Title: Challenges for Sustainable Timber Production and Export for Tropical Countries: Perspectives from th
1Challenges for Sustainable Timber Production
and Export for Tropical Countries Perspectives
from the Asia-Pacific Region
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- Nirmal Andrews
Regional Director and Representative
UNEP-ROAP -
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2Forests and Forest-Based Trade in
Asia-PacificSome Facts and Figures
- State of the Forests
- 18.8 of worlds forests in Asia-Pacific
- Average per capita availability of forest area in
the region _at_ 0.2 hectares average of 0.65 ha/person - Within Asia deforestation rates highest in SE
Asia with 23 million ha lost in the past decade
almost half of all forested land - Driving forces of deforestation include
population pressure heavy dependence on
fuelwood timber and non-timber forest products
as well as conversion to agricultural industrial
and urban land - Forest-Based Trade
- Forest-based trade contributes 2 of GDP of world
economy (4 or higher in tropical exporting
countries) - Indonesia and Malaysia the only tropical
countries ranked among the top 10 exporters of
Timber and other Forest Products (FAO 1997) - Increasing shift in production and export of
timber sourced through sustainably managed
forests in conformance with the ITTOs Year 2000
objective
3Sustainable Forest Management and Trade
Evolution and Application
- Origins of certification and establishment of the
FSC - Growing acceptance of the concept and objective
of certification as a voluntary means to identify
timber / timber products from sustainably managed
forests - Growing dissatisfaction among tropical timber
exporting countries on the criteria and process
by which certification is granted - The irony While the impetus for certification
arose from concerns over tropical deforestation
certification is mostly expanding in the
developed countries
4Snapshot Status of Global Forest Certification
5Snapshot Status of Regional Forest Certification
Total Certified Area by Land
Type
Communal
Public
2.1
Private
Type
Plantation
72.6
Plantation
/ Natural
7.2
6Certification Some Key Issues and Concerns for
Developing Countries
- Domination of FSC and its influence on market
demand for certification according to its own
criteria and standards - Multiple requirements of different markets and
buyers on the type of certification acceptable - Lack of progress towards mutual recognition of a
growing number of certification schemes in both
developed and particularly developing countries
(e.g Indonesia Malaysia PNG) - Potential threat to certification posed by WTO
rules Discrimination b/w sustainably and
unsustainably harvested timber regarded as a
trade restriction
7Particular Challenges Faced by Small Forest
Enterprises (1)
- Two basic challenges
- A) getting certified and
- B) getting certification to work in their
favour - A) Constraints faced in order to get certified
- High cost of certification
- Compliance with rigorous standards
- Access to certification services
- Certification Success Stories
- Deramakot Forest Reserve in Sabah Malaysia
- Community based forest cooperative in Philippines
8Particular Challenges Faced by Small Forest
Enterprises (2)
- B) Getting certification is the lesser challenge-
Reaping the benefits of certification is the far
greater challenge - Proportion of timber exports from certified
forests increasing much more rapidly in developed
countries resulting in no significant increase in
market share for developing country producers - Research indicates that there is little
willingness to pay price premia for certified
timber amongst consumers in developed countries
the demand is generated primarily from bulk
buyers and retailers to green their image and
thereby gain a competitive edge - Reluctance by the tropical timber industry to
increase the cost of (certified) timber as this
may encourage further substitution by temperate
timber and non-timber substitutes
9Conclusion and Recommendations (1)
- Bottom line
- Certification appears to be a necessary but not
sufficient condition for the tropical timber
trade to benefit from improved market access and
price premia where applicable
10Conclusion and Recommendations (2)
- Suggested Next Steps
- Support should be provided for tailored capacity
building to exporting developing countries
including institutional strengthening
stakeholder participation auditing systems
training and better understanding of the
benefits/limitations of certification - Major internationally recognized certification
schemes (such as FSC) should actively promote
mutual recognition of other schemes particularly
national schemes from developing countries which
take into account country-specific and realistic
guidelines for sustainable forest management
11Conclusion and Recommendations (3)
- Suggested Next Steps
- Dialogue and cooperation should be intensified
between producer and buyer groups in developed
and developing countries with a focus on
educating all stakeholders and particularly the
consumers about the principles and complexities
of SFM and certification - Developing countries should also shift some of
their focus on high-growth markets for timber
such as Brazil China Japan and South Korea
where certification may not be required but
could provide a competitive edge in the
longer-term
12Thank You for your kind attention !!