International Conference on Poverty Reduction and Forests, Tenure, Market and Policy Reform Governan

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VERIFOR Impacts on Poor, Lessons Learned,
Recommendations

• International Conference on Poverty Reduction and
  Forests, Tenure, Market and Policy Reform
  (Governance Side Session)
• Bangkok, Thailand, 4 September 2007

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The VERIFOR Project

• Aim
• ensure that timber and forest products are
  legally harvested and help producer nations put
  in place verification systems with high national
  and international credibility.
• Focus
• institutional mechanisms rather than technical
  solutions
• the provision of equitable solutions without
  adverse effects on the poor and
• the principles of good governance.

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Effective Mechanisms

• Community representatives are involved in
  verification system design.
• Essential that there is an inclusive
  multi-stakeholder design process that includes
  forest dependent community representatives Leads
  to high levels of ownership and credibility
• Community members can play an active role in the
  monitoring and auditing functions within the
  verification mechanism.

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Lessons Learned that are Positive

• Increased compliance less degradation of
  resources that communities rely on
• Increased availability of information and greater
  transparency leads to greater awareness and
  understanding within the communities
• Improved planning (better information)
• Positive impacts on forest policy development

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Lessons Learned that are Negative

• Increased compliance costs for all producers
• Small operators, such as the rural poor, are
  marginalized into illegality
• Disincentive for communities to plant trees
  (transaction costs too high)

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Recommendations

• Parallel process of law and policy reform
• Recognition of forest-dependent communities modes
  of using timber resources
• Active involvement in government planning and
  decision making processes (notice/comment)
• Increased access to legality for rural
  communities
• Improved information flow/transparency
• Establish dispute resolution systems
• Active role as part of verification mechanism

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?

• Much is unknown and there is a need for further
  study
• Verification system design and implementation
  must be done carefully, and impacts on forest
  dependent communities and the rural poor must be
  monitored

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www.verifor.org

• Project Leader David Brown (d.brown_at_odi.org.uk)
• Focal Point (Central America) Guillermo Navarro
  (gnavarro_at_catie.ac.cr)
• Focal Point (South America) Hans Thiel
  (hthiel_at_plus.net.ec)
• Focal Point (Africa) Tim Fometé
  (timfomete_at_yahoo.fr)
• Focal Point (Asia) Rob Oberndorf
  (robert_at_recoftc.org)