Forests for People

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From crisis to consensus: the future

of forestry in Asia and the Pacific

Jack Hurd, Asia-Pacific Forest Program Director, The Nature Conservancy

Allison Bleaney, Communications and Partnership Manager, Responsible Asia Forestry and Trade Program

ver the past decade, the crisis brought on by rampant

deforestation and forest degradation has prompted

a fundamental shift in Asia’s forest policy dialogue,

including the desire for a more holistic approach to manage-

ment that integrates social, economic, ecological and climate

goals. However, forests continue to be degraded and converted

to other uses. These activities will persist unless the financial

and political incentives that drive land-management decisions

are rapidly changed to reinforce this new approach.

Thankfully, this change is happening. Growing demand for legal

and sustainable wood products and increased awareness of the link

between forests and climate change are prompting governments and

industry to move away from ‘business as usual’ and seriously pursue

improved forest management. This is positioning the forest sector as

a potential model for the global shift to a green/ low-carbon economy.

Challenges

Rapid economic growth in Asia and changes in manufac-

turing processes, logistics and information technology

have fuelled unsustainable and illegal logging in many

forested countries over the last 20 years. This threatens

the livelihoods and security of indigenous communities

and vulnerable populations, while causing widespread

environmental degradation and releasing substantial

and unnecessary carbon dioxide emissions into the

global atmosphere.

While forest cover has increased in some countries

in the region, this is largely due to the rapid expan-

sion of plantations designed to stabilize soils and feed

into an increasingly dynamic pulp and paper sector.

Natural forest quantity and quality, however, contin-

ues to decline in many countries. There are a number of

reasons for this, but the underlying causes are complex

and connected:

• Existing financial and political incentives undermine

robust, holistic forest management

• Institutional structures and policy mechanisms are

outdated and ill-suited to current comprehensive

forest management objectives

• Land-use planning does not adequately consider the

interests of all stakeholders

• Limitations in human and institutional capacity

prevent optimal management of forest land and the

interplay between land-use practices.

These factors perpetuate singular interests and lead

to conflict over management objectives that produce

sub-optimal outcomes in both land-use planning and

land-management decision-making. Of the above-

mentioned factors, it is the misalignment of incentives

that drives everything else.

Opportunities

Fortunately, growing interest in green and low-carbon

development is creating incentives and opportunities

for improved forest management.

Demand for legal and sustainable timber products

–

The East Asia Forest Law Enforcement and Governance

conference held in Bali, Indonesia in 2001 ushered in a

new era in which government agencies, private corpo-

rations, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and

other institutions committed to combat illegal logging

Measuring forest carbon, East Kalimantan, Indonesia