. The expected outputs of the project are: (1) Cooperation between Indonesia and Malaysia for the conservation of transboundary ecosystems between BKNP and BANP/LEWS is maintained/strengthened; (2) Operational plan on biodiversity conservation of transboundary ecosystems is formulated; (3) Sustainable livelihoods of the local communities within and surrounding BKNP are improved; 4) Community-based conservation, management and monitoring systems are well established; (5) Community-based carbon and biodiversity conservation project design document (REDD+ project) is developed.

The ITTO-funded project entitled “Transboundary Biodiversity Conservation – The Pulong Tau National Park, Sarawak, Malaysia” is the second keystone biodiversity conservation project in Sarawak after the Lanjak Entimau Wildlife Sanctuary project. However, the establishment and management of buffer zones in national parks and wildlife sanctuaries has been weak as currently Sarawak’s National Parks and Nature Reserves Ordinance (1998) and Wild Life Protection Ordinance (1998) do not provide for any guidance. Except where special privileges are granted, local populations are normally not permitted to use resources from totally protected forests. As rapid economic development activities continue to expand into rural areas causing more natural forests to be disturbed, nature conservation will be more challenging as resource-rich totally protected forests may become vulnerable to illegal encroachment. Having buffer zones for totally protected areas will help to address these issues.

Specifically, the project will facilitate the establishment of 6,000 ha of the buffer zone, and securing a forest base to meet the communities’ needs. This project will study the multiple functions of buffer zones for environmental services like watershed protection, biodiversity conservation and research, and communal use. Guidelines for buffer zone management will be developed and submitted to the State Government for consideration. The project’s outputs and activities will involve baseline surveys to determine the buffer zone’s resources for integrated management, assessing local subsistence needs and how the buffer zone will be able to provide these needs. Local involvement in management will include development of non-timber forest products or NTFP, handicrafts and ecotourism, for which training will be given. The project objectives and outputs will be met through integrated buffer zone management, training, and active involvement of primary and secondary stakeholders. The project will be sustained by Forest Department Sarawak (FDS) through its Community Service Initiative Unit (CSIU).

This multi-dimensional project intends to contribute to the sustained socio-economic development and environmental protection in the Biakoye area in Ghana’s Volta Region. Its specific objective is to initiate a participatory, poverty alleviation approach (innovative value adding cassava processing and sale) to bring about sustainable forest enrichment and plantation development using tropical timber species in mixed stands and exotic teak (for timber and poles) and Cassia siamea (for fuel wood) in pure stands at selected sites in the Biakoye District Assembly area of Ghana’s Volta Region.

Expected outputs are:

• Youth groups of the six (6) pilot project communities in collaboration with their respective land-owners (according to a written arrangement within the context of a thriving local network that ensures sustainability of functions) have established and are managing six (6) mixed plantation demonstration plots of popular, indigenous, and commercial trees of Emire, Ofram, Dodowa Sofo, Onyina, Papao, Wawa, and West African Mahogany species (50 acres -20 hectares in the aggregate);
• Youth groups of the six (6) target communities through similar collaborative arrangements as in output one (1) have established and are managing thriving individual youth member demonstration pure stand plantations of commercial teak(for timber and poles) and commercial Cassia siamea (for fuel-wood) 50 acres; and
• Youth groups of the six (6) target communities through similar collaborative arrangements as in outputs one (1) and two (2) have established individually cultivated cassava farms (20 acres -8Ha in aggregate) and have developed and are sustainably managing innovative, small-scale demand-driven local cassava processing system (of beneficiary-cultivated cassava tubers) to add extra market value.

Guatemala and Mexico share the Tacaná Volcano border area which straddles the Department of San Marcos and the State of Chiapas respectively, an area in the Mesoamerican Biodiversity Corridor, featuring biological richness and ecotourism potential although most of the population lives in poverty, using natural resources unsustainably. An initiative was developed for sustainable development in the protected areas of the Tacaná Volcano border area, based on coordinated actions, a study of the situation and various exchanges between regional representatives of Mexican and Guatemalan Government institutions, civil society and the Swiss organization HELVETAS Swiss Intercooperation.

The objective of the project is to contribute to improving living standards for 28,000 people in both countries, based on the conservation and sustainable use of local natural resources. More specifically, it will launch a participatory process for natural resource and biodiversity management, conservation and use in the Tacaná Volcano and its range of influence in Guatemala and Mexico. The project begins with an initial two-year phase to establish the foundations of joint work with the community, men and women, with pilot activities including forest management, diversification of economic opportunities, upgrade of the legal framework of Protected Areas and enhancement of collaboration between both countries.
Expected outputs are as follows:

• Pilot areas for restoration or conservation have been established in a participatory manner;
• Pilot projects identified and established with the community, to enhance local livelihood, including: ecotourism, agro-forestry and livestock-forestry systems;
• The technical and legal framework for integrated management in Tacaná Volcano has been updated; and
• Local communities, Municipal Councils and public bodies share information, take decisions by consensus and are actively involved in the Guatemala – Mexico Binational Cooperation.

Illegal forest activities resulting in deforestation and forest degradation are major obstacles for sustainable forest management in Cambodia. The underlying causes of illegal activities are complex and often reflect fundamental problems in forest legislation and regulations and limited institutional capacities to combat such illegal activities. A platform of forest law enforcement and governance has been established in the country with support of many partners including ITTO. In order to address illegal forest activities, there is a continued need for stronger capacity building programmes in the country.

The proposed project is aimed specifically at strengthening forest law enforcement in the Permanent Forest Estates (PES) of Mondulkiri and Kratie Provinces which have been suffered with inadequate capacities in controlling illegal forest activities although the two provinces are among the richest in terms of forest resources. Its development objective is to contribute to SFM through suppression of illegal forest activities on PFEs with a particular focus on the improved capacity of Mondulkiri and Kratie Provinces in forest law enforcement and governance. The project’s expected outputs are: i) enhanced operational capacity of Forestry Administration in enforcing forest laws in the PFEs of Mondulkiri and Kratie provinces; ii) increased support of local communities to law enforcement initiative of Forestry Administration; and iii) promoted collaboration between Forestry Administration and stakeholders.

Ramsar Sites 1017 and 1018 in Benin are dotted with pockets of sacred forests with a very rich biodiversity, representing a natural heritage of great value from their multiple biological, ecological and socio-economic functions. These sacred forests constitute an endogenous form of biodiversity conservation and play a crucial role in the lives of local people. Currently these forest areas are subject to severe degradation that threatens the entire ecosystem of these Ramsar Sites and therefore the livelihoods of local people. The information and data needed to develop a program of rehabilitation and sustainable management of these sites are currently lacking. This pre-project aims to gather the necessary information and data required for the preparation of a project dealing with the rehabilitation and sustainable management of sacred forests.

The development objective is to contribute to the conservation and sustainable management of biodiversity in Benin by building the capacity of local communities to improve their living conditions. The specific objective of the pre-project is to evaluate the potential of sacred forests located in the 1017 and 1018 Ramsar Sites in order to formulate a project to support the rehabilitation and sustainable management of these forests.

Expected outputs are:

• Baseline information on the sacred forests (SFs) of the target Ramsar Sites is available; and
• A project proposal to support the rehabilitation and sustainable management of Sacred Forests within Ramsar sites 1017 and 1018, in Benin, is formulated and submitted to the ITTO Project Cycle.

This project, which is an output of pre-project PPD 138/07 Rev.1 (M) “Verifying the legality of timber forest products in Peru”, will be implemented involving small and medium timber producing enterprises (SMEs), including native communities and forest concessions in Madre de Dios and Ucayali, as well as timber processing and marketing SMEs located in the two aforementioned regions as well as in Lima and Arequipa. The project will promote the use of timber sourced from forests under sustainable forest management, with the aim of enhancing the transparency of timber marketing and improving forest governance in the Peruvian Amazon region through the participation of indigenous peoples and small and medium enterprises as key stakeholders in the conservation of forests.

In addition, the project will build capacity amongst of farmers, technical personnel and other administrative and executive staff in the management of forest businesses. It will also develop and propose a traceability system which will enable producers to certify the legal origin of marketed timber. The volume of timber harvested from sustainable sources will be increased and guaranteed through a forest certification process and, upon project completion, a timber traceability model will be developed and implemented by the SMEs in the regions of Ucayali, Madre de Dios, Lima and Arequipa.

Statistics play an important part in the process of sustainable forest resources management. In Benin, there is no effective national system for collecting and managing information. The public and private structures responsible for the collection and management of forestry statistics so far have been operating in disarray. They have devoted considerable effort in producing information about the sector. Existing information is mostly unreliable, dispersed, or incomplete. It reflects temporary solutions to internal problems in each of the structures and does not fit into any long term vision. One of the urgent challenges facing the forestry administration and other stakeholders is to establish a national system capable of producing reliable statistical information in a timely fashion. It is within this framework that this project has been developed. It aims to establish a national information and statistics management system for the sustainable management of forest resources. It will be implemented in a participatory way focusing on: (i) establishing a mechanism for consultation and coordination of the different structures for the collection and management of forestry statistics, (ii) developing and implementing reliable methods for collecting data, and (iii) establishing a modern and functional forest statistics management system. In implementing the project, particular emphasis will be placed on awareness-raising and capacity building for all stakeholders.

This project proposal is the output of the Pre-project PPD 114/05 Rev.1 (F) “Demonstration of Integrated Models for Sustainable Management of Mangrove in China” that has recently been completed. The pre-project documented the problems facing mangrove resource management in China including high dependency of local communities on mangrove as a source of income, insufficient protection and conservation measures put in place and the lack of institutional as well as human resource capacity to manage mangrove sustainably which have put mangrove resources in the tropical China under serious threat.

This project aims to contribute to the sustainable management of mangroves in China through local capacity building and community development. Its specific objectives are: i) to enhance capacity of the local forestry institutions in mangrove management; and ii) to reduce community reliance on mangrove resources as a source of income by introducing suitable income generating activities. The expected outputs of the project are:

• Mangrove management plans for the model forest formulated and adopted;
• Managers and staffs of the forestry institutions and government authorities trained in mangrove management skills;
• Effective mangrove management policy formulated and adopted and a decision support system developed and operational;
• Suitable income generating activities identified and promoted; and
• Public awareness raised on the importance of mangrove ecosystem.

The potential of forestry-related Clean Development Mechanism (CDM-Forestry) in western Africa is very significant as large areas of the region’s forests have been degraded via over-aggressive, non-sustainable logging practices, slash-and-burn agricultural practices, and conversion of forests to alternative crops such as cocoa, and are so, therefore, eligible for CDM reforestation projects. Therefore, the relevance to develop the capacity to conduct CDM-Forestry projects with a strong poverty-alleviation component.

The project intends to develop the capacity for CDM-Forestry in Ghana via a community rehabilitation of Ghana’s degraded forests targeted at poverty alleviation in conjunction with sustainable forest management (SFM), and by involving the private sector and native communities. The specific objective of the project is to improve capacity for CDM-Forestry in Ghana via a community forest targeted at poverty alleviation in conjunction with SFM.

Expected outputs are:

• Carbon stocks of the current OCAP 450 ha project will be determined using GPS-supported comprehensive and complete measurement of all trees in the project;
• Mass spectrophotometric analysis will be done on wood samples from up to 5 trees each of the 19 tree species planted;
• A degraded forest (450 ha) will be reforested with the OCAP model using highly productive timber species;
• Comprehensive socioeconomic studies will be conducted in the communities involved in the project;
• Capacity to conduct CDM forestry will be built with post graduate training of Ghanian students; and
• Community-based CDM forestry methodology will be developed for the OCAP project.

In 2003, the Chinese Government commenced the collective forest land tenure reform to facilitate forest resource restoration and rural economy development though securing farmers’ rights to use forest lands and their property rights of forest lands. Based on this reform, the ‘household contact responsibility system’ has been replicated as one of the major management systems in forest management. Farmers are motivated to participate in reforestation and forest management activities in tropical zone of Southwestern China as one of the responsibility parties in forest management. However, it is clear that lack of appropriate techniques for household reforestation has become a key constraint for forest resource restoration and management in Southwestern China after the implementation of the collective forest land tenure reform.

The project intends to develop and extend ‘Household-Oriented Reforestation Techniques (HORT)’, as a way to promote reforestation and rural development in tropical mountainous areas of Southwestern China. Specifically, HORT will be developed through close cooperation between the forestry research institute and local households, and transferred to households through establishment and capacity building of grassroot networks for the technique extension and information services. The immediate beneficiaries of the project outcomes will be household engaged reforestation and plantations management. They would mostly benefit from practical techniques and relevant information and training on tropical reforestation and sustainable forest management. The project will also help the local government in the formulation of forest policies and implementation of field activities for reforestation in mountainous rural areas.

Mahogany (Meliaceae: Swietenidae) is a valuable tropical timber, but continued supply is threatened by overexploitation of natural forest reserves and the prevention of successful plantation culture by a single pest species, the shoot boring moth Hypsipyla robusta, that devastates young stands by killing main stems, causing excessive forking and branching, and, in worst cases, contributing to mortality. This project will demonstrate an integrated management strategy for plantation establishment incorporating a number of pest management measures based on sound experimental evaluation. This second phase will refine the silvicultural “tool kit” to optimized planting in mixed stands with an aim to reducing economic losses from Hypsipyla, and will promote the establishment of additional industry and community plantations through the development of a ‘‘How to” cultivate indigenous mahogany practical handbook and a series of field workshops for industry foresters and community farmers. Also comparable information on wood quality and lumber characteristics of plantation-grown mahogany and natural forest mahogany will be made available.

The following outputs are expected:

• Practical methods for mass production of selected superior Hypsipyla-tolerant (upright growing and straight-stem) clones of the seven indigenous mahoganies of Ghana developed;
• Three hectares of new seed production orchards established for each Khaya and Entandrophragma species and convert approximately 5 ha of existing provenance trials to seed orchards with the 7 major indigenous mahoganies across the 4 major ecological zones of Ghana;
• Our silvicultural “tool kit” refined to optimize planting of mixed stands in the 4 major ecological zones (including pruning, thinning, shade and use of weaver ants as biological control agents);
• Wood quality and lumber properties from mature plantation-grown indigenous mahoganies that suffered Hypsipyla attacked at younger age are examined;
• Socioeconomic impacts of integrated agroforestry plantations of mixed mahoganies with various short-term crops are determined; and
• A practical “how to cultivate mahogany in plantations” manual is produced.

The overall objective of this project is to contribute to the conservation of threatened species through the promotion of up-dating ecological and biological data and conservation efforts as part of Target 2010 of Global Biodiversity Challenge. Specifically, the project is designed: (i) to identify and observe the vulnerability status of forest tree species currently threatened by various disturbances and (ii) to initiate and promote field actions in the conservation and protection of selected threatened species. Species to be included in the project work are Diospyros spp, Eusideroxylon zwageri, Gonystylus macrophyllus, Michelia spp and selected Shorea spp in line with the recommendations of a workshop held by World Conservation Monitoring Center (WCMC)-UNEP in Kuala Lumpur in 2007.

The project will be implemented by the Center for Forest and Nature Conservation Research and Development – FORDA, Ministry of Forestry and its main activities include reviewing the current status of forest tree species currently threatened by habitat; national workshops to review conservation status of selected forest tree species, including genetic resources; and establishment of plant genetic conservation gardens for selected species.

The expected outputs of the project include: (i) update of data and information on conservation and protection status of tree species, (ii) information on the level of genetic diversity and vulnerability of threatened species and (iii) establishment of plant genetic conservation garden (gene pool) to ensure the conservation of target species and improved local stakeholder capacity.

The objective of the project is to create a model reforestation framework that encourages customary landowners in the Central Province lowlands to grow high value trees on their grasslands. The successful implementation of the project will lead to the expansion of long-term social, environmental and economic benefits for landowners in the Central Province lowlands through development of reforestation enterprises to promote an appropriate set of business models and production systems.

At present, grassland areas are extensive and increasing in size in PNG. Population densities are also rising and incomes levels are generally low. Importantly, these grassland areas are well linked to the national, provincial and district capitals. Based on the findings of implementing pre-project (PPD 124/06 Rev.2 (F)) which identified the key factors restraining landowners from growing high value trees as limited access to awareness as well as lack of training and support services, in close cooperation with local communities in the Central Province the project will be managed and sustained by the PNG Forest Authority and selected research and development partners will play a role in a way that builds on existing policies, programmes, resources and practices. Teak (Tectona grandis) will be a focal species to be promoted through a range of model business arrangements and production systems.

The expected outputs of the project include:

• A reforestation awareness programme is in operation for landowners and the wider community in Central Province;
• A business training & support package is in operation for small-scale reforestation enterprises;
• An agro-forestry training & support package is in operation for small-scale reforestation enterprises; and
• A distribution system is in operation for small-scale reforestation enterprises with agro-forestry stock and materials.

The tropical cyclone 'Nargis' severely hit the lower parts of Myanmar, mainly Yangon and Ayeyarwady Divisions on the 2nd and 3rd of May 2008 claiming many lives and causing enormous destruction to infrastructure, villages, plantations and forests including food supplies. Out of a total of 0.5 million ha of Permanent Forest Estate (PFE) i.e. Reserved Forests and Protected Area Systems (PAS) in Ayeyarwady delta, about 14,000 ha of mangrove forests and 21,000 ha of forest plantations were damaged by the cyclone. The cyclone Nargis seriously affected the forestry sector, causing direct impact on mangrove forests and indirect impact on mangrove ecosystems. Thereby resulted in loss of habitats of aquatic species, decrease in fishery and agricultural products and seriously damage the infrastructure. As it was about a year ago, however there is no comprehensive information package which is entirely documented to review all activities done by different institutions. Based on the situation, Forest Department has been requested to conduct the environmental impact assessment of Nargis cyclone, and to implement restoration and rehabilitation activities as well as to establish a master plan of mangrove forest management. In order to do that, it is crucial to conduct an overall assessment through transparent discussion among stakeholders and institutions.

This pre-project will conduct a baseline survey for all actions of rehabilitation by international organizations, NGOs, companies and private entrepreneurs. The planned activities are to collect all available data and information on policy, programme activities that had been undertaken by concerned institutions. Focus of the pre-project activities will include the formulation of a full project proposal to facilitate integrated mangrove ecosystem management in Ayeyarwady Delta through a series of intensive key stakeholder consultation meetings.

This project embraces the industrial production chain of wood flooring, with activities directed to forest management, manufacture process and, product utilization. Its Development Objective is to contribute to the sustainable and adequate utilization of forest resources from the Brazilian tropical forest. The Specific Objective aims to increase the efficiency in forest resources utilization by the production chain of solid wood flooring, from the forest to the final product, integrating extraction and utilization of commercial and less used timber species, improving drying and manufacture processes, adding value and quality to the product, promoting residues utilization, and providing social benefits to industry employees.

The project will be executed in collaboration with several Brazilian research institutions and universities. Expected outputs include a more diversified forest exploration; improvements in manufacture process, reducing residues generation, setting a flooring quality standard; and establishing a Quality Certification Program for wood flooring.

Even though secondary and residual primary forests contain potentially commercial timber trees, they are scarcely used or used without reference to sustainability criteria. Some reasons are the lack of technological studies to determine their potential uses, the lack of industrial secondary processes to generate higher value-added and to maximise their raw material yield. This will be the focus of the project.

As for development objective the project will contribute to the SFM by promoting timber resources from secondary and remaining primary forests and thus reducing the pressure on primary forests by fostering rehabilitation and enrichment of secondary forests. For achieving the above 2 specific objectives will be targeted:

• To carry out technological studies to determine the suitability of timber species frequently and abundantly found in secondary forests (SF) and residual primary forests (RPF) of the Peruvian Amazon; and
• To determine the marketing potential and niches for SF and RPF timber species, according to their technological properties.

The pre-selected species based on the criteria of abundance in SF and RPF are: Auca atadijo, Bolaina, Marupa, Pashaco, Huamanzamana, Peine de mono, Sangre de grado, Hualaja, Topa, Ana caspi, Mashonaste, Caimitillo, Almendro, and Capirona. The selection of the species will be refined in consultation with the concession holders in a participatory manner.

Expected outputs include:

• New timber species technologically characterised;
• Proposal of suitable conditions for primary processing;
• Diversification of products and study of value added prototypes;
• Business plans for timber products made from new SF and RPF species; and
• Dissemination, training and technical assistance programme for forest enterprise management.

The target beneficiaries of the project are Forest concession holders and Primary and secondary timber processors.

The results will be transferred to agricultural producers, concession holders, primary and secondary processing manufacturers, students from the National University of Ucayali and the Swiss Higher Institute of Technology, and the local scientific community.

The processing sector’s capacity to produce quality products needs urgent enhancement and there is a vital need for increased efficiency and sustainable utilization of forest resources. Enhanced capacity building in the forest sector along the industry value chain will encourage more efficient economic and sustainable utilization of the forest resource, thereby reducing wastage, damage to the environment, whilst maximizing the market potential of Guyana’s wood products. In order to tackle the central problem of illegal logging, inefficiency and sub-optimal value-added in the sector a multi-dimensioned approach will be taken to address the specific issues of forest policy and capacity building (particularly in areas of machinery, equipment and skills at the community level).

The Development Objective of the project is to raise the volume and quality of forest products through more efficiently and sustainably utilizing forest resources available to generate greater employment, increased foreign exchange earnings and to boost national and community development.

The specific objective is to upgrade the capacity of wood processing industry through development of strategic guidance and human capacity building.

Indonesia is blessed with a vast rubber wood resource. Around 30,8 million m3 rubber wood biomass, consisting of 13,5 million m3 saw logs and 17,3 million m3 small-sized wood, are potentially available for use by the forest industry every year through replacement of old rubber trees. To date, only around 22% of the saw log potential and a tiny portion of available small-sized wood that have been utilized.

This proposed project aimed at contributing to the alleviation of the timber deficit problem facing the national wood industry through promotion of the efficient utilization of rubber wood biomass. The development objective is to contribute to the lessening of wood raw material supply problem facing the national forest industry by utilizing the vast rubber wood available from sustainable sources.

The specific objective is to promote the utilization of rubber wood from sustainable sources.

Output 1: Interest in the utilization of rubber wood owned by big companies increased.
Output 2: Incentives for and capacity in the utilization of rubber wood from smallholding plantations improved.
Output 3: Government policy governing rubber wood resource utilization revised and enhanced.
Output 4: Investment in rubber wood utilization increased.
Output 5: Appropriate technologies available for the utilization of rubber wood from smallholding plantations.

The primary beneficiaries of the project are the wood industry and rubber growers. The secondary beneficiaries include the Ministries (Forestry, Agriculture, Trade, Industry), local government, universities and local NGOs.

Indonesia is a country with the second largest tropical forests across the globe. The total extent of forests under protection and conservation in Indonesia is about 23 million ha, consisting of national parks, nature reserve and recreation forests. The Meru Betiri National Park is located in the southern part of East Java, Indonesia and has a total area of approximately 58,000 ha which is rich in biological diversity across several landscapes with different vegetation types, such as highland vegetation, lowland and coastal vegetation, swamp and mangrove. However, this Park has faced serious threat causing degradation and reducing the value of its various ecosystem functions. The major causes of the threat (especially forest degradation) are illegal harvest and encroachment. The illegal harvest of timber and non-timber forest product from the Park are mostly due to poor law enforcement and lack of sustainable income sources. This situation, directly or indirectly, contributes to rapid degradation and deforestation in the Park.

This project is designed to contribute to conservation of tropical forests for reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation and enhancing forest carbon stocks through enhanced community participation in conservation and sustainable management of the Meru Betiri National Park (MBNP) as an integral part of the larger landscape in which they live. To this end, the project specifically intends: (1) to improve the livelihoods of local communities living inside and in the surrounding area of MBNP through participation in avoiding deforestation, degradation and biodiversity loss; and (2) to develop a credible measurable, reportable and verifiable system for monitoring emission reductions from deforestation and forest degradation and enhancing forest carbon stocks in MBNP. Expected outputs of the project include: Participation of community in conservation forest management improved; alternatives sources of income to improve the livelihoods of local communities living inside and in the surrounding area of MBNP developed; illegal logging and forest encroachment reduced and reported; capacity in resource base inventory and carbon accounting improved in measurable, reportable and verifiable form; report on comprehensive baseline data and estimation of emissions reduction and carbon enhancement of the national park prepared; and system for monitoring emission reduction and enhancement of carbon stocks established and validated.

The project also seeks to find partners to facilitate its implementation through Public-Private Partnership in conserving tropical forests for reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD). The project results will be disseminated to relevant international societies and fora with a view to sharing lessons learned from this demonstration project and will be contributing to the implementation of the newly established ITTO Thematic Programme on “Reducing Deforestation and Forest Degradation and Enhancing Environmental Services”.

This project is a follow up to ITTO PD 25/96 Rev.2（M）”China’s Consumption of Forest Products and Its Demand for Them from the International Tropical Forest Products Market by the Year 2010”. At present China not only has become the largest importer of tropical logs in the world，but also is a global timber processing center and important exporter of tropical wood products. China plays an increasingly important role in the global processing and trading chain of tropical wood products. With the rapid development of the wood processing industries and housing starts, China‘s demand for tropical wood products will continue to increase and this will certainly affect world timber market. Therefore，it is of great significance to analyze and forecast future supply and demand of China’s tropical wood products. The project will give a whole picture of China’s demand and supply of tropical wood products by 2020 through in-depth investigations on productive capacity of tropical wood products processors and the end uses of imported tropical logs and consumer’s preference, and analysis of regulations and policies related to wood product trade. This project is aimed at providing reliable information on China’s tropical forest product markets which could be used as reference either by tropical log exporting countries in making market strategies or by domestic related authorities in making policy decisions, so as to promote close cooperation between ITTO producers and consumers and contribute to sustainable development of the global tropical wood product market.

This project will promote the sustainable management of the forest resources in the Chepigana Forest Reserve, with the goal of achieving social, economic and environmental sustainability in an important part of the corridor that stretches from Punta Patiño Nature Reserve through to Darien National Park.

Overall, the proposal envisages determining the volume of sustainable production of tropical forest timber in the Chepigana Forest Reserve, while critical forest assets are conserved and local quality of life is improved. More specifically, it intends to seek the production and commercialization of timber and non-timber forest products from the Chepigana Forest Reserve on the basis of environmental, economic and social sustainability, while simultaneously increasing conservation of forest values in the Bagre Highland Biological Corridor, which forms an integral part of the Chepigana Forest Reserve.

Major outputs include the development of an integrated management plan and other required planning tools for the Chepigana Forest Reserve; the training of locals in forest management and administration of the Chepigana Forest Reserve and its buffer zone; and the enhancement of sustainable natural resource management and sustainable development in Barge Highlands Biological Corridor and its buffer zone.

The Project is derived from the implementation of the Pre-Project PPD 130/06 Rev.1 (F) “Identification of a Project for the Regeneration and Management of Mangrove Forests Surrounding the Douala/Edea reserve, Department of Sanaga-Maritime, Cameroon”. Mangrove ecosystems in the Douala/Edea Reserve are under strong extractive pressure from local communities who seek to harvest their much sought-after wood, and also because of other inappropriate uses, notably slash-and-burn farming practices, harvesting of fuelwood and production of charcoal, and overexploitation of non-timber forest products.

The project objective is to ensure the sustainability of mangrove resources in order to improve the living conditions of surrounding communities. It specifically intends to contribute to the sustainable management of mangrove ecosystems around the Douala-Edéa Wildlife Reserve (RFDE) and associated watersheds.

The project expected outputs are as follows: the participatory management scheme for the mangrove ecosystem in the project area developed; and improved living standards for surrounding communities through the development of a local community economy having a low impact on mangrove ecosystems.

Through a dynamic and participatory process involving capacity-building for all stakeholders, the local communities established in and around the RFDE, together with those located in the adjoining watershed areas, will participate in the development of a management master-plan for the mangrove areas surrounding the RFDE. In parallel with this management master-plan development process, a number of pilot income-generating activities (IGAs) will be developed by these communities. These IGAs, having a lesser impact on the mangrove ecosystems will be proposed in order to better involve local forest communities and raise their interest in the conservation of mangrove ecosystems.

The project is a follow-up to a completed project on the utilization, collection and trade of non-wood forest products in the Philippines [PD 15/96 Rev.2 (M,I)] supported by the ITTO and implemented by FPRDI. Although the past project had generated valuable information and technologies which are used by the local communities, it was observed from the Ex-Post Evaluation of the project that important issues and problems need to be addressed to fully realize the economic benefits from non-timber forest products (NTFP) by the rural communities and the sustainable use of the resource. An extensive review of literature also shows that there is little information on resource availability, regeneration, extraction rate, processing and marketing of NTFP to support the handicraft industry.

The project will address the recommendations from the completed project, the Ex-Post Evaluation and the results of the review of literature, will generate more information on the availability, regenerative growth, extraction intensity, processing and marketing of selected NTFP in the project areas in Quezon Province and Camarines Norte. It will conduct training seminars to upgrade the skills and productivity of NTFP extractors and handicraft workers and producers. It will organize and assist small handicraft producers groups to strengthen their production and marketing capabilities. It will establish data/information on gender roles or sensitivity in extraction, processing and marketing of NTFP and handicraft products.

The present project will support the reestablishment of forest education activities for middle level forestry technicians of the Forestry Training Institute (FTI) located in Tubmanburg. The project deals with the establishment of a functional curriculum, the training of trainers and immediate practical training of the currently registered students in the FTI. In addition, the project will support a national working group that conducts a strategic process on forest education in Liberia as a whole.

The Project’s Development Objective is to “Secure trained and skilled manpower for the sustainable forest management, conservation and for development of forest industry in Liberia”. The Specific Objectives are:

• Provide immediate support to reestablish functional education in the Forestry Training Institute; and
• Develop strategic long-term planning for forest education in Liberia, with particular reference to the institutional sustainability.

The target beneficiaries are the students and teachers of the Forestry Training Institute. The FDA and the Ministry of Education are also direct beneficiaries through receiving the results of the strategic work conducted by the national working group on forest education. Indirect target beneficiaries are the Forest Development Authority, Private sector forest management companies, Forest industries, NGOs and Forest-dependent communities.

This project proposal is the outcome of Pre-project PPD 30/01 Rev.1 (F): “The Study and Demonstration of the Management of Secondary Forests in Tropical Regions for the Purpose of Enhancing Economic and Ecological Benefits” which documented the decade-long neglect of Chinese tropical secondary forests (TSF) due to the perceived low economic and ecological value.

This project is aimed at accelerating sustainable forest management by better management of the secondary tropical forests in China. Its specific objectives are: a) to establish demonstration forests in two selected provinces for the study and demonstration of management of TSF including planted trees and non-timber forest products and b) to train forestry staff and villagers in TSF rehabilitation techniques and to publish and disseminate the project results.

The expected outputs of the project are:

• Fifty superior timber, rattan and medicinal plant species selected and trial planted;
• Nurseries established and operational;
• TSF management models and demonstration plots of plantation established on 4,263 Ha. of land area in two provinces;
• One hundred government staff and villagers trained in TSF rehabilitation techniques; and
• TSF management techniques published and disseminated.

The aim of this proposal is to contribute to sustainable forest management taking into account market requirements related to the origin and sustainability of Peruvian timber. The activities in this proposal will strengthen voluntary chain-of-custody networks and generate competitive forest products on the basis of socially and environmentally sound practices. To this end, it is necessary to evaluate the current status of the timber production chain so as to propose validated instruments that will help develop trust between producers and consumers with the common objective of ensuring the conservation and sustainable management of tropical forests in Peru. The socially and environmentally friendly production processes identified and tested will generate quality employment that will help alleviate poverty and poverty and will reverse, in the long term, the human pressures that are currently causing the degradation of biodiversity.

As part of a total programme to improve the access to information on the 7000 useful plants of Tropical Africa and to promote their use in a sustainable manner, PROTA (Plant Resources of Tropical Africa) will make a synthesis of all existing but dispersed knowledge on the estimated 1070 ‘Timbers of Tropical Africa’ (Commodity group 7) in two Parts.

This document is a follow-up project on the 570 ‘Timbers of Tropical Africa’ from currently less important timber-producing taxonomic families (Commodity group 7(2)). It is preceded by a project on the 500 ‘Timbers of Tropical Africa’ from the currently more important timber-producing taxonomic families (Commodity group 7(1); ITTO Project PD 264/04 Rev. 3 (M,I)).

PROTA is strongly rooted in the group that successfully delivered the ITTO-funded PROSEA ‘Timber trees’ Handbook volumes.

Most tropical forests with bamboo stands, particularly those in easily accessible areas of the north western region of the country where a high percentage of the local communities live in poverty conditions, are rapidly being degraded due to unplanned and uncontrolled overexploitation and other demographic pressures. It is therefore paramount to seek and implement alternative sustainable activities before these resources are irremediably depleted.

As such, this project envisages reducing the tropical forest degradation and simultaneously improving the socioeconomic conditions of extremely poor rural communities, as well as their environmental quality, in the aforementioned region. More specifically, it aims to ensure the rehabilitation and sustainable management of degraded or endangered tropical forests with bamboo stands and to effectively contribute to poverty alleviation in an area with a high level of unmet basic needs and hence with a high level of deforestation (185,000 ha/year) in Peru. The native communities and poor rural populations are to be the main beneficiaries of this project, as their income levels will increase through the sale of sustainably harvested and used products.

Demonstration plots will be selected and established through a broad-based participatory process in order to provide training to poverty-stricken rural communities in intermediate techniques for the rehabilitation and management of forests with bamboo stands, the implementation of forest nurseries, and the establishment of plantations, particularly in protection areas of highland forests in the region. A pilot centre will be established for the handcrafted manufacturing of bamboo products of competitive commercial quality by local communities participating in the respective production chains.

Major outputs expected are as follows:

• Local populations (250 people) trained in intermediate techniques for the rehabilitation, management and sustainable utilisation of forests with bamboo stands;
• 200 ha of tropical bamboo forests rehabilitated and sustainably managed; and
• 4 rural communities (2000 people) actively involved in and economically benefiting from an equal number of bamboo production and marketing chains.

This project derives from the implementation of ITTO-financed Pre-Project PPD 72/03 Rev.1 (F) “Technical Assistance for the Development of a Project Proposal on Institutional Strengthening for Forest Fire Prevention, Mitigation and Management in the Natural and Planted Forests of Panama”, whose objective was to formulate a project to provide for institutional strengthening to prevent, mitigate and manage forest fires in the natural and planted forests of Panama.

Overall, this project aims at strengthening the capacities of ANAM, the National Commission for Forest Fire Prevention, Management and Control, local groups and community grassroots organisations, in integrated forest fire management applicable to the tropical forests of Panama. More specifically, it intends to achieve integrated fire management practices with the participation of communities and other national stakeholders in three pilot areas with high forest fire incidence.

Major outputs expected are as follows:

• Project’s installed capacity established and integrated fire management activities implemented and monitored; and
• Personnel from target communities in pilot areas and officers from relevant institutions in the field trained on integrated fire management.

Sandalwood is a fancy tree species of East Nusa Tenggara that has contributed significantly to the economy of the province for decades. However, the resource is being rapidly depleted due mainly to over harvesting and ineffective policy framework governing its management. This project aims to contribute to the sustainable management of sandalwood resource in East Nusa Tenggara Province. Its specific objectives are: i) to strengthen the enabling conditions for sustainable management of sandalwood resource; and ii) to improve local capacity for managing sandalwood resource.

The expected outputs of the project are:

 Effective policy on sandalwood management at District level formulated and endorsed by the District Government Executive;
 Suitable economic incentive framework to support sustainable management of sandalwood resource developed;
 Forestry staffs and community leaders trained in planning, silvicultural techniques and efficient utilization of sandalwood resource;
 Stakeholder consultation forum for sustainable management of sandalwood resource established and operational;
 Information system of sandalwood resource developed and operational; and
 Community awareness raised on sustainable management of sandalwood resource.

Liberian forests have suffered extremely from more than 14 years of prolonged civil conflict that led to great loss of life, economic collapse, mass migration and internal displacement as well as destruction of much of the country’s infrastructure. However, since the year 2004, Liberia is reconstructing its social, political, economic and ecological environment. Forests have to play a crucial role in this period of rebuilding a functional Nation. In this post-conflict period, social, economic and political changes have created expectations that will present new challenges to a still weak forestry administration and other stakeholders in the sector. To meet these challenges and avoid problems of the past, it will require policy and strategy reforms across the forest sector, consistent with the 3C-Approach (Commercially-based, Conservation-oriented and Community-involvement), which is based on the three pillars of sustainable forest management (SFM): economic, ecological and social sustainability. International support thus is crucial to rebuild a viable forest sector that meets the expectation as a driving force for sustainable development in the country.

The project objective is to develop forest plantations and forest restoration as an effective tool for the conservation and sustainable management of the Liberia’s forest and wildlife resources, to maintain environmental quality and improve the flow of benefits to all segments of society. The project specific objectives are twofold: (1) Develop a national reforestation policy and afforestation strategy consistent with the National Forestry Reform Law; and (2) Develop knowledge, expertise and capability of the Forest Development Authority and other stakeholders to assess, monitor and plan forest plantation and forest restoration activities in the country.

The expected project outputs are as follows:

• All existing forestry plantations are assessed and timber volume and qualitative data per area interpreted;
• Suitable sites for reforestation and afforestation, as well as forest restoration identified;
• The potential of CDM A/R and forest restoration in REDD assessed;
• A draft policy for enrichment planting and reforestation activities to be applied in areas of Timber Sales Contracts and Forest Management Contracts developed;
• Preliminary results of assessments, policies and strategies, widely consulted with forest stakeholders;
• Draft reforestation policy and an afforestation strategy based on the results of Outputs 1.1. – 1.5 elaborated;
• A core team of technicians has been trained in the assessment and implementation of reforestation and afforestation;
• A series of technical workshops has been conducted to train FDA staff and stakeholders from NGOs and private sector in forest restoration, reforestation and afforestation; and
• Community dwellers and local NGOs involved in the development of community forestry have been trained in practical aspects in forest restoration, afforestation and agroforestry.

Thailand has not established a comprehensive system of Criteria and Indicators (C&I) comprising a national set of C&I applicable in tropical forestry context, an adequate tracking/ change of custody (COC) system for monitoring of timber flows, an auditing system and adequate trained personnel which is evidence of the lack of key tools to implement sustainable forest management in the country.

This project aims to improve availability of timber and non-timber forest products (NTFP) from sustainable and legal sources through establishment of a comprehensive system of criteria and indicators for sustainable forest management. The expected outputs of the project are:

 National C & I and standards of performance for SFM developed, tested and adopted;
 National tracking/COC system developed, tested and adopted;
 Auditing system for C & I/standards of performance and COC/timber tracking developed, tested and adopted; and
 Adequate personnel trained on auditing C & I/standards of performance and COC.

Forests in India are crucial in supporting the livelihoods of millions of the rural population as they provide various non-timber forest products including fodder. However, instances of success stories of fodder cultivation have been sporadic and there has been no mainstreaming of various government schemes. Degradation of fodder value and increase of the number of livestock have resulted in overgrazing and further degradation of forest areas in the country.

The development objective of this pre-project is to contribute towards sustainable forest management by promoting integrated grazing management practices that are socially acceptable and ecologically sound. The pre-project proposes to undertake an assessment of grazing and livestock-related issues in seven agro-ecological zones covering approximately 20 percent of the total forest cover/area of the country and 30 percent of the total livestock population. The expected outputs of the pre-project include: policy and program analysis report; establishing multi stakeholders’ platforms for knowledge and sharing/dialogue; developing baseline information; formulation of a comprehensive project proposal on integrated grazing management. The lessons from the pilot project will further provide directions towards developing a national integrated grazing policy for the country.

The Development Objective of the project would be Improved decision-making on forest management at national, regional, provincial, sub-district and forest management unit (FMU) levels. The Specific Objective would be Strengthening of the National Forest Information System (NFIS). The objective of the Pre-Project is to elaborate a road map and its elements for the strengthening of the NFIS. The outputs of the Pre-Project are (i) a feasibility study elaborated for the the strengthening of the NFIS with an action plan for priority activities, and (ii) a project proposal for ITTO elaborated concerning selected relevant components of the action plan. The Pre-Project involves broad participation of the stakeholders through thematic working groups, national and regional level workshops, and participation in the Pre-Project Steering Group.

This project proposal is the main outcome of the Pre-project PPD 65/02 Rev.1 (F): “Management and Conservation of Forests Seeds”. The pre-project had carried out surveys in order to assess the situation regarding the viability of a seed center and the cost-effectiveness of establishing a Forest Seed Center in Côte d’Ivoire.

Côte d'Ivoire has seen its forest devastated in the matter of a few years due to extensive agriculture development. To regenerate this forest has become an imperative for the country. One of the basic requirements to ensure the success of the reforestation efforts is the availability of the seeds of high quality. Since its creation in 1966, SODEFOR is facing this problem of availability of good quality seeds in sufficient quantity for its reforestation activities in Côte d’Ivoire.

The overall aim of the project is to contribute to the sustainable rehabilitation of Cote d’Ivoire’s forests by developing a seed supply system having the capacity to provide high-quality products to meet the needs of the national forest rehabilitation stakeholders. The specific objective is to produce and supply forest seeds from plant stock of high genetic quality.

The following outputs are expected:

• Two hundred forty-two hectares (242 ha) of new seed-producing plots are installed, one hundred seventy-four hectares (174 ha) of existing seed sources are developed and twenty-five hectares (25 ha) of seed-tree orchards are created;
• The infrastructure and equipment capacity for collecting, packaging, conserving, stocking, distributing, controlling and managing the forest seeds are reinforced; and
• The persons involved in forest seed production and management activities are trained in various areas regarding forest seed technology (seed collection, packaging, quality control, data management procedures).

Poverty is associated with the rural savannas and rural forest areas, where communities cannot afford to seek modern health care facilities but depend on medicinal plants for their health needs. Over 60% of the population in Ghana depends on plant parts for health delivery. This is because medicinal plants are of critical importance for poor communities, as even relatively cheap western medicines remain prohibitively expensive. The continued availability of many of these plants is in jeopardy. This situation calls for urgent action to develop alternative strategies to promote the production, utilization and conservation of medicinal plant species in general and threatened species in particular.

The developmental objective of this project is to develop conservation and sustainable utilization strategies for medicinal plant species within forest fringe communities of different ecological zones in Ghana. Specifically, it intends to document the distribution, utilization (endangered, common) and practice conservation for sustainable supply of medicinal plants from three different forest ecological zones in Ghana.

Expected outs are the following:

• Medicinal plant species in different ecological zones identified;
• Inventories of medicinal plant species in the three ecological zones in Ghana conducted and documented;
• Herbarium samples collected and preserved;
• Uses of identified medicinal plant species documented;
• In-situ conservation of medicinal plant species achieved;
• Ex-situ conservation of medicinal plant species achieved; and
• Communities trained in propagation, management and conservation measures.

The pre-project aims at contributing to the conservation, restoration and sustainable management of mountain biodiversity in the Centre-Nord Region of Togo in the goal to improve the living conditions and environment of local communities, and to secure for present and future generation sufficient natural resource in the perspective of the sustainable development of the country. It specifically intends to provide technical assistance for the development of a local community support project to conserve and sustainably manage mountain biodiversity in the Centre North Region of Togo.

Expected outputs of the pre-project are: forest, flora, wildlife, socio-economic and environmental impact data available for the project area; and a project to support local communities for the conservation and sustainable use of mountain biodiversity in the Centre North Region of Togo, formulated and submitted to ITTO for approval.

This project proposal is the output of PPD 128/06 Rev.1 (F) “Strengthening Capacity of Forest Law Enforcement and Governance in Cambodia” that has recently been completed. In order to control illegal logging, forest clearing and encroachment in Cambodia, the pre-project recommended that appropriate facilities and equipment should be in place with well qualified trained in all Forestry Administration offices.

The project aims to facilitate the implementation of the Government's policy platform in combating illegal logging, forest clearing and land encroachment through the improvement of capacity of human resources and the upgrading of operational means/equipment to ensure effective Forest Law Enforcement and Governance (FLEG) in Cambodia. In addition to staff members of the Forestry Administration, selected local communities will be provided in training in how an effective FLEG operation can benefit the community by protecting their interests in legal forest activities and ensure their access to legal forest and non-timber forest products.

The expected outputs of the project include: improved facilities and staff capabilities, effective monitoring and documentation of illegal forest activities, effective judicial processing, and effective extension of measures to all stakeholders. These outputs will contribute directly to the on-going capacity building program of the Forestry Administration of Cambodia as a high priority.

In the past 10 years, several initiatives have been implemented to improve policies and practices in Ghana’s forest industries sector and to enhance sustainable management and use of Ghana’s forest resources, including addressing the current weak forest law enforcement regime. However, illegal logging continues to be a major challenge in Ghana’s high forest zone. This is because the demand for timber from sawmills, furniture makers, builders and other wood users continues to exceed the sustainable annual allowable harvest from Ghana’s commercial forests. As a result of illegal logging, the quantity of logs currently being taken from Ghana’s forest reserves and off reserve areas is estimated to be at least four times the sustainable annual allowable harvest.

The purpose of the project is to further improve the sustainability of the forest management regime in Ghana by addressing the current weak forest control and law enforcement. This will be achieved by establishing a system for monitoring and validating legal timber in Ghana. The new system, which will build upon Ghana’s existing paper-based log tracking system, will be overseen and managed by an independent agency, at arms length from the Ghana Forestry Commission (GFC).

The project will contribute to transparency and accountability in the forest sector, and to the Government of Ghana’s strategy of improving public and private sector governance. It will also contribute to the goal of Ghana’s Natural Resource Management Programme (NRMP) and the institutional strengthening and policy reforms implemented over the past 10 years.

The project will enhance forest law enforcement in Ghana by:

• reviewing existing forest law enforcement mechanisms for effectiveness and adequacy, and implementing actions to address identified gaps;
• developing and implementing a cost-effective independent system for monitoring and validating legal timber in Ghana including a chain of custody system;
• creating an independent agency to manage and oversee the new system;
• establishing a database on log and timber flows to better assist in monitoring illegal activities;
• developing and implementing an industry code of conduct for legal forestry activities, consistent with the principles and guidelines of Forestry, Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade (FLEGT); and
• implementing training for key stakeholders to enhance their capacity in forest law enforcement.

Using external (international) and domestic (national) expertise, the major outputs of the project will be:

• a cost-effective, independent system for monitoring and validating legal timber in Ghana including a chain of custody verification system;
• an independent agency to manage and oversee the new system;
• a database on log and timber flows to assist in better monitoring of illegal activities;
• an industry code of conduct for legal forestry activities consistent with the principles and guidelines of Forestry, Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade (FLEGT); and
• enhanced capacity building for forest law enforcement.

The objective of this one year project is to train small scale community saw millers in commercial kiln drying techniques. Currently, an estimated 25% of Guyana’s total wood production is from small to medium community enterprises (SMEs) employing on average 5 to 10 people, and supplying mainly the domestic market with rough sawn green scantlings, although some of them export low value green dressed lumber to countries in the Caribbean (CARICOM) region.

The ITTO Diagnostic Mission of October, 2002 as well as other recent studies identified small scale community saw millers as a priority area for improving productivity, efficiency and quality value adding in Guyana’s forest products sector. Small scale community saw millers are also much more able to adopt new technology and ideas with minimal risk. In addition, relatively small investments are required to improve significantly value adding among these producers.

In view of the large and near intact forest resources (75% of the country is covered by forests), small scale community saw millers have the potential to become a significant supplier of high quality wood products to the CARICOM region. Current exports to CARICOM are small, (under 5% of their total production) because of community saw millers’ inability to dry wood to the quality standards and specifications required by international markets. The only drying which occurs is air drying, which takes a long time, leads to significant product degradation and is inefficient for supplying international markets. The project aims to address this problem by trialing commercial kiln drying of wood in three small scale community sawmilling regions as demonstration of the value adding and quality standards expected by international markets. It is expected that through these demonstration activities, the small scale community saw millers will understand and learn the quality requirements for exports to international markets.

The objectives of this 3 year project are to acquire technological knowledge on 10 native tropical timber species; to enhance their productivity and forest management; and to assess their commercial market potential.

Tropical forests in Mexico have a wide range of species that are lesser known in the international markets or even at the domestic markets. These species have market potential because of their colour, physical appearance, beauty and technological properties. However, no extensive and in-depth technological studies have been carried out to date in order to generate the necessary information to adequately use these species based on their characteristics and properties. As a result, these tropical timber species are currently under-utilised in Mexico, which leads to highly selective logging and eventually to deforestation and tropical forest fragmentation. The generation of scientific and technological knowledge on the proposed tropical timber species is considered to be an urgent need and an excellent opportunity to promote more profitable timber utilisation activities. Furthermore, it is also important to promote development and/or innovation as appropriate regarding the use of silvicultural management practices for each species so as to ensure the sustainable management of resources avoiding deterioration and enhancing their potential and use.

Also the project will identify market mechanisms and niches for both primary and processed products from these species so as to offer foresters viable and attractive alternatives for diversification and for increasing their possibilities for sustainable management. The information generated through the three lines of work envisaged in this proposal – technological characterisation, silvicultural management and marketing of 10 priority Mexican species – will be disseminated through a free electronic consultation platform known as the National Forest Information System, which is under the responsibility of the National Forestry Commission (CONAFOR).

This pre-project proposal is the revision of PD 447/07 (F) “Community-based Forest Management of Sungai Medihit Watershed” in accordance with the recommendations of the 33rd and the 34th Expert Panel. It aims to promote multiple-use forest management rezim in close cooperation with local forest owners and communities living in forest areas and dependent on forest resources. Its specific objective is to formulate a full project proposal to address the problems facing indigenous peoples and forest resources of the Sungai Medihit catchment area.

The expected outputs of the pre-project are:

• Problems facing the indigenous people identified;
• Problems facing the forest resources management identified;
• In close consultation with stakeholders, effective strategy to address the problems formulated based on socio-economic and biophysical conditions of the catchment area; and
• A full project proposal to implement the strategy formulated to address the problems facing the indigenous people and forest resources

The geographic area under native community ownership in Peru accounts for 17% of the country’s total forest area. However, these areas are currently affected by the impacts of illegal timber logging and trade and other negative factors that seriously threaten not only the conservation of the potential of these resources but also the survival of these indigenous peoples, who are amongst the poorest and most vulnerable communities in the country.

This proposal envisages contributing towards the sustainable development of Amazon indigenous peoples by outlining and implementing sustainable forest management strategies for the territories legally occupied by these communities and, more specifically, it is geared towards the participatory formulation of a project aimed at the development of sustainable community forest management in indigenous peoples’ territories of the Peruvian Amazon Region.

Main outputs are as follows:

• A study on the status of forest management by indigenous communities in the Peruvian Amazon Region; and
• A project proposal to promote forest management by native communities developed through a participatory approach and submitted to ITTO for approval.

This pre-project has been conceived as a stage in the process of development of 14 community cooperatives located along the Usumacinta River, in the Buffer Area (BA) of the south-west sector of the Lacandon Highlands National Park (Parque Nacional Sierra del Lacandón – PNSL) within the Mayan Biosphere Reserve in Peten. It is consistent with the sectoral policies of the Government of Guatemala. The main impact of the identified problems is the limited generation of economic resources to satisfy the basic needs of families in the area. Their forests have a wide diversity of timber and non-timber species, but because of the way these resources are harvested and marketed, the incomes derived from them are limited. Thus, there is a high risk that forest protection and sustainable forest management may be discontinued, converting forests to other production activities of lesser economic value such as traditional agricultural practices and extensive cattle-raising, among others. The pre-project will identify current problems in the sustainable forest management process and outline possible solutions to ensure effective integration between sustainable forest management and local industrial development. The potential solutions to be identified in this pre-project will be outlined in a full project proposal, including improvement of the production capacity of natural forests through intensified silvicultural treatments (fire prevention and management), improved utilisation of lesser-used species, promotion of non-timber forest products, assisted natural regeneration, plantations and reforestation activities, and timber processing and marketing. The pre-project will be an appropriate mechanism for the gathering of information to consolidate the problem identification and project formulation processes.

This project proposal is the main output of Pre-project PPD 86/03 Rev. 1 (F) “Formulation of a Sustainable Forest Management Project for the Production Forest Area in the Northern and North-Eastern Regions of the Department of Antioquia, Colombia”.

The project envisages achieving sustainable forest management in a forest area covering the 277,123 hectares of the Magdalena Medio Forest Reserve situated in the municipalities of Nechí, El Bagre, Zaragoza, Segovia and Remedios, in Antioquia. Overall, it aims to contribute towards the integrated socioeconomic development and environmental protection of the North and Northeast Regions of the Department of Antioquia. More specifically, it intends to launch a participatory forest management process to foster the rational use of production forests and environmental protection with a view to reaching a consensus-based vision among key stakeholders regarding the use and sustainable management of the Magdalena Medio Forest Reserve. To this end, the project will develop and implement a Management Plan for the Reserve, train forest workers, forest owners, loggers, assistants and carriers, and support the strengthening of local forest organisations, as well as providing awareness-raising services regarding the advantages of forest management certification.

The main outputs expected, amongst others, are:

• A consensus-based vision amongst all stakeholders for the integrated management of natural resources in the region developed;
• A forest management regulation plan developed and implemented for 277,123 hectares of forest lands in accordance with the new 2006 Forestry Law; and
• Efficient forest harvesting systems by most forest operators adopted.

The project will build on the achievements of projects PD 45/97 Rev.1 (F)”On-site training of tropical foresters and forestry trainers” and PD 206/03 (F) “Development of human resources in sustainable forest management and reduced impact logging in the Brazilian Amazon” implemented by the Insituto Floresta Tropical (IFT). Under these projects, training activities were conducted mainly for industrial forest enterprises and more recently for community forestry initiatives.

The objective of this project is to further promote sustainable multiple-use forest management on public and private forests in the Brazilian Amazon while increasing the socioeconomic and conservation benefits of forest management activities. More specifically, it aims to: i) Strengthen the technical capacity of new Brazilian Forest Service and state agency officials responsible for promoting, regulating, and supervising forest management activities on federal, state, and private lands in the Brazilian Amazon; ii) Raise awareness about the role of forest management (FM) in the sustainable development of the Brazilian Amazon and promote good FM practices through educational outreach that targets forest sector stakeholders with a particular emphasis in the new Sustainable Forestry District along the BR 163 Highway, and iii) Increase the adoption of good forest management practices by communities, concessionaires, and other producers as well as foresters in the Brazilian Amazon—with a particular emphasis in the Sustainable Forestry District near the BR 163—through practical training.

Expected project outputs are as follows:

• 40 persons trained in sustainable forest management and reduced impact logging;
• awareness about forest management as an economic activity increased for 480 people, including forest producers, rural farmers, contractors and forest enterprises representatives;
• 36 people trained in SFM and RIL;
• two demonstration areas on SFM and RIL established;
• Increased technical capacity of forest concessionaires, technical staff and operators in three concessions in execution in the states of Acre, Mato Grosso and Rondonia;
• 12 instructors of other training centers with enhanced specialist skills and competences; and
• Increased technical capacity of other actors in the Legal Amazon.

The Government of Brazil is undertaking major structural strategic changes in order to improve and consolidate sustainable management of its Amazon forests. The National Forest Program has been developed in order to implement this strategy, and establishes on the one hand that timber processing operations must be based on sustainable sources and on the other hand that degraded areas must be rehabilitated. In this connection, a target of 630,000 ha of plantation per year has been established, with as a priority the involvement of small and medium size land owners and local communities.

The project will build on the results of pre-project PPD 3/92 Rev.1 (F)”Integrated Forest Project for the Production of Seedlings in Para State – Feasibility Study” which highlighted that all regions are facing an acute deficit of seeds and seedlings in quantity and quality. The Pre-project also analyzed an initiative by the Para State Timber Exporting Association (AIMEX) which had established a nursery and a laboratory for seeds processing. It was found that this facility has limitations in terms of capacity and equipment for seeds production.

The objective of this project is to strengthen this existing laboratory facility in order to promote plantation activities in the State of Para with the involvement of small and medium size land owners and local communities. The latter will benefit from the project through training, income generated from seeds collection activities and employment in plantation establishment. The private sector will also benefit from the availability of good quality planting materials allowing them meet, inter alia, their legal obligations to establish timber plantations. The main outputs of the project include:

• Laboratory re-structured to meet the demand for seeds and seedlings,
• Community organization trained in seed collection,
• Nursery expanded for an effective production of 200,000 seedlings, and
• Seedling orchard maintained for future production of good quality seedlings.

Côte d’Ivoire is experiencing a severe forest degradation for several decades, and its consequences have become a permanent cause for concern among Côte d’Ivoire authorities. Faced with this situation, significant reforms undertaken by the national Government have resulted in the development of the 1988 Forest Master Plan (Plan Directeur Forestier, PDF) covering the years 1988-2015. Unfortunately, reforestation objectives set for a number of years in several national plans have not been attained for selected species (Obéché, African Mahogany and Tiokoué) due in part to the problem of both the quality and quantity of improved plant stock.

The project will contribute to the diversification of tree plantation species in Côte d’Ivoire through the establishment of a programme of cloning and seedling production technique improvement aimed at accelerating the development of Obéché, African Mahogany and Tiokoué industrial plantations. Specifically, it intends to develop strategies to ensure a regular supply of selected and improved plant stock of Obéché, African Mahogany and Tiokoué for reforestation programmes.

Expected outputs are:

• Clone breeding of Obéché initiated;
• Borer-resistant genotypes of African mahogany selected and cuttings produced; and
• Tiokoué propagation by cuttings is operational.

This project proposal was developed in response to the recommendations of the ITTO Technical Mission to Panama in August 2004 which, among others, emphasised the importance of replicating in other Emberá-Wounaan Territory communities the Responsible Forest Management and Trade Model developed by WWF in the Tupiza river communities. Overall, the project seeks to increase the national timber volume for processing and marketing of forest products derived from sustainably managed forests in the Emberá-Wounaan Indigenous Territory, destined for domestic and international markets, and increase Panama's GDP as a result. At the same time, it also aims to increase the competitiveness of the forest sector in Panama by ensuring the supply of raw forest timber materials from well-managed forests, with the involvement of community groups organised as enterprises and businesses.

Moreover, the strategy of this project is to strengthen the capacity and knowledge of indigenous communities in Darien to manage forest lands within their territory with a view towards reversing the ever decreasing trend in the supply of raw material from natural tropical forests and the practices that lead to illegal logging and degradation of forest ecosystems in the Darién region of Panama.

Major outputs are as follows:

• Two community blocks demarcated for the development of forest management plans in the Tuqueza and Chucunaque river communities, covering 30,000 and 15,000 hectares respectively;
• Two community forest enterprises set up with equal involvement of participating communities and legal capacity obtained by the enterprises;
• Two inventories, two general management plans and two environmental impact assessments developed for each block in the Tuqueza and Chucunaque river communities;
• Two forest harvesting operations implemented, with production estimated at 25,000 cubic metres;
• Marketing of 25,000 cubic metres of timber from two operational plans in the Darién communities; and
• A strategy designed for the National Environmental Authority so as to minimise the adverse effects of illegal logging as well as a follow-up plan for the project.

Eaglewood plays an important role in gaining foreign exchange and as a source of income for people living in around and inside the forest in Indonesia. However, at the mean time, its production has declined rapidly, due to lack of technology and limited dissemination of the inoculation technology. If no serious action to be taken, Eaglewood production would not be sustained. As a consequence, pressure on the natural forest will increase significantly.

This proposal is aimed at introducing inoculation technology to forest communities living in and around on the forest area. The inoculation technology will accelerate and promote Eaglewood productivity in the natural forest. Dissemination of the technology will be carried out by establishing sample plots in two places, i.e. West Kalimantan and a forestry research site in Banten province, covering a total area of 100 hectares. It is expected that artificial inoculums in large scale will improve communities’ welfare and at the end reduce the pressure on the forest.

Activities of the project include cultivation technique, plantation trial plot, inoculum’s production, artificial inducement and training for forest dweller. The most important benefits of the proposed project are increasing welfare of forest dwellers and local farmers, and boost foreign exchange earning that contributes to local and national income.

Available forest fire statistics indicate that annually, more than 3000 forest fires occur in the tropical regions of China damaging more than 10,000 hectares of forest areas. The high forest fire occurrence can be attributed to the insufficient fire prevention capability, which in turn is due to the lack of adequate mechanisms for fire detection and monitoring as well as for forest fire data collection, management and information dissemination.
The project is aimed at reducing the frequency of forest fires and forest losses from fire, strengthening forest protection and accelerating the sustainable development and utilization of tropical forests in China. Its specific objectives are: a) to improve forest fire monitoring and fire danger forecasting in the experimental and demonstration area in Guangdong Province; b) to promote forest fire management at the provincial, district and county levels through the establishment of TropFireMAS (Tropical Forest Fire Monitoring and Management System Based on Satellite Remote Sensing Data in China) and through demonstrations and technical training.
The main outputs of the project are:
• TropFire MAS is established and operational;
• Operation and application of TropFire MAS are demonstrated;
• Technical training is conducted;
• Public education and training on fire prevention are conducted;
• Technical Reports on TropFireMAS are published and disseminated.

This project seeks to promote the sustainable development of the wood-based industry in South Kalimantan, Indonesia, where most of the largest scale wood-based factories in Indonesia are located in. A study showed that the wood-based industry in South Kalimantan have faced with short supply of raw material, low processing efficiency and weak marketing. In addition, government agencies responsible for providing raw material-related policies have been in failure in promoting the sustainability of the forestry sector in South Kalimantan. There is, therefore, an urgent need to revitalize the wood-based industries with an integrated master plan for the development of a sustainable wood-based industry in South Kalimantan.

The specific objective of the project is to develop a comprehensive master plan for the sustainable development of the wood-based industry in South Kalimantan. One of the project strategies is to build on the findings and recommendations derived from ITTO project PD 85/01 Rev.2 (I) “Strategies for the Development of Sustainable Wood-based Industries in Indonesia” which was implemented for 2002-2004 by the Forestry Research and Development Agency, Ministry of Forestry, Indonesia. It is expected that upon project completion, a large number of people in the wood-based industry and relevant agencies involved in the forestry sector, including local forestry authorities, will benefit from reliable information on the current status of the wood-based industry, and a long-term plan which will facilitate the development of a flourishing wood-based industry in South Kalimantan from sustainable sources.

Essential eucalyptus oils constitute a high value-added non-timber product. Current research work conducted in Congo by the Multi-disciplinary Food and Nutrition Research Team (Equipe Pluridisciplinaire de Recherche sur l’Alimentation et la Nutrition - EPRAN) of the Marien Ngouabi University in collaboration with the University of Clermont-Ferrand, France, have shown that essential oils from Eucalyptus citriodora extracted in Congo do possess qualities that could make them competitive on the international market : relatively high oil concentrations (over 5% dry matter) and no less than 90% citronellal contents (valuable essential and medicinal oils). Current international market prices for these oils are around US$ 400/kg. This means an opportunity for the Government to help rural communities raise their incomes under Governmental poverty-alleviation policies targeting rural areas.

The project aims at Contributing to poverty alleviation in rural areas through the value-added processing of non-timber forest products such as essential oils of eucalyptus citriodora, and fulfilling the Government’s commitment to develop community and private forest plantations.

PNG is committed to achieving sustainable management of its forest resources. Over the years, PNGFA has developed and implemented forest laws and policies to assist in attaining the objectives of sustainable forest management (SFM). However, weak forest law enforcement, including the lack of effective monitoring of forestry operations due to inadequate local capacity, is undermining the efforts of the PNGFA to achieve SFM to meet the requirements of some of its key markets. This problem has been highlighted consistently in recent years in reports by several international and local environmental non-governmental organisations (ENGOs). A cost effective forest law enforcement regime, complemented by enhanced capacity building for monitoring forestry activities, is now required to assure PNG’s markets of the legality of the sources of its timbers, as well as ensure the on going effective implementation of PNG’s forest laws, regulations and policies to support its sustainable forest management strategies.

The project aims to enhance forest law enforcement and adequately support Papua New Guinea’s SFM activities by:

• developing and implementing a cost-effective timber products tracking and chain of custody verification system, appropriate to the needs of the forestry sector in PNG;
• establishing a database on forest law enforcement, to assist in better monitoring forestry operations to detect illegal activities;
• enhancing the monitoring of forestry laws, policies and regulations to address illegal activities;
• developing and implementing standards including industry code of conduct for legal forestry activities consistent with the principles and guidelines of Forestry, Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade (FLEGT); and
• enhancing capacity building for forest law enforcement among the key stakeholders.

Using external (international) and domestic (national) expertise, the major outputs from the project will be:

• a cost-effective timber products tracking and chain of custody verification system;
• a database for monitoring illegal forestry activities;
• standards for legality and industry code of conduct; and
• stakeholder training in forest law enforcement based on FLEG principles and guidelines.

This project was formulated pursuant to ITTC Decision 4(XXIX) in order to develop a framework of cooperation between ITTO and ATO for the promotion and application of ATO/ITTO principles, criteria and indicators (PCI) for the sustainable management of African forests, which could eventually lead to credible assessment and certification systems. The specific objectives of the project are to establish key elements of adequate capacity:

(i) to implement ATO/ITTO PCI at national level in the African Member countries of ITTO.
(ii) for effective regional-level cooperation through the ATO to support individual Member countries to implement the ATO/ITTO PCI.

Under Phase I of the project, the draft ATO/ITTO PCI were drafted for endorsement by both organizations and some 160 relevant forestry staff in 7 countries were trained in their implementation. An auditing framework for African forests was also developed. More than 100 trainers were trained to conduct audits based on the ATO/ITTO PCI at the forest management unit level. National PCI/certification standards were developed in 5 countries, collection of data on PCI was undertaken in 9 countries, improvement of national monitoring/auditing frameworks commenced in all 10 African producer countries, and ATO’s advisory and dissemination capacity in relation to PCI was enhanced.

Phase II Stage 1 is now on-going and will continue efforts to extend all of these activities to all ITTO producer members in Africa. Phase II Stage 2 will result in all 10 countries having nationally agreed and internationally accepted C&I/auditing frameworks.

Los manglares de Panamá constituyen aproximadamente el 5,6% de la cobertura boscosa del país, lo que representa unas 170.000 hectáreas localizadas en su mayor parte en la costa del Pacífico. Estos bosques de mangle son sometidos a constantes presiones que ocasionan su deterioro y destrucción, principalmente por la acuicultura, la agricultura y la ganadería, así como la extracción de productos forestales. La propuesta se basa en los resultados del proyecto PD 128/91 Rev.2 (F): “Manejo, conservación y desarrollo de manglares en Panamá”.

El objetivo de este proyecto es asegurar la conservación y manejo sostenible de 4.000 hectáreas de manglares en la costa panameña del Pacífico y ejecutar actividades de recuperación en 1.250 hectáreas de áreas degradadas para mantener la contribución de este ecosistema al bienestar de la sociedad panameña, especialmente las comunidades que dependen directamente de este recurso natural.

Los resultados previstos en el proyecto son los siguientes:

· 4.000 hectáreas de manglar seleccionadas y bajo ordenamiento y aprovechamiento sostenible sobre la base de un plan de manejo;
· Capacitación de comunidades dependientes de manglares y uso de técnicas de manejo y aprovechamiento sostenible;
· 1.300.000 plantones de mangle y otras especies forestales de usos múltiples producidos por los viveros comunitarios;
· 600 hectáreas de bosque de mangle restauradas mediante prácticas de enriquecimiento y reforestación con especies de mangle; y
· 650 hectáreas de tierras forestales degradadas adjudicadas para prácticas agroforestales y la reforestación con especies forestales de usos múltiples.

El gobierno central de China así como los gobiernos locales de las regiones tropicales del país han dedicado grandes esfuerzos a mejorar la ordenación de los bosques tropicales, lo que ha llevado a un aumento en la cobertura boscosa. Sin embargo, la degradación, fragmentación y modificación de bosques sigue teniendo lugar por diversos motivos, inclusive la falta de información de los interesados sobre los paisajes forestales tropicales, la ausencia de un mecanismo para que estos interesados participen en las decisiones relativas al manejo forestal, la pobreza, la falta de actividades de demostración y métodos apropiados, la ausencia de incentivos financieros para la restauración del paisaje forestal y una política nacional deficiente.

Este proyecto está orientado a fomentar la restauración del paisaje, la ordenación sostenible de los bosques tropicales y el desarrollo sustentable de la región tropical de China. Sus objetivos específicos son: i) brindar capacitación y fomentar la aplicación del manual de la OIMT para la restauración del paisaje forestal en el trópico de China; y ii) demostrar y difundir la aplicación del Manual de la OIMT sobre la restauración del paisaje forestal en la región tropical de China.

Los principales resultados previstos en el proyecto son los siguientes:

· Capacitación sobre el manual de la OIMT para la restauración del paisaje tropical;
· Control y evaluación de la aplicación del manual de la OIMT en el condado de Lingshui;
· Elaboración de un plan para la restauración del paisaje forestal (RPF) en el condado de Lingshui;
· Establecimiento y administración de tres parcelas de demostración para la RPF en el condado de Lingshui;
· Actividades de capacitación y divulgación relacionadas con la aplicación del manual de la OIMT; y
· Publicación y difusión de informes técnicos del proyecto.

Los manglares y otros bosques de litoral proveen medios de sustento para las comunidades que viven en ellos y zonas aledañas y protegen las áreas costeras de tsunamis y otros desastres naturales, tales como ciclones, tifones, inundaciones y erosión. Sin embargo, actualmente no se cuenta con manuales o directrices para la restauración de los manglares u otra vegetación de litoral dañada por tsunamis u otros desastres naturales.

Este anteproyecto busca contribuir a la seguridad de las poblaciones que viven en las zonas costeras de la región de Asia y el Pacífico protegiéndolas de los desastres naturales mediante la rehabilitación y ordenación sostenible de los manglares y otros bosques de litoral. Su objetivo específico es revaluar el papel y las funciones que desempeñan los manglares y bosques de litoral en la mitigación de desastres naturales en la región de Asia y el Pacífico y ayudar a los países de la región a facilitar los esfuerzos de rehabilitación orientados a reducir los daños que podrían causar estos desastres naturales en el futuro.

Los principales resultados previstos en el anteproyecto son los siguientes:

. Compilación y publicación del informe científico de una reunión regional;
. Compilación y publicación de un manual exhaustivo con directrices prácticas sobre la restauración de manglares y otros bosques de litoral en la región de Asia y el Pacífico; y
. Preparación de una nueva propuesta de proyecto para la rehabilitación y ordenación sostenible de manglares y otros bosques de litoral dañados por desastres naturales en la región de Asia y el Pacífico.

Este proyecto se formuló conforme a la Decisión 4(XXIX) del Consejo con el fin de establecer un marco de cooperación entre la OIMT y la OAM para promover y aplicar los principios, criterios e indicadores (PCI) de ambas organizaciones con miras a la ordenación sostenible de los bosques africanos, lo que en un futuro podría conducir al establecimiento de sistemas confiables de evaluación y certificación forestal. El objetivo específico del proyecto es desarrollar la capacidad necesaria para:

(i) poner en práctica los PCI de OAM/OIMT a nivel nacional en los países africanos miembros de la OIMT.
(ii) establecer una cooperación eficaz a nivel regional a través de la OAM con el fin de apoyar a los distintos países miembros en la aplicación de los PCI de OAM/OIMT.

Durante la Fase I del proyecto, se preparó una versión preliminar de los PCI de OAM/OIMT para su ratificación por ambas organizaciones y se capacitaron unos 160 miembros del personal forestal de siete países. Asimismo, se estableció un marco de auditoría para los bosques africanos. Se capacitó también a más de cien instructores para llevar a cabo las inspecciones sobre la base de los PCI de OAM/OIMT a nivel de la unidad de ordenación forestal. Por otra parte, se elaboraron normas de certificación/PCI en cinco países, se recopilaron datos sobre PCI en nueve países, se inició el perfeccionamiento de los marcos nacionales de control y auditoría en los diez países productores de África, y se mejoró la capacidad de asesoramiento y difusión de la OAM en materia de PCI.

Actualmente, se está llevando a cabo la Etapa 1 de la Fase II, en la que se continuarán los esfuerzos por extender todas estas actividades a todos los miembros productores de la OIMT en África. En el futuro, si se financian y ejecutan la Etapa 2 de la Fase II y la Fase III del proyecto, los diez países contarán con marcos de C&I y auditoría acordados a nivel nacional y aceptados en el plano internacional, los cuales servirán de base para el proceso de certificación independiente en los países que lo deseen o necesiten.

Si bien el nivel de tala ilegal en Guyana probablemente no sea tan alto como en otros países, tiene un impacto importante en la economía relativamente pequeña y en desarrollo del país, además de tener consecuencias ambientales y socioculturales.

Dos de las principales razones de la deficiente detección de la tala ilegal y otras actividades ilegítimas son: a) la extensión y el limitado acceso del territorio forestal, que es difícil de controlar eficazmente; y b) un sistema manual de rastreo de maderas que es propenso a errores y no facilita la rápida transferencia de información y datos.

El proyecto propuesto abordará estos dos problemas, a) estableciendo un SIG integrado y dinámico que incorporará análisis de imágenes satelitales, indicadores de ilegalidad y una base de datos sobre la legalidad; y b) creando un sistema de rastreo de trozas con códigos de barras que se incorporará a una base de datos central vinculada a una red nacional. De este modo, se permitirá la transferencia de datos en tiempo casi real y se dispondrá de información de control para el organismo regulador y los operadores del sector privado.

El resultado previsto en el proyecto es un entorno propicio para una drástica mejora en la detección de la tala ilegal y otras actividades ilegítimas en el bosque, en tránsito y en el punto de venta. Se prevé que la mejor detección de las actividades ilegales servirá de elemento de disuasión y llevará a una pronunciada reducción de los casos de actividad ilegal. Los efectos positivos secundarios de este proceso se percibirán en la economía nacional, las comunidades locales y el entorno forestal.

Este proyecto es un resultado del anteproyecto PPD 93/04 (M): “Análisis de la situación actual y desarrollo de una propuesta de proyecto para el fortalecimiento del Centro de Información y Estadísticas Forestales en Honduras”.

El proyecto tiene como propósito fortalecer el CENTRO DE INFORMACIÓN Y ESTADÍSTICAS FORESTALES – CIEF de la Administración Forestal del Estado – Corporación Hondureña de Desarrollo Forestal (AFE-COHDEFOR), mediante el establecimiento de un sistema integral de información y estadísticas forestales que incremente la contribución y valoración del subsector forestal en el desarrollo social, económico y ambiental del país, reforzando la capacidad local, regional e institucional. El proyecto estandarizará e integrará las metodologías, procedimientos e instrumentos para la recopilación, almacenamiento, análisis y difusión de información en las siguientes áreas temáticas: Desarrollo Económico, Áreas Protegidas y Vida Silvestre, Sistema Social Forestal, Protección Forestal y Ambiental, Auditoría Técnica, y Administración Gerencial. Se espera producir un sistema integral sobre una base de datos de estadísticas forestales y espaciales con interfases Windows y Web. Se proporcionará capacitación para el personal responsable del establecimiento y funcionamiento del sistema y para los usuarios del mismo, trabajando en alianzas entre instituciones públicas y privadas y organizaciones gremiales/profesionales. Se establecerá además una plataforma tecnológica que respalde el sistema en los aspectos informáticos y de telecomunicaciones.

En este proyecto de tres años se extenderán y desarrollarán los resultados del proyecto PD 52/99 Rev.2 (I): “Desarrollo y difusión de tecnologías de preservación de maderas tropicales de plantaciones”, que contribuyó al establecimiento de una base preliminar de conocimientos y tecnologías para el desarrollo de una industria de preservación de maderas ecológicamente racional en China Meridional. La importancia de contar con una industria adecuada de preservación de maderas ha sido reconocida por los principales interesados de China Meridional, ya que la madera tratada con preservadores puede aumentar la vida útil de los productos derivados.

El proyecto está orientado a desarrollar tecnologías de preservación de maderas ecológicamente racionales y establecer un sistema de control de productos de madera tratada en China Meridional con el fin de asegurar el uso eficiente de las maderas de plantaciones. Asimismo, el proyecto se concentrará en el establecimiento de una planta de demostración para maderas tratadas con preservadores en China Meridional a fin de aumentar la seguridad y el control de calidad en lo que respecta a preservadores de madera. Al finalizar el proyecto, se anticipa que el sistema de control de productos de madera tratada se encontrará instalado y en funcionamiento, y el Instituto de Investigación Forestal de Guangdong podrá prestar servicios a la industria maderera de China Meridional como centro tecnológico líder en la región.

El objetivo de este proyecto es organizar una conferencia internacional con el fin de evaluar el estado actual de la investigación y desarrollo, innovaciones y otros avances tecnológicos en las industrias forestales y madereras del mundo, y determinar políticas y estrategias para aumentar aún más el grado de innovación y su asimilación para mejorar constantemente la sustentabilidad y competitividad de las industrias forestales y madereras. La conferencia brindará asimismo una oportunidad para desarrollar las alianzas estratégicas y de cooperación existentes, así como para establecer otras nuevas con el fin de facilitar la transferencia de tecnología y conocimientos. La conferencia incluirá una sesión especial sobre maderas tropicales. Se prevé que el proyecto producirá dos resultados principales:

· las actas de la conferencia con la descripción del estado actual de innovación de la industria a nivel mundial, así como los últimos avances en materia de conocimientos, productos y procesos; y
· el establecimiento de nuevas alianzas de cooperación, que podrían facilitar la constante innovación y su adopción y transferencia a través del sector de la industria a nivel mundial.

El objetivo de este anteproyecto es determinar las necesidades de capacitación de la industria de carpintería de construcción en Filipinas. Específicamente, se busca determinar el nivel técnico actual de la industria y compararlo con el nivel requerido para conseguir trabajo/empleo. Los beneficiarios del proyecto serán las asociaciones de carpinteros y las pequeñas y medianas empresas dedicadas a la carpintería de construcción que no se encuentran afiliadas a ninguna asociación de la industria. Se procurará la contribución de las asociaciones industriales y los organismos del gobierno relacionados con el desarrollo de recursos humanos para la formulación de normas y la identificación de necesidades de capacitación.

This 3 month pre-project will collect all information necessary to define the structure, form, and content of a national project for a training and demonstration program to promote the adoption of Reduced Impact Logging (RIL).

The Government of Papua New Guinea (PNG) recognizes the need to strengthen its oversight of the natural forest administration and to improve the performance of medium to large-scale forest management companies. Fundamental to this basic recognition is the need to develop and implement a training program focused on improving industrial scale forest operations in order to strengthen capacity to manage the natural forests of PNG according to principles of sustainability. It is proposed that this will be achieved through the promotion, training, and demonstration of a strategy widely referred to as Reduced Impact Logging (RIL).

At this stage, there is insufficient information available to allow for the development of a credible, major proposal in support of a national RIL training program. This pre-project will facilitate the development of a full ITTO Project Proposal for a national promotion, training, and demonstration program for RIL, aimed at improving the capacity and performance of the country’s medium to large scale forest companies.

Most parts of the Central Province of PNG is covered by natural eucalyptus savannah forests. Over the years, the contributing effects of fires, human encroachment, fuel wood and timber exploitations have reduced these forests to grassland and barren areas of little economic benefits to the local people. This pre-project is aimed at developing forest plantations on degraded grassland areas to supply timber and relieve pressure on remaining natural forests. Its specific objective is to develop baseline information for framing strategies for plantations on degraded areas under Joint Venture Agreements (JVA) with customary landowners.

The expected outputs of the pre-project are:

• Two demonstration areas selected;
• Baseline information on the selected areas acquired;
• Feasibility of commercial plantation on degraded grasslands demonstrated; and
• Joint Venture Agreement with customary landowners formulated.
• A full report proposal entitled “Promotion of Reforestation of Tropical Savannah Grassland based on Joint Venture Agreements with Customary Landowners” formulated.

Around 70 to 80,000 hectares of forests are put to shifting cultivation every year leading to severe degradation of forest in the Tripura State. Unless the problem of shifting cultivation is tackled by proper and permanent settlement of Tribals, the forests of the State cannot be managed sustainably. Although the State Government had attempted to settle the Tribals through various schemes, the results are so far not satisfactory and an effective scheme is yet to be identified.

The pre-project is aimed at rehabilitating and sustainably managing the forest areas affected by shifting cultivation and improving the socio-economic condition of the affected community. Its specific objectives are: i) to formulate a full-fledged project proposal to support sustainable management and rehabilitation of degraded forests, and ii) to collect information on the socio-economic situation of the shifting cultivator community and nature and extent of shifting cultivation in Tripura State of India.

The main outputs expected are:

• Study reports on socio-economic situation of the shifting cultivators and nature and extent of the shifting cultivation;
• A project proposal on sustainable forestry and community development through rationalization of shifting cultivation fully formulated; and
• Study tours to selected countries to see the resettlement of tribal people and its planning processes and other examples conducted.

The Forest Administration of Cambodia is the main player, with relevant institutions and international agencies, of actions in the prevention, suppression and reporting of all types of illegal forest activities that have contributed to the loss of forest cover during the last two decades. However, the capacity of the administration to perform its task is limited due to the lack of knowledge, means and financial resources.

The specific objective of this pre-project is to formulate strategies for human resource development and for upgrading the technology on law enforcement and governance in Cambodia. Its expected main outputs are: i) available information on capacity building of human resources, upgrading technology and other relevant aspects for supporting forest law enforcement and governance collected and analyzed; and ii) a project proposal on the implementation of the National FLEG Action Plan formulated.

he Department of Sanaga Maritime, Province du Littoral, Cameroon is facing a progressive forest degradation due mainly to the population growth with the subsequent related activities undertaken to the detriment of forests in general and to the mangrove forests in particular. There is a need to promote a participatory socio-economic development system ensuring a sustainable management of natural forest resources.

The pre-project aims at contributing to the conservation and sustainable management of mangrove forests in the Department of Sanaga Maritime in view of promoting an integrated local forestry economy within the framework of poverty reduction. It specifically intends to review the status of mangroves around the Reserve of Fauna of Douala/Edea in the Department of Sanaga Maritime, in order to formulate a project proposal aiming at the sustainable management of this ecosystem.

Expected outputs are:

• Report on the status of mangrove forests around the Reserve of Fauna of Douala/Edea in the Department of Sanaga Maritime prepared;
• Relevant stakeholders identified and sensitized; and
Project proposal for the conservation and sustainable management of mangrove forests around the Reserve of Fauna of Douala/Edea in the Department of Sanaga Maritime formulated and submitted to ITTO.

This one-year project aims to increase the overall contribution of the forest sector to the national economy by improving the awareness and use of lesser used species. The project will focus on gathering technological information on lesser used species; more promotion of current and potential lesser used species and training in processing techniques of these species. It is also expected that the capacity building aspect of the project would not only improve the processing techniques used for these species but also improve the quality of the product. The key beneficiaries would be: the forest industry (includes producers and manufacturers); local communities and academic forestry programmes involved in the forestry sector.

This project will build on the recommendations from the ITTO Diagnostic Mission to Guyana in 2003 and on the work already started by the Guyana Forestry Commission on the promotion of lesser used species in Guyana. The objectives of the project are also linked with a project recently approved by the ITTO on ‘Strengthening the Capacity to Market Exports of Forest Products from Guyana’.

The project aims at making lumber available to local communities that live close to the forests in Ghana to enable them benefit from timber on farmlands and forest logging residues. This, among many other things, will prevent the local communities from collaborating or cooperating with illegal chain saw operators whose activities are leading to forest degradation in Ghana. The project will be implemented by Ghanaian agencies with input of specific technical knowledge from international experts on forest mill machinery. The outputs of the project will be: evaluation of processing logging residues and trees on farmlands into products; capacity building of local communities in processing, utilization, and marketing of lumber and lumber products; determination of the livelihood impacts of the processing, utilization and marketing of lumber and lumber products; production of a manual on extraction, processing and utilization of trees on farmlands and logging residues; and identification of policy implications for the extraction, processing and utilization of logging residues and trees on farmlands.

This 2 year project aims at establishing a tropical timber laboratory accredited by an international recognized body, and to inform and train timber producers on the benefits of ensuring that their products meet quality standards for national and international markets.

Currently, processed tropical forest products in Mexico are not produced on the basis of quality criteria. Therefore, Mexican timber products are at a disadvantage both in domestic and international markets when compared to tropical timber products from other countries and this in turn contributes to the deficit in the Mexican timber trade balance. The lack of an accredited testing laboratory meeting industrial requirements to develop quality standards for tropical timber, and the lack of industrialists’ and producers’ awareness on the benefits that this kind of support would represent for their products further aggravates the trade imbalance.

To bridge this gap, the National Forestry Commission is providing support to the Institute of Ecology A.C. for the establishment of a timber product testing laboratory, which has initiated an accreditation process for a small number of tests with the relevant Mexican accreditation agency (EMA), a nationally and internationally recognised institution. However, the laboratory currently does not have the capacity to meet national tropical timber product requirements because of its limited equipment and the small number of tests being accredited. It is a priority for Mexico to strengthen the human resources and infrastructure of this laboratory so as to provide services to the national tropical timber industry in the immediate future. Similarly, it is important to provide training to tropical timber producers and industrialists to highlight and demonstrate the benefits that may be derived by ensuring product quality standards through testing in a reliable laboratory. Given the strategic location of the Institute of Ecology A.C. for the moist tropical region and the tropical timber producing states, this laboratory would be able to provide services to tropical timber industrialists and companies for the processing of panels and furniture, timber construction and preservation methods so as to offer them the possibility of certifying their products in the future.

A major obstacle to promoting certified tropical wood and verified legal tropical wood (hereafter “C/VL wood”) as a means to achieving sustainable forest management in tropical countries is the inadequate market demand for C/VL wood. Promoting and creating demand for C/VL wood are urgent tasks for Asia because it produces and consumes more tropical wood than any other region. To create such demand is especially important in Japan, one of the world’s largest importers of tropical wood.

The Project will establish a center – the “FairWood Center” – to act as a clearinghouse and a point of expertise for C/VL wood. The FairWood Center will support companies both on the demand and supply sides to trade in C/VL wood by providing attractive business-oriented environmental and social information and supporting phased approaches to boost supply.

The Project will focus on Indonesia and Malaysia as tropical timber producing countries, and the knowledge gained from the Project will be used to open the services of the FairWood Center to all producer countries.

The model developed under the Project to encourage sustainable forest management by creating demand for legal and sustainable wood products in consuming countries can be applied to other producer and consumer countries.

This project emanates from the ITTO pre-project PPD 8/98 Rev.1 (M). The purpose of the project is to implement a forest information and statistics system on the basis of a joint effort. From the technical point of view, this includes the generation of data, developing monitoring skills, the economic statistical analysis of the system and the decentralisation of processes and collection of system data from the places where primary information sources are situated.

The project will strengthen the National Forest Directorate's management and monitoring capacity through an Operational Information System for Forest Management and Monitoring; this system will be based on technological infrastructure, which will include a database to feed the system.

With regard to the Directorate’s management capacity, the project will promote active involvement of the sector in the use and generation of statistical information through the development and implementation of Ecuador's Forest Information System. The project will also foster geo-referenced data relating to the use of forest statistics through the development and implementation of a Geographic Information System. The development objective of the project is to implement a National Forest and Timber Marketing Statistics System to enable the collection, processing, recording, checking, dissemination and feedback of information generated within the Ecuadorian forest sector.

This Project is a follow-up to project PD 203/03 Rev.3 (M). It seeks to develop technological packages on 20 potential forest species using economic, technical and scientific information on the production, processing and marketing of timber products, with a view to developing user-friendly on-line training tools to guide the optimal selection of species for commercial plantations and production processes. These tools will be applied and used to train some 50 professionals related to the various phases of the production chain in commercial forest companies of 4 major forest regions of the country. Thus, the project is aimed at contributing to the strengthening of the national capacity to implement the National Forest Development Plan – PNDF, through specific programs and subprograms approved by the National Council for Economic and Social Policy – CONPES.

For the past 40 years, eucalyptus forest plantations have been established in the Republic of Congo and currently extend to a 40,000 ha area of high yield clone plantations, and extension projects to be implemented under a private or public framework are being negotiated. Eucalyptus plantations, as well as those with indigenous species like Terminalia, are a significant component of the national forest programme, by contributing to reduce the pressure on natural forests.

The objective of this project is to contribute to the sustainable management of forest resources and the reduction of poverty through the application of basic management principles in Congo’s planted forests. Specifically, it intends to develop a set of sustainable management criteria & indicators appropriate to forest plantations in Congo based on the ITTO Guidelines for the Establishment and Sustainable Management of Planted Tropical Forests.

Expected outputs of the project are:

• A report on the analysis of ITTO Guidelines for the establishment and sustainable management of planted tropical forests in the context of Congo’s plantation forests is drafted;
• The testing of ITTO Guidelines in Congo’s planted forests is conducted; and
• A set of criteria & indicators for sustainable management of Congo’s planted forests is developed and validated.

Since the promulgation of the Forest Code Law 016/01 in 2001, no community forest has been created in Gabon yet, despite the inclusion of social provisions in this Law in order to promote the involvement of rural communities in the management of forest resources through the establishment of community forests. Thus, the purpose of these provisions is far from being achieved, as the lack of resources did not allow initiating and establishing pilot/model community forests in Gabon.

The project aims at contributing to the sustainable management of the rural forest estate, organizing the village estates and combating poverty in the communities established in the rural areas through the development of community forests. The specific objectives of the project will be: (1) Establishment of three pilot community forests; (2) Development of SFM guidelines for community forests from the model community forest experiment.

Expected outputs of the projects based on the two specific objectives are:

• Local communities have supported the project and are committed to actively participate in the process;
• The simplified management plan is developed and implemented for each community forest;
• Local development is supported by the resources generated by the implementation of the simplified management plan for each community forest;
• The community forest management directives are developed;
• The community forest allocation procedure is developed;
• Enactment provisions of the Community Forest Law are adopted and published;
• A Community Forestry Support Programme is established and made operational within the DGEF; and
• The legal institutional framework is disseminated to all partners.

This project originates from the need to tackle malnutrition problem faced by communities, through the involvement of village young women’s groups in the implementation of particular reforestation activities combining a multiple nutrient-providing species with fast-growing timber species.

The objective of the project is a successful introduction, participatory promotion and widespread adoption of rural women group-based socio-economic reforestation know-how, using proven fast-growing precious timber species in conjunction with multiple nutrient-providing Moringa oleifera plant, for the benefit of disadvantaged indigenous forest dwelling people, especially young breast-feeeding women’s groups. The project has two following specific objectives: (1) the establishing and thriving of demonstration plantation made up of a minimum of 5 acres of Moringa oleifera and 10 acres of proven fast growing precious timber species, in each of the four targeted rural communities, owned and managed by the respective young mothers’ group; (2) the creation, through training, practical action and capacity building of efficient local and affordable networks for seeds for Moringa oleifera, as well as scientifically nurtured seedlings of fast-growing timber species.

Expected outputs are:

• demonstration plantation made up of a total of 20 acres of Moringa oleifera in separate stands, in four targeted rural communities, owned and managed by the respective young mothers’ group, established and thrived;
• demonstration plantation made up of a total of 40 acres of fast-growing precious timber species like Cedrella, Ofram, Wawa or Teak, in separate or mixed stands, in four targeted rural communities, owned and managed by the respective young mothers’ group, established and thrived; and
• through training, practical action and capacity building, efficient local and affordable networks for seeds for Moringa oleifera, as well as scientifically nurtured seedlings of fast-growing timber species like Cedrella, Ofram, Wawa and Teak, are created, based on agreed discussions and arrangements.

The proposed project is a follow up to the completed Pre-project PPD 56/02 Rev.1 (F) “Strengthening Central and Sub-national Institutions to Enhance Plantation Forest Development in Jambi and South Kalimantan, Indonesia”. The pre-project documented two critical problems facing plantation forests development in the two Provinces of concerned namely: i) land use conflicts between communities dwelling around the plantation forest areas with the forest companies owning the plantations; and ii) high cost of obtaining truly conflict-free lands for commercial tree planting.

This project aims to increase wood production from plantation forests to meet growing domestic and export demand for wood products thereby reducing reliance on the natural forests. Its specific objectives are: i) to develop a collaborative plantation forest management approach; and ii) to establish conditions for the adoption of the approach by stakeholders.

The expected main outputs of the project include:

• Strategy, legal framework and institutional arrangements for collaborative plantation forest management accepted by concerned stakeholders in the Provinces of Jambi and South Kalimantan;
• Demonstration areas for the collaborative plantation forest management selected and endorsed by concerned stakeholders in the Provinces of Jambi and South Kalimantan;
• The local communities and forest companies in the Provinces of Jambi and South Kalimantan enabled to adopt the collaborative plantation forest management approach;
• 10 farmers well trained in establishing a small nursery and mass producing planting materials of selected tree species;
• 50 farmers surrounding the project sites well trained in planting and maintaining of selected species;
• 100 Ha of demonstration area of collaborative plantation forest management established in each of the two Provinces; and
• 10 local villagers trained in financial arrangement and management.
• Contractual arrangements adopted for the involvement of local stakeholders as project partner.

This project proposal is a follow up to completed Pre-project PPD 87/03 Rev.2 (F) “Identification of Gonystylus Spp. (Ramin) Potency, Distribution, Conservation and Plantation Barrier”. The pre-project reported that the key problems facing the ramin forests in Sumatra and Kalimantan are unsustainable methods of harvesting, rampant illegal logging, slow progress in rehabilitation and plantation, insufficient natural regeneration, poor implementation of the requirements of Appendix III of CITES, poor land use planning and frequent forest fires.

The project is aimed at contributing to the prevention of further loss and sustainable management of ramin forests in Indonesia. Its specific objectives are: i) to improve silvicultural techniques for ramin conservation and plantation development; and ii) to enhance institutional capacity to implement CITES rules and procedures.

The main outputs expected are:

• High quality planting materials propagated;
• Appropriate plantation techniques developed;
• Institutional and human resources capacity to implement the CITES regulations on ramin strengthened; and
• Rules and regulations on ramin conservation and plantation development including harvest protocols improved.

This 8-month pre-project will assess the opportunities for the utilization of plantation teak (Tectona grandis) at different ages and sizes with a view to formulating a project proposal for the promotion of downstream processing and utilization for plantation teak. It has been reported that quality products are being made from plantation teak in many tropical countries such as Brazil, Costa Rica, Ghana, India, Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand. There is a need to promote downstream processing of plantation teak in Myanmar so as to increase the contribution to the national economy through exporting plantation teak products. The pre-project will also organize and convene a regional workshop to disseminate the results of the pre-project and define the project proposal for promotion of value-added products of plantation teak in key teak producing countries in ASEAN.

This 4-month pre-project seeks to promote the development of value-adding processes for small-diameter teak logs harvested from community forests. A study on teak plantations managed by local communities showed the major shortcomings of these plantations such as much shorter rotations (no more than 20 years) and lack of proper silviculture practices. Teak logs produced by local communities have shorter stems, inferior mechanical properties, and lower durability due to the absence and/or lower proportion of heartwood. In order to address these technical constraints, the pre-project aims at collecting baseline data and relevant information on community-based teak plantations and utilization of community-based plantation teak in Java and eastern Indonesia. Based on the results of the pre-project study, a full project proposal aiming at the development of value-adding process for short-rotation, small-diameter community teak plantations will be formulated.

Esta propuesta constituye la primera versión corregida del proyecto PD 376/05 (F,M) e incorpora las recomendaciones del trigésimo grupo de expertos.

Los beneficios de los recursos arbóreos fuera del bosque (RAFB) en Tailandia no son sustentables debido a diversas causas, incluso un desconocimiento de la cantidad y la dinámica de estos recursos, la creciente explotación descontrolada de los mismos, las invasiones del bosque, las actividades de tala ilegal y la extracción no regulada de productos forestales no maderables en los bosques naturales. Si no se abordan todos estos problemas, la cobertura y diversidad de los RAFB en las tierras forestales continuará disminuyendo y se reducirán los beneficios provistos por los RAFB y otros recursos naturales, lo que en el futuro podría provocar el deterioro general de la economía de la madera y los medios de sustento de la población rural del país.

Este proyecto busca contribuir al desarrollo sostenible de RAFBs para brindar un máximo de beneficios socioeconómicos y culturales a las comunidades rurales de Tailandia. Su objetivo específico es establecer y promover medidas para producir información de control e inventarios básicos fácilmente accesibles y actualizados de la cobertura, diversidad y abundancia de los RAFB, con el fin de respaldar las decisiones nacionales relativas a políticas sobre el manejo sostenible de estos recursos así como la planificación del uso de tierras y el desarrollo económico a nivel de sub-distrito.

Los principales resultados previstos en el proyecto incluyen los siguientes:

• definición de usos y formaciones de RAFBs;
• implantación de un sistema de información de control e inventarios de RAFBs; y
• promoción del sistema de información de control e inventarios de RAFBs y su manejo sostenible.

Este proyecto es el resultado del anteproyecto PPD 30/01 Rev.1 (F): "Estudio y demostración de la ordenación de bosques secundarios en regiones tropicales con el fin de aumentar los beneficios económicos y ecológicos", en el que se documentó la década de descuido de los bosques tropicales secundarios (BTS) en China debido al bajo valor económico y ecológico adjudicado a los mismos. Este proyecto está orientado a acelerar el proceso de ordenación forestal sostenible mediante un mejor manejo de los bosques tropicales secundarios en China. Sus objetivos específicos son: i) establecer bosques de demostración en dos provincias seleccionadas para el estudio y la demostración del manejo de BTS, que incluyan árboles plantados y productos forestales no maderables; y ii) capacitar al personal forestal y a las comunidades en técnicas de rehabilitación de BTS y publicar y difundir los resultados del proyecto.

Este proyecto constituye un seguimiento del proyecto PD 10/97 Rev.1 (F): "Modelo de ordenación sostenible en el bosque tropical de Iwokrama", finalizado en abril de 2004. Dos resultados importantes de este proyecto fueron el inventario forestal a nivel de manejo y el estudio sobre comercialización y utilización. Sobre la base de esta información, el proyecto pudo completar el estudio de factibilidad técnico-económica y el texto preliminar del plan de ordenación forestal sostenible.

El nuevo proyecto busca: i) manejar el área de manera que se maximicen los ingresos netos de la producción sostenible de productos y servicios forestales, desarrollando al mismo tiempo las oportunidades de empleo y capacitación a nivel local y ofreciendo programas de desarrollo de capacidad y transferencia de tecnología para las comunidades amerindias; y ii) demostrar, mediante un proceso eficaz de seguimiento, cómo este enfoque está produciendo beneficios ecológicos, económicos y sociales a largo plazo para las comunidades en el ámbito local, nacional e internacional.

El objetivo general de este proyecto es contribuir a la conservación y uso sustentable de los manglares y selvas inundables costeras en el Golfo de México. Más específicamente, el proyecto busca desarrollar criterios con las comunidades locales para el ordenamiento de manglares y selvas inundables en la planicie costera central de Veracruz, México. Entre otras cosas, se pondrán en práctica proyectos productivos piloto para el uso sustentable de manglares y selvas inundables costeras.

Esta propuesta es la segunda versión corregida del proyecto PD 35/05 (F) e incorpora las recomendaciones del vigésimo noveno y trigésimo grupo de expertos.

El proceso acelerado de deforestación en el trópico mexicano hizo que las autoridades del sector forestal promovieran actividades de reforestación y plantaciones comerciales, principalmente a través de dos ambiciosos programas con la participación de las comunidades locales: PRONARE y PRODEPLAN, como una medida para aumentar la cobertura boscosa, reducir la presión sobre los bosques naturales y abastecer a la industria forestal. Las principales especies utilizadas en estos programas son cedro rojo (Cedrela odorata) y caoba (Swietenia macrophylla), que lamentablemente son susceptibles a los ataques de barrenadores de meliáceas, los cuales ponen en riesgo el éxito de los programas y desalientan a las comunidades locales que participan en los mismos.

El objetivo general de este proyecto es lograr la producción sostenible de maderas tropicales en México mediante el desarrollo y la implementación de un sistema de control integrado de las plagas que limitan el establecimiento de plantaciones de cedro y caoba en el trópico mexicano. Más específicamente, la propuesta prevé el desarrollo y fomento de un sistema para el manejo integral de insectos barrenadores en plantaciones jóvenes de meliáceas, incluyendo el manejo silvícola, para permitir a los productores forestales de la Península de Yucatán y Veracruz establecer con éxito sus plantaciones para la producción sostenible de maderas tropicales. Asimismo, el proyecto busca diseñar un modelo operativo para la adopción de tecnologías orientadas al manejo de plantaciones comunitarias de meliáceas, con la participación directa de los productores y técnicos en el establecimiento de 12 plantaciones escuela en la Península de Yucatán y Veracruz.

Entre los principales resultados previstos en el proyecto se incluyen los siguientes:

• Mayores conocimientos para los productores sobre sus sistemas de plantación de meliáceas y el manejo de problemas fitosanitarios;
• Validación y transferencia de métodos directos de control de H. grandella y C. yucatanensis, determinando su efectividad y rentabilidad;
• Monitoreo de los daños y las plagas para contar con información sobre la biología de los barrenadores de meliáceas en el área de estudio (fluctuación poblacional y factores ambientales que regulan los ciclos de vida de Hypsipyla grandella y Chrysobothris yucatanensis);
• Validación y transferencia de prácticas silvícolas y agroforestales que minimizan los daños de los barrenadores de meliáceas;
• Identificación y propagación de genotipos tolerantes a los barrenadores de meliáceas;
• Establecimiento de doce plantaciones escuela en igual número de comunidades rurales y en diferentes condiciones ambientales, en los estados de Yucatán, Campeche, Quintana Roo y Veracruz, a fin de mostrar las prácticas silviculturales necesarias para el buen manejo de las plantaciones de meliáceas, utilizando las plantaciones de los productores y el método más directo y económico de transferencia de tecnología;
• Capacitación anual de 120 productores y 24 técnicos forestales sobre los temas de: establecimiento de plantaciones, manejo silvícola y control integral de barrenadores de meliáceas.

La República del Congo actualmente carece de un sistema transparente para el control de la ordenación y el aprovechamiento forestal a nivel nacional y a nivel de la unidad de ordenación forestal (UOF). El proyecto propuesto complementará las actividades del proyecto PD 176/02 Rev.1 (F) con el fin de apoyar la aplicación uniforme de la legislación forestal en todo el país, creando un sistema de imágenes digitales aéreas de alta resolución para la ordenación, planificación y auditoría forestal y proporcionando datos sumamente mejorados sobre una región del suroeste del país, donde la cobertura nubosa permanente impide la teledetección eficaz con satélites. Además, el proyecto propuesto se basará en el proyecto financiado por la OIMT PD 272/04 Rev.2 (F), a través del cual la Direction Générale de l'Economie Forestière está elaborando criterios e indicadores nacionales para la ordenación sostenible de los bosques del Congo sobre la base de los criterios e indicadores de la OIMT para la ordenación forestal sostenible. Las imágenes de alta resolución producidas en este proyecto podrán combinarse con los criterios e indicadores derivados de los esfuerzos de la DGEF para crear un sistema económico de control y evaluación de la ordenación forestal sostenible en el país.

El Servicio de Ordenación Forestal (Forest Management Bureau—FMB) de Filipinas ofrece apoyo técnico y contribuye al control de todos los proyectos, programas y actividades forestales que está ejecutando el Departamento del Medio Ambiente y Recursos Naturales (DENR) en la actualidad. Un factor crucial en los esfuerzos del FMB es el suministro de información precisa. Existe la necesidad de manejar una cantidad enorme de datos generados a partir de las actividades del DENR y transformarlos en información útil que permita respaldar la supervisión y el control eficaz de todos estos proyectos y la planificación de intervenciones futuras.

Este proyecto es uno de los principales resultados del proyecto piloto sobre el desarrollo y la ejecución de un sistema de información estadística forestal" [PD 41/99 Rev.1 (M)]. Los módulos del sistema de información ya fueron elaborados e instalados en la oficina central y las dos oficinas piloto regionales. Sin embargo, los resultados obtenidos en las dos regiones piloto no reflejan la situación forestal de todo el país. Por lo tanto, este proyecto ayudará al resto de los Servicios de Ordenación Forestal del DENR, en sus oficinas regionales, provinciales y comunales, a adoptar y ejecutar el sistema de información forestal para producir información geográfica y estadística sobre la situación forestal en el plano nacional.

Hasta la fecha las instituciones que forman parte del sector forestal de Guatemala, tanto a nivel gubernamental (regulación, control e incentivos) como a nivel privado (industrialización y comercialización) han realizado esfuerzos individuales por generar información confiable. Si bien estas iniciativas son importantes, no se ajustan a una política global que pueda proporcionar información estadística a nivel nacional. Por lo tanto, estos esfuerzos pueden resolver problemas internos momentáneos dentro las instituciones, pero no se basan en una visión a largo plazo y en muchos casos producen información contradictoria al aplicarse diferentes métodos de evaluación de datos.

En este contexto, se pretende que este proyecto se convierta en un ente de aglutinamiento, definiendo las instituciones generadoras de información primaria en el país. El proyecto introducirá tecnologías de información avanzadas de tal manera que las unidades regionales de las instituciones que realizan el control forestal cuenten con herramientas de control y una adecuada infraestructura de comunicaciones. Estas unidades responden directamente a sus oficinas centrales en la capital de la República y actualmente dependen, en muchos aspectos, de la información generada en estas instancias centrales. En este nuevo sistema, se propone descentralizar la responsabilidad de los procesos de seguimiento y control del manejo forestal a estas unidades, con lo que se garantizará una mayor rapidez en la captura de información y el correcto procesamiento de la misma, dado que la situación varía de una región a otra del país. Como complemento de la tarea de recopilación de datos, se elaborarán herramientas de análisis estadístico para estudiar el rendimiento de las actividades forestales en todas las etapas de aprovechamiento, industrialización y comercialización, aprovechando la información de calidad que generará el sistema. Con estas herramientas se busca mejorar las bases para la toma de decisiones y legislación del sector forestal. Además, se fortalecerán los procesos de generación de información por parte de las entidades privadas, a través de sus entes de dirección, para que participen activamente en el proceso de elaboración de estadísticas confiables a nivel nacional.

De este modo, se logrará cumplir con el objetivo de desarrollo del proyecto: “Contribuir al desarrollo social y económico del país, proporcionando información fidedigna, oportuna y de fácil acceso sobre actividades forestales, que sirva como base para el desarrollo de políticas que promuevan inversiones nacionales y extranjeras en el sector”.

Esta propuesta de anteproyecto se elaboró siguiendo las recomendaciones del trigésimo grupo de expertos con relación al proyecto PD 378/05 (F): “Control del fenómeno de descomposición y muerte regresiva en las especies de plantación”. La teca y las especies del género Terminalia (Fraké y Framiré) constituyen la mayor parte del potencial maderable de las plantaciones forestales establecidas por SODEFOR desde 1966. Estas especies comprenden alrededor del 60% de las áreas de plantación y generan más del 70% de los ingresos de SODEFOR. Lamentablemente, estas especies se han visto afectadas durante algunos años por un fenómeno de muerte regresiva, cuyas causas y tratamiento aún no se conocen con certeza.

El anteproyecto está orientado a ofrecer apoyo para las políticas de conservación y ordenación sostenible de las plantaciones forestales de Côte d’Ivoire mediante el control integral de agentes patógenos causantes del fenómeno de descomposición y muerte regresiva en las especies de plantación. El objetivo específico del anteproyecto es llevar a cabo un estudio básico del fenómeno de muerte regresiva para la teca y las especies del género Terminalia en Côte d’Ivoire.

Los resultados previstos en el anteproyecto son: (i) informe de un estudio básico con la descripción de métodos posibles para la investigación de soluciones; y (ii) propuesta de proyecto para el control integral del fenómeno de descomposición y muerte regresiva en la teca y Terminalia spp.

Esta propuesta constituye la primera versión corregida del proyecto PD 389/05 (F) e incorpora las recomendaciones del trigésimo grupo de expertos. Se basa en los resultados del proyecto de la OIMT PD 42/00 Rev.1 (F): “Capacitación de instructores para la aplicación de los criterios e indicadores de ordenación forestal sostenible de la OIMT y nacionales a nivel de la unidad de ordenación forestal”, que se finalizó en el año 2004. Una de las conclusiones del proyecto PD 42/00 fue que la ausencia de un sistema de control del rendimiento a nivel de la unidad de ordenación forestal constituye una de las causas principales del lento avance alcanzado en el proceso de ordenación forestal sostenible en Indonesia. Con el sistema de control interno del rendimiento de la OFS producido por el proyecto PD 42/00, si se lo aplica en las unidades de ordenación forestal, se podrá mejorar la eficacia de los controles del gobierno en las concesiones forestales.

Este proyecto propuesto tiene como objetivo acelerar la aplicación de las prácticas de OFS por parte de las empresas adheridas a la Asociación de Concesionarios Forestales de Indonesia (APHI). Sus objetivos específicos son: i) mejorar la capacidad de recursos humanos en la aplicación del sistema de control interno del rendimiento de la OFS (sistema IMPS) producido por el proyecto PD 42/00 Rev.1 (F), y ii) promover las políticas gubernamentales para la aplicación del sistema IMPS en las unidades de ordenación forestal.

Los principales resultados previstos en el proyecto son:

• Diseño y ejecución de un programa de capacitación de recursos humanos;
• Capacitación de funcionarios de UOFs y del gobierno en el uso del sistema IMPS y sus directrices;
• Difusión y aplicación del sistema IMPS y sus directrices; y
• Formulación y aplicación de políticas gubernamentales sobre la aplicación del sistema IMPS.

Esta propuesta se originó en el anteproyecto PPD 126/06 Rev.1 (I), que se convirtió en proyecto.

De todas las maderas duras tropicales, la teca (Tectona grandis) probablemente sea una de las más conocidas y de mayor valor, con su extremadamente alta estabilidad dimensional y sus cualidades estéticas. La teca crece naturalmente en la India, Myanmar, Laos y Tailandia, pero se han establecido plantaciones de esta especie en toda la región tropical de Asia, así como en los trópicos de África, América Latina y el Caribe. Esta propuesta de proyecto se preparó sobre la base de las recomendaciones de la conferencia internacional sobre “productos madereros de teca de calidad derivados de la ordenación forestal sostenible”, celebrada en el Instituto de Investigación Forestal de Kerala (KFRI), Peechi, Kerala, India, del 2 al 5 de diciembre de 2003. En la conferencia se recomendó fortalecer el sistema regional e internacional de colaboración, coordinación conjunta y conectividad para promover el intercambio de los resultados y experiencias de actividades de investigación científica, capacitación y desarrollo de recursos humanos entre los países de las regiones tropicales de Asia, África, América Latina y el Caribe.

Este proyecto de doce meses está orientado a organizar un taller regional para la evaluación crítica de los problemas de transformación, comercialización y comercio de productos de madera de calidad extraída de plantaciones de teca, con la participación de los principales países productores de teca de Asia, a saber: India, Indonesia, Malasia, Myanmar y Tailandia, así como los países importadores. Se prevé que el taller regional: (i) ofrecerá información clara sobre la situación de las países participantes en el proyecto; (ii) identificará los principales países en las áreas de investigación y capacitación así como en el establecimiento de redes de enlace para satisfacer las necesidades de los interesados a nivel internacional; y (iii) establecerá una relación de trabajo con los compromisos necesarios entre los participantes de la región de Asia.

Este anteproyecto se basa en la propuesta PPD 19/01 Rev.1 (I): “Ordenación sostenible de productos forestales no maderables (PFNM) en los bosques bajo ordenación sostenible del Congo”. A través del estudio, se investigará el potencial y los beneficios socioeconómicos que se podrían derivar a partir del desarrollo sostenible de estos recursos en Camerún, Congo, Gabón y la República Centroafricana. Los resultados del estudio, que se presentarán en una reunión regional, podrían conducir a un uso más sostenible de los recursos con valor agregado y a una explotación económica más eficaz.

Los ecosistemas forestales de la Cuenca del Congo, además de los productos maderables, incluyen un volumen importante de productos forestales no maderables (PFNM). Estos productos tienen un considerable valor económico para Camerún, la República del Congo, Gabón y la República Centroafricana en general, y para la población local del bosque en particular, porque contribuyen a mejorar su nivel de vida. Sin embargo, en la actualidad no se cuenta con información o datos adecuados sobre estos productos como base de recursos.