Summaryreport

ForestPACT Forest Partnership for Action and Commitment Today

Workshop Summary Report

29 February - 3 March 2000 Cortes de la Frontera, Spain

CONTENTS 1. INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................3 2. OUTPUTS......................................................................................................3 2.1 Draft Vision........................................................................................................................................3 2.2 Draft Objectives.................................................................................................................................4 2.3 Governance and Institutional Arrangements..................................................................................4 2.4 Monitoring and Evaluation...............................................................................................................5 2.5 Model Pledges to Action....................................................................................................................5

3. NEXT STEPS.................................................................................................7 4. CONCLUSION...............................................................................................8 LIST OF PARTICIPANTS.................................................................................9

CONTACT INFORMATION [email protected] Interim Secretariat: IUCN Forest Conservation Programme & WWF Forests for Life Programme c/o IUCN –The World Conservation Union Forest Conservation Programme Rue Mauverney 28 1196 Gland Switzerland Tel. ++41 22 999 0263

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Fax ++ 41 22 999 0025

1. INTRODUCTION Background The rate of deforestation is increasing in many parts of the world, while forest quality is declining in others. The result is loss of biodiversity, loss of ecosystem services and reduced human well being. Old debates, outdated approaches and inadequate action on the ground are hampering efforts to deal with these challenges and fostering a 'crisis of confidence'. Frustrated by the lack of action, over the last couple of years a number of organizations, institutions and governments have discussed the need for a new action-oriented multistakeholder approach to conserve and sustainably manage forests. To move these discussions forward and build upon broad-based support for a new initiative, IUCN and WWF organised a workshop on the ForestPACT (Forest Partnership for Action and Commitment Today), which was held during the first week of March, 2000, in Cortes de la Frontera, Spain. Purpose of Workshop The purpose of the workshop was to scope out the potential for the ForestPACT; seek commitment from the participants for the concept of the ForestPACT; and decide on further action necessary to take the ForestPACT initiative forward. Attendance The workshop was attended by thirty people from governments, companies, communitybased organizations, non-governmental and indigenous people's organizations, and multilateral institutions. The full list of participants is shown on page 9-10 of this report. 2. OUTPUTS The workshop addressed key aspects of the ForestPACT through a facilitated process. This summary report describes the main outputs produced by the workshop, and it gives an overview of some of the workshop discussions. At an early stage of the workshop there was general agreement about the urgent need for a new approach to forest conservation and sustainable forest management. The question of the nature of the mechanism to be developed was discussed intensely throughout the meeting and a range of opinions and expectations regarding the initiative were expressed. The draft outputs highlighted below will be further developed over the next couple of months in collaboration with the steering group and in consultation with the wider group of participants. More detail of the workshop can be found in the workshop history, which includes a workshop process report and the large number of documents produced covering the work done at the meeting. The history is available on request from [email protected]. Please note we will set-up a non-IUCN email address as soon as we can. 2.1 Draft Vision A draft vision statement was prepared on the basis of individual vision statements and key words from the participants. The draft vision statement is:

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We see the forest of the future as cherished for their spiritual, cultural, social, ecological and economic values.

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We see the forest of the future as living spaces, where people fulfil their needs in harmony with nature.

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We see the forest of the future as a diverse heritage, nurtured and secured for future generations.

2.2 Draft Objectives The workshop produced a set of draft objectives to guide the specific action to be undertaken by ForestPACT partners. 1. Promote sustainable production of forest goods and services and support fair trade based on products from ecologically and socially responsible forest management, ensuring that consumption patterns are sustainable. 2. Secure forest-based livelihoods, rights and equity. 3. Establish socially appropriate and ecologically representative forest protected areas dedicated to the protection of forest biological diversity, ecological processes and cultural values. 4. Implement environmentally sound and socially equitable restoration of forests building in future resilience to climate change and pollution. 5. Promote positive impacts and eliminate negative impacts from outside the forest sector.

2.3 Governance and Institutional Arrangements The main issues considered in the deliberations about governance and institutional arrangements were:  The nature of the partnership  Membership criteria  Decision rules, including voting categories and weights  Conditions for exclusion and rewards for action  How to ensure broad, diverse and representative membership The governance questions gave rise to discussions concerning the nature and purpose of the mechanism to be developed. Resulting from these discussions, an outline of the basic constitution of the mechanism was drafted and agreed upon as the basis for moving forward: A suggested partnership mechanism for ForestPACT A leadership coalition will be established. The partners will be mutually recognised as demonstrating high standards and be able to promote a culture of success. It will include all major stakeholder groups (private sector, governments, NGOs, IPGs, research institutions etc.) and not be dominated by any one group. The leadership coalition will create the space

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to help prospective partners up to best practice without setting up a system that ‘greenwashes’ bad practice or allows status quo to prevail. The Forest PACT will require genuine progress towards improvement, check compliance and ensure incentives and disincentives are in place to achieve compliance – including suspension or expulsion for non-compliance and strong and clear rewards (political, financial, social) for compliance. A two-tier model will enable prospective partners to collaborate with the ForestPACT partners. Entry into the PACT as a partner will be subject to the prospective partner demonstrating that they are making progress towards their pledges and not intentionally undermining the objectives. Prospective partners will not be entitled to use the name of the ForestPACT to promote their organisation until they have been accepted as a partner. 2.4 Monitoring and Evaluation The workshop participants proposed a series of elements essential to the monitoring and evaluation system of ForestPACT. A transparent and independent monitoring and evaluation system will be crucial to establishing and maintaining the credibility of the ForestPACT. In summary, the key points expressed and essential elements proposed by the workshop are covered below:

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Monitoring and evaluation should rely, as far as possible, on good faith and internal selfevaluation and self-monitoring combined with some kind of transparent and independent review mechanism.

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The purposes of Monitoring and Evaluation are to:  Promote change  Assess progress towards the achievement of targets and specific objectives  Maintain confidence in the PACT  Prevent ‘greenwash’ or free-loading  Ensure that the PACT's structure is logical and coherent  Encourage, reward and highlight progress - it should be an identifiable benefit to pledgers.

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Easy, obvious indicators are necessary.

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All pledges must be SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, timebound).

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Monitoring and evaluation should be built into the pledging process - this will be particularly relevant in the case of joint pledges.

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To avoid duplication, existing systems for monitoring and evaluation and data collection should be used as far as possible or modified for efficiency and other principles.

2.5 Model Pledges to Action The workshop produced a large number of ideas for pledges, to be developed into examples of action pledges. A selection of SMART pledges developed from some of these pledge ideas follows:

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A Government pledges to review and revise (if necessary) policy framework (including laws) through a consultative process. The Government will review existing Forest Act X, organize a consultative process which involves all stakeholders and revise policy framework (if necessary) for ratification by 2003.

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An individual pledges to become involved in local forest management and decision making. He or she will research the local forest area D and the B Group, which is actively involved in its management and join that group by the start of 2002 and contribute to the management and decision-making of the area.

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A Government will set aside an additional (and biologically diverse) 2 per cent of its forested land in protected areas by 2002 working in consultation with the local communities to establish an effective management regime for these new protected areas.

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A community pledges to promote or create local-level certification schemes by working with the FSC to adapt the criteria to its local situation; by working with the Government to nationally recognize this scheme; by applying the scheme to its production processes; and by marketing product(s) in compliance with the local-level certification scheme.

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An individual consumer pledges to buy and ask for certified forest products, including non timber forest products. The consumer will research local stores that carry forest products, research alternatives and best practices, visit 3 stores that do not carry certified forest products and educate them on the alternatives and demand certified forest products and follow-up to see if the stores stock up if not, write a letter to local paper H.

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A private company will promote and work towards and ecologically representative protected area system in each country by contributing its Land Holding B to the Biodiversity Corridor Initiative M in Country H by year 2001.

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Community and government pledge to map resources in the community. They will engage in a "barefoot mapping exercise" of Forest G; conduct a multi-stakeholder discussion about the outcomes of the mapping exercise; and integrate mapping results in local forest planning.

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A private company pledges to respect the principle that activities only be introduced in indigenous territories subject to their free prior informed consent as expressed by their own representative institutions. The Company will - before commencing its project work in consultation with Indigenous Representative Institution F to develop an agreement about whether and what mining activities can be introduced in Territory G. Further, the company will set a strategy for moving forward and continuing participatory process - if desired and discuss and agree upon the equitable sharing of benefits from the project.

The workshop also considered the issue of joint pledges for action whereby different stakeholders pledge to support one another in delivering action for forests that none of the partners would be capable of implementing alone. The idea of such joint pledges was strongly supported by the participants who viewed it as a unique and important feature of the ForestPACT. Examples from the joint action pledges that were developed by the workshop are shown below:

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Example 1   

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A government pledges to review and revise the policy framework (including laws) for community forest management through a consultative process. A private industry company pledges to share Corporate Social Initiative experience and make information from that process available as input into the policy process. An environmental NGO commits itself to work with communities in identifying policy options for community development that can best maintain or restore the ecological integrity of relevant forests. A local NGO offers to mobilise communities to participate, articulate their requirements, and input effectively into the formulation of the new forest policy.

Example 2   

A national NGO pledges to contribute to a strategy, in partnership with others for a sustainable forest management training programme in a number of communities; The government provides technical expertise and staff. A private company offers to provide the necessary and appropriate technology and assist in developing markets, within 2 years, for 10 added-value non-timber forest products, in exchange for a 50% share of the benefits from that marketing.

Example 3     

A government pledges to establish an ecologically viable and representative forest protected area system within each country covering 12% of its forest area by 2010. Communities commit themselves to buffer zone management and the establishment of corridors between protected areas. International and local NGOs and research organizations provide specific technical support for the establishment of the network. Neighbouring countries and NGOs link up across borders to place the protected area system within a regional context The Ministry of Tourism agrees to establish a viable environmentally sound tourism plan for the area by 2005.

3. NEXT STEPS The workshop participants agreed to hold a new meeting on or about the second week of July 2000 for the purpose of:  finalizing the key elements of ForestPACT  involving a broader group of potential partners in the initiative  planning the launch of the PACT There was consensus for IUCN and WWF to jointly host an interim secretariat for ForestPACT. Until the July meeting a time-limited steering group of 10 persons will provide oversight to the interim secretariat, giving feedback and guidance on all key issues. The steering group will not be a decision-making body and it will report to the full group of workshop participants (the 'reference group') who will be involved in all key decisions related to ForestPACT. The next key steps for the development of ForestPACT are:  Finalise draft documents concerning ForestPACT (Vision, Objectives, Governance and institutional arrangements, Monitoring and Evaluation System, Example pledges)

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Develop short and long term communication strategies Organise the next ForestPACT meeting (July) Develop mechanism for involving/adding new potential partners Secure funding to carry the process forward

4. CONCLUSION Now that we have broad consensus among participants on the need for ForestPACT, we will need to work hard at maintaining the level of enthusiasm and momentum generated by the workshop and raise funds for the follow up work. The workshop participants expressed strong commitment to further develop ForestPACT and to work towards a global partnership for implementation of effective forest conservation and sustainable forest management. The workshop considered key issues related to the initiative and prepared draft texts on these aspects of the PACT or outlined essential elements for further consideration in the follow up to the workshop. The workshop participants prepared a clear plan of action for bringing ForestPACT forward.

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LIST OF PARTICIPANTS

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BAMFO, Robert Kofi - Principal Scientific Officer, Acting Head of Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation Unit, Ghana Forestry Commission, GHANA, email: [email protected] BARCLAY, William - Greenpeace, Forests Campaign, USA, email: [email protected] COLCHESTER, Marcus - Forest Peoples Programme, email: [email protected] COSTA, Juan Carlos - Consejeria de Medio Ambiente, Junta de Andalucia, SPAIN COX, Chris - Timbmet Ltd., email: [email protected] DESAI, Pooran - BioRegional Development Group, email: [email protected] DULYAPACH, Sawat - Royal Forest Department, THAILAND, email: [email protected] GONDO, Peter - SAFIRE, email: [email protected] JACKSON, Bill - Programme Coordinator, Forest Conservation, IUCN, email: [email protected] JEANRENAUD, Jean-Paul - Head, Forests for Life Programme, WWF International, email: [email protected] JOHANSSON, Olof G. - Senior Ecologist, Assi Domän, email: [email protected] JOHANSSON, Olof T. - Saami Council, email: [email protected] (private) KNUDSEN, Odin - Senior Advisor, Environmentally & Socially Sustainable Development, The World Bank, email: [email protected] LUNA Terrazas, Alvaro - Coordinador del Programa de Bosques, UICN - Officina Regional America del Sur, email: [email protected] MADRIGAL, Eduardo - Despacho del Viceministro, Sistema Nacional de Areas de Conservacion del MINAE, COSTA RICA, email: [email protected] MANKIN, William E - Director, Global Forest Policy Project, email: [email protected] ODENDAAL, Pieter - SAFCOL, email: [email protected] OKRAH, Lambert - Executive Director, The Institute of Cultural Affairs - Ghana, email: [email protected] PALMER, Martin - Alliance of Religions and Conservation (ARC), email: [email protected] PETER, Elisa - International Coordinator Taiga Rescue Network, email: [email protected] or [email protected] SAINT LAURENT, Carole - Forest Policy Advisor, WWF-IUCN, email: [email protected] SIZER, Nigel Sizer - Director, Forest Policy, World Resources Institute, email: [email protected] THORNBER, Kirsti - Forestry and Land Use Programme, IIED, email: [email protected] VORRATNCHAIPHAN, Chamniern Paul - Director of Grassroot Action Program, Thailand Environment Institute, email: [email protected]

SUPPORT STAFF-RESOURCE PERSONS   

ALCÁNTARA VALERO, Andrés F. - IUCN Mediterranean Office, email: [email protected] BJØRVIK, Astrid - Assistant, Forests for Life Programme, WWF International, email: [email protected] CANGER, Sonja - WWF-IUCN, email: [email protected] 9

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DEUTZ, Andrew M. - Temperate and Boreal Forest Programme Coordinator/World Bank FPIRS Advisor, IUCN, email: [email protected] HAGGITH, Mandy - Worldforests, email: [email protected] RITCHIE, Bill - Worldforests, email: [email protected] TIMMER, Dagmar - Forest Conservation Programme, IUCN, email: [email protected]

Full contact information is available from [email protected]

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