Topic: congo drc

Coming Soon: Global Forest Watch 2.0

James Anderson — Mon, 03 Dec 2012 08:03:32 -0500

Welcome to the home of Global Forest Watch 2.0, a powerful near real-time forest monitoring system that unites satellite technology, data sharing, and human networks around the world to fight deforestation.

GFW 2.0 is currently under development, and will launch in late 2013.

Read more below, and email gfw2@wri.org to participate in the pilot testing period or be notified when GFW 2.0 launches. Please note that as we prepare for the launch, the original Global Forest Watch website has been redirected to this page.

Watch a Short Preview of Global Forest Watch 2.0 at the UN Forum on Forests 10, in Istanbul.

Watch the full version here

Speakers:

Zulkifli Hasan, Minister of Forestry, Indonesia
Kerri-Ann Jones, Assistant Secretary for Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs, U.S. Department of State
Wu Hongbo, Under-Secretary-General, United Nations
Naoko Ishii, CEO and Chairperson, Global Environment Facility
Tim Christophersen, Senior Program Officer, Forests and Climate Change, UNEP
Nigel Sizer, Director, Global Forests Initiative, World Resources Institute

Photo by David Gilbert

WHY FORESTS, WHY NOW?

Forests provide food jobs, raw materials, climate benefits and more. But without clear, up-to-date information, governments, companies and communities lack the tools to monitor and manage these resources.

We can track a company’s financial information daily, but information about forests is often years out of date.

Deforestation continues today in part because by the time satellite images are available, analyzed, and shared, the forest clearing is long done. The illegal loggers have moved on; cattle are already grazing amidst stumps; the oil palm plantation has been established. We simply find out too late.

New technologies can overcome these challenges

Fortunately, a convergence of technologies and human networks offers the ability to address these challenges for the first time:

Advances in satellite and remote sensing technology, including the launch of NASA’s Landsat 8 in early 2013, and new private systems, enable higher spatial resolution analysis and much more rapid updates of information. This has enabled the development of near-real-time forest cover change detection.
Brazilian partner IMAZON, is making its Amazon Alert System available through GFW 2.0, and also the DETER system which is innovating in detection of forest degradation. Brazil has seen a remarkable drop in deforestation in the Amazon of almost 80 percent partly due to improved linked to more effective use of satellite imagery.
Cloud computing and open source software can now be used to rapidly process and interpret large volumes of satellite data at low cost by utilizing clusters of servers scattered around the world. Google Earth Engine’s team is partnered with Global Forest Watch 2.0 to optimize easy access to cloud computing-based forest cover information.
High speed internet connectivity enables sending data and forest maps processed in North America, Europe, or Singapore to laptops and mobile phones in Jakarta, Kinshasa, Lima, Vladivostok, and other corners of the globe.
Smartphones are more common than ever and can be used by anyone in the field to download maps and satellite images, as well as upload GPS coordinates and photographs from the ground.
Crowdsourcing using simple web interfaces can empower thousands if not millions of people to gather and share information, participate in forest monitoring, and hold decision-makers accountable. • Social media outlets are creating a flat, networked world in which information travels fast, communities self-organize, and people get mobilized.

ABOUT GLOBAL FOREST WATCH 2.0

These enhanced technologies and social movements are the foundation for Global Forest Watch 2.0. GFW 2.0 will unite a near-real-time deforestation alert system, complementary satellite imagery and monitoring systems, WRI’s data-rich collection of maps, mobile technology, and a networked world to create never-before-possible transparency for faraway forests.

The platform is currently under development, and will be launched in late 2013.

This powerful new platform will enable responsible companies, NGOs, the media, and progressive government leaders to hold those responsible accountable for forest management.

GFW 2.0 can be useful to multiple groups of users involved with the sustainable management of forests:

Buyers of sustainable commodities. GFW 2.0 will enable buyers of sustainably sourced commodities―such as certified timber, palm oil, soya, and beef―to confirm adherence to or violations of supplier commitments to “no deforestation,” “no clearing of high conservation value forest,” and related criteria.
Suppliers of sustainable commodities. GFW 2.0 will help suppliers of sustainable commodities prove to buyers, investors, governments, and NGOs that their commodities are adhering to best forest management practices, national laws, criteria of the relevant commodity roundtables, or investor lending conditions.
Governments. GFW 2.0 is designed to help progressive elements in governments better enforce sustainable forest management and forest protection laws. GFW 2.0 is also designed to be a trusted, independent, and user-friendly way to help investors in REDD+ and other forest conservation projects monitor performance and hold countries accountable to their commitments on greenhouse gas emission reductions and forest conservation.
Conservation and community organizations. GFW 2.0 will enable NGOs dedicated to forest conservation, indigenous rights, and forest communities to identify deforestation hotspots as they arise and quickly mobilize action to curtail further clearing.
The media. GFW 2.0 will enable local, national, and international media to ring the alarm bell on deforestation hotspots around the globe at a pace never-before-possible, and thereby put pressure on governments, companies, and others to curtail forest conversion and illegal logging in time

Applying new technology

GFW 2.0 combines satellites, new algorithms, cloud computing, mobile phone technologies, and WRI databases to connect images, maps, photos, and data with forest clearing alerts ultimately within two weeks of significant deforestation occurring.

Because GFW 2.0 will be powered by Google Earth Engine and Earth Builder, it will bring to target users a seamless experience of the best technology offered by WRI, Google, and their partners, as Bloomberg does for the world’s vast, complex array of financial information.

Mobilizing human networks

GFW 2.0 will mobilize networks of people to ensure sustainable management of forests and greater forest conservation. Global Forest Watch “anchor” NGOs in each priority country or region, will actively use and contribute content in an open-source, network model.

These groups will include ScanEx and its non-profit affiliate Transparent World in Russia, Imazon in Brazil and their Amazon-wide network of partners across the seven neighboring countries, the Observatoire Satellital des Forêts d’Afrique Centrale (OSFAC) which covers the Central Africa region. More partners in Canada, China, Europe, and the United States are joining every day.

Watch a Sneak Peek of GFW 2.0 presented at Rio+20

Video streaming by Ustream

Speakers:

Carlos Souza Jr., Senior Researcher, IMAZON
Charles Barber, Forest Division Chief, Bureau of Oceans, Environment and Science, U.S. Department of State
Rebecca Moore, Google
Nigel Sizer, Director, Global Forest Initiative, World Resources Institute

Watch UNEP’s press conference featuring GFW 2.0 at COP18 in Doha

Speakers:

Mr. Heru Prasetyo, Deputy I, Presidential Delivery Unit on Development Monitoring and Oversight, Government of Indonesia
Tim Christophersen, Senior Programme Officer, Forests and Climate Change, UNEP
Jane Feehan, Natural Resources Specialist, European Investment Bank
Nigel Sizer, Director, Global Forest Initiative, World Resources Institute

Watch a Sneak Peek of Global Forest Watch 2.0 at the U.S. Pavilion, COP18 in Doha

Video streaming by Ustream

Speakers:

Nigel Sizer, Director, Forests Initiative, World Resources Institute
Nirarta “Koni” Samadhi, Head of REDD+ Task Force Working Group on Moratorium Monitoring, Presidential Work Unit on Monitoring and Development Oversight (UKP4), Government of Indonesia
Per Fredrik Ilsaas Pharo, Director, International Climate and Forest Initiative, Norwegian Ministry of the Environment, Government of Norway
Tim Christophersen, Senior Program Officer, Forests and Climate Change, United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)

Read more about WRI’s forest work here.

New Map Viewer Shows Development in the Forests of the Democratic Republic of Congo

Susan Minnemeyer — Tue, 05 Apr 2011 08:11:50 -0400

WRI and the Democratic Republic of Congo’s (DRC) Ministry of Environment, Nature Conservation, and Tourism (MECNT) are pleased to announce the release of the interactive map viewer for the Forest Atlas of the Democratic Republic of Congo.

En Français

The Government of DRC faces many challenges in developing comprehensive forest management and zoning processes, as well as the day-to-day monitoring of forest-based activities such as logging, mining and agriculture. In 2006, MECNT partnered with WRI to develop the Interactive Forest Atlas as a freely and publicly available resource. The interactive map viewer provides a way to explore the Atlas in detail online.

Interactive Map

Explore our interactive map viewer to examine in detail logging concessions, protected areas, and forest change in the Democratic Republic of Congo (in both English and French).

Covering two-thirds of the country’s territory, the forests of the DRC are home to a wealth of biodiversity and serve as one of the planet’s major forest carbon sinks. These forests also support the livelihoods of tens of millions of Congolese citizens, including many of the poor.

The map viewer features data on roads, logging and mining concessions, protected areas and detailed forest change. Map layers are arranged into a menu of options that allow users to view the information by themes such as forest zoning, timber production, mining and forest cover change.

MECNT and WRI collaborated to produce the map layers on forest development, while forest change data was provided by the project Forêts d’Afrique Centrale Evaluées par Télédétection (FACET), an initiative of the Observatoire Satellital des Forêts d’Afrique Centrale (OSFAC), South Dakota State University (SDSU), the University of Maryland (UMD) with support from USAID’s Central African Regional Program for the Environment (CARPE). The FACET data can also be viewed on the UMD CARPE Mapper website.

Users can click on forest concessions or protected areas for further information. The transparency of map layers is adjustable to view the base map data underneath; for example, logging concessions may be made transparent to view logging roads visible on satellite imagery beneath them. Any of the map themes can also be viewed in Google Earth, and GIS datasets used in the map are available for download.

For users with online connectivity, this interactive map viewer is a simplified and easy-to-use version of the more exhaustive information found in the Interactive Forest Atlas of DRC - version 1.0, CD and overview report.

The interactive map shows FACET forest change data from 2000 to 2010 for the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Easier access to current forest land allocation in the DRC will help the government improve land use planning, monitoring, and resolution of conflicts over resources in areas of overlapping claims. It will also help local NGOs and communities understand government actions and defend their access rights.

The DRC Forest Atlas map viewer is the first in a series of interactive maps focusing on forest developments and change. Over the coming months, additional map viewers will be available for other central African countries and Indonesia.

The map viewer was developed with the generous support of USAID CARPE, the MacArthur Foundation, ESRI and ERDAS.

Développement d’un nouvel outil de visualisation cartographique pour les Forêts de la République Démocratique du Congo

WRI et le Ministère de l’Environnement, Conservation de la Nature et Tourisme (MECNT) de la République Démocratique du Congo (RDC), ont le plaisir d’annoncer la sortie de l’outil de visualisation de la carte interactive de l’Atlas Forestier de la République Démocratique du Congo.

Carte interactive

Explorez notre carte interactive pour observer en détail les concessions forestières, les aires protégées et l’évolution du couvert forestier en République Démocratique du Congo (en Français et Anglais).

Recouvrant les deux tiers du territoire du pays, les forêts de la RDC abritent une riche biodiversité et fait office d’un des plus grands puits de carbone forestier de la planète. Ces forêts assurent également les moyens de subsistance de dizaines de millions de citoyens congolais, y compris les plus pauvres d’entre eux.

Le Gouvernement de la RDC relève de nombreux défis quant au développement de la gestion forestière globale et du processus de zonage, ainsi que du suivi au jour le jour des activités telles que l’exploitation forestière, minière et l’agriculture. En 2006, le MECNT a établi un partenariat avec WRI pour développer l’Atlas Forestier interactif en tant que ressource disponible librement et publiquement. La visualisation cartographique interactive permet d’explorer en détail l’Atlas en ligne.

L’outil de visualisation de cartes présente des données sur les routes, sur les concessions forestières et minières, les zones protégées et le détail de l’évolution forestière. Les couches cartographiques sont disposées dans un menu d’options qui permet aux utilisateurs d’afficher les informations par thèmes tels que le zonage forestier, la production de bois, les mines et l’évolution du couvert forestier.

Le MECNT et le WRI ont collaboré pour produire les couches de la carte du développement forestier, tandis que les données sur l’évolution forestière ont été fournies par le projet Forêts d’Afrique Centrale Evaluées par Télédétection (FACET), une initiative de l’Observatoire Satellital des Forêts d’Afrique Centrale (OSFAC), l’Université d’État du Dakota du Sud (SDSU), l’Université de Maryland (UMD) avec l’appui de l’USAID via le Programme régional pour l’environnement en Afrique centrale (CARPE). Les données FACET peuvent également être consulté sur le site Internet cartographique de l’UMD CARPE.

Les observateurs de la carte peuvent cliquer sur les concessions forestières ou sur les zones protégées pour de plus amples renseignements et peuvent choisir entre différentes options telles que l’affichage en fond d’images satellites récentes ou une carte routière. La transparence des couches de la carte peut être facilement ajustée pour afficher les données cartographiques de base en dessous, par exemple, les concessions d’exploitation forestière peuvent être rendues transparentes pour afficher les chemins d’exploitation visible sur les images satellite. Tous les thèmes de la carte peuvent être visualisés sur Google Earth à l’aide d’un simple clic bouton. Nous avons également mis à disposition en téléchargement l’ensemble des données SIG utilisées dans la carte.

Pour les utilisateurs connectés en ligne, cette carte interactive est une version simplifiée et facile d’utilisation de l’information exhaustive de l’Atlas Forestier interactif de la RDC - la version 1.0, CD-Rom et rapport de synthèse.

Un accès simplifié à l’attribution en cours des terrains forestiers en RDC aidera le gouvernement à améliorer l’aménagement du territoire, le suivi et la résolution des conflits sur les ressources dans les zones de chevauchement des revendications. Il aidera également les ONG locales et les communautés à comprendre les actions du gouvernement et de défendre leurs droits d’accès.

L’outil de visualisation de l’Atlas Forestier interactif est le premier du genre à mettre l’accent sur le développement et l’évolution forestière. Au cours des prochains mois, d’autres visionneurs cartographique en ligne seront disponibles pour d’autres pays d’Afrique centrale et l’Indonésie.

L’outil de visualisation cartographique a été développé avec le soutien généreux de l’USAID-CARPE, la Fondation MacArthur, ESRI et ERDAS.

Generous support for these projects has been provided by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

New Interactive Atlas Will Help Democratic Republic of Congo Manage Forests

Scott Thompson — Wed, 02 Feb 2011 13:29:48 -0500

The government and people of the Democratic Republic of Congo can now track and monitor forests and logging concessions in the world’s second largest rain forest.

En Français

In January, WRI and the Democratic Republic of Congo’s (DRC) Ministry of Environment, Nature Conservation, and Tourism (MECN-T) launched the first-ever DRC Interactive Forest Atlas - a unique GIS-based mapping and information system designed to shed light on the country’s logging activities.

Interactive Map

Explore our interactive map viewer to examine in detail logging concessions, protected areas, and forest change in the Democratic Republic of Congo (in both English and French).

Covering two-thirds of the country’s territory, the forests of the DRC are home to a wealth of biodiversity and serve as one of the planet’s major terrestrial carbon sinks. In addition to supplying valuable wood products on the international market, the DRC’s forests support the livelihoods of tens of millions of Congolese citizens. Historically, the DRC has experienced low levels of industrial deforestation, primarily due to the high cost of transporting forest resources out of the country and decades of warfare. However, with peace and relative political stability returning to the region, local and international eyes have turned to the wealth of forest resources available within the DRC’s borders.

Buoyed by a rebound in international demand for wood products, particularly from Asian markets, industrial logging activities are again expanding across the DRC and the greater Congo Basin. Infrastructure improvements designed to increase rural accessibility and economic integration have accelerated forest degradation in even the most remote areas of the DRC. Access roads for extractive purposes and tracts cleared for local agricultural activities have fragmented large parts of the forest canopy, and significant charcoal demand from the urban centers, combined with a growing subsistence agrarian population, have made smallholder land a primary threat for forest degradation.

These factors, combined with increasing demand for forest conversion to industrial plantations for palm oil and other products, means that the integrity of the DRC’s forests hangs in a critical balance.

Recognizing the important role of – and demands on – its forest ecosystems, the DRC has partnered with the international community to improve forest sector governance and management. In 2002, the government enacted a new Forest Code that mandated a broad list of environmental, management and social requirements that would now apply to all logging operation titles in the DRC. In 2005, the DRC launched a multi-stakeholder forest title conversion process, or legal review, designed to evaluate the compliance of existing logging titles (allocated under the previous regulatory framework), in view of converting those “compliant” titles into new forest concessions, in line with the new Forest Code. Monitored by WRI, national NGOs and other international actors, this conversion process culminated in the cancellation of 91 out of the 156 titles submitted for conversion¹. The process was carried out with an unprecedented degree of transparency and broad multi-stakeholder participation in the DRC’s forest sector.

La République Démocratique du Congo: Portrait extensif de l’affectation du Domaine Forestier de l’État: This map from the Interactive Forest Atlas shows where forest concessions, protected areas, and geographic features are located throughout the DRC.

Despite these advances, the DRC government still faces a myriad of challenges in developing a comprehensive forest management and zoning process, as well as in the day-to-day monitoring of its forest-based activities such as logging, mining and agriculture. Among the principle obstacles is the lack of sufficient and accessible forest information, in combination with limited technical forest management capacity at national and local levels.

To begin to fill this gap, MECN-T partnered with WRI in 2006 to develop the Interactive Forest Atlas. Produced with support from USAID, the Atlas is freely and publicly available to any party working or interested in the DRC’s forest sector – affirming the governmnet’s new commitment to transparent resource management.

Stephen Haykin, two representatives from the Ministry of Environment, Nature Conservation, and Tourism, and Pierre Methot at the Atlas launch in Kinshasa.

Using a combination of GIS-based interactive maps and data sets, the Atlas and accompanying report provide an accurate presentation of activities occurring within the DRC forest sector. More specifically, the Interactive Forest Atlas begins to meet the needs of both the Congolese administration and non-governmental actors by integrating forest sector information into one, user-friendly, publicly available resource. As a “one stop shop” on logging activities, logging operator information, concession boundaries, and protected areas, the Atlas serves as a vehicle to help all stakeholders – from government ministries and private operators to NGOs and local communities – enforce regulations and defend their rights.

Future versions will expand upon the 2009 data included in this premier version. Through these updates, as well as continuous training of government, civil society, and private actors on how to use the Atlas to address their needs, WRI and MECN-T aim to ensure that the DRC economy develops on a sustainable track – for the benefit of the country’s fragile forests and the livelihoods dependent upon them.

The DRC Interactive Atlas is part of WRI’s suite of country-specific Atlases in the Congo Basin. WRI, through support from USAID’s CARPE program and in cooperation with local ministries and organizations, has produced and continues to update Atlases in the following countries:

Un atlas interactif aidera la République Démocratique du Congo à mieux gérer ses forêts

Le gouvernement et la population de la République Démocratique du Congo peuvent désormais suivre et surveiller les forêts et les concessions d’exploitation forestière de la deuxième forêt tropicale du monde.

Carte interactive

Ce mois-ci, WRI et le Ministère de l’Environnement, Conservation de la Nature et du Tourisme (MECN-T) de la République Démocratique du Congo (RDC) ont lancé le premier Atlas Interactif Forestier de la RDC– un système d’information basé sur le SIG (Système d’Information Géographique) et la cartographie qui vise à mettre en lumière les activités d’exploitation forestière du pays.

Couvrant les deux tiers du territoire du pays, les forêts de la RDC abritent une forte richesse en terme de biodiversité et possèdent l’une des plus forte réserve de puits de carbone de la planète. En plus de fournir des produits de bois précieux sur le marché international, les forêts de la RDC apportent les moyens de subsistance de dizaines de millions de citoyens congolais. Historiquement, le pays a connu de faibles taux de déforestation industrielle, causé par le coût élevé du transport des ressources forestières en dehors du pays et des décennies de guerre. Cependant, avec la paix et une stabilité politique relative retrouvées dans la région, des regards locaux et internationaux se sont portés vers les ressources forestières disponibles au sein des frontières de la RDC.

Porté par un rebond de la demande internationale de bois de production, en particulier des marchés asiatiques, les activités industrielles d’exploitation forestière sont maintenant en expansion à travers la RDC et le bassin du Congo. L’amélioration des infrastructures destinée à accroître l’accessibilité en milieu rural et l’intégration économique ont accéléré la dégradation des forêts, même dans les zones les plus reculées de la RDC. Les routes d’accès à des fins d’extraction et pour les activités agricoles locales ont fragmenté une grande partie du couvert forestier. De plus, une grande demande de charbon de bois provenant des centres urbains, combinée avec une population de subsistance de plus en plus agraires, ont fait des petits exploitants agricoles la principale menace pour la dégradation forestière.

Ces facteurs, combinés à une demande croissante pour la conversion des forêts en plantations industrielles de palmiers à huile et autres produits, signifie que l’intégrité des forêts de la RDC est menacé.

Reconnaissant le rôle important des écosystèmes forestiers et les menaces auxquelles ces derniers sont confrontés, la RDC a conclu un partenariat avec la communauté internationale pour améliorer la gouvernance et la gestion dans le secteur forestier. En 2002, le gouvernement a adopté un nouveau Code forestier, duquel a émané une liste étendue d’exigences environnementales et sociales qui s’appliquent désormais à tous les titres d’exploitation forestière du pays. En 2005, la RDC a lancé un processus de conversion des titres forestiers, ou un examen juridique, qui visait à évaluer la conformité des titres d’exploitation forestière existants (attribué en vertu de l’ancien cadre réglementaire), en vue de la conversion des titres « conforme » aux nouvelles concessions forestières, découlant du nouveau Code forestier. Surveillé par WRI, les ONG nationales et d’autres acteurs internationaux, ce processus de conversion a annulé 91 titres sur les 156 titres soumis à conversion. Le processus a été réalisé avec un degré de transparence sans précédent avec une large participation de multiples parties prenantes du secteur forestier.

Malgré ces progrès, le gouvernement est toujours confronté à une myriade de défis pour le développement d’une gestion forestière globale et d’un processus de zonage, ainsi que dans le suivi au jour le jour de ses activités forestières, telles que l’exploitation forestière et minière et l’agriculture. Parmi les principaux obstacles, se trouvent le manque d’information et l’accessibilité des massifs forestiers, en combinaison avec une capacité limitée de la gestion technique forestière au niveau national et local.

Pour commencer à combler cette lacune, le MECN-T a lancé un partenariat avec WRI en 2006 pour développer l’Atlas Interactif Forestier. Cet Atlas, réalisé avec le soutien de USAID, est disponible librement et publiquement à toutes les parties prenantes du secteur forestier de la RDC – ce qui confirme l’engagement du nouveau gouvernement congolais quant à la gestion transparente de ses ressources.

Par l’utilisation de données de provenances diverses et combinées à un SIG, l’Atlas et le rapport d’accompagnement donnent une présentation exacte des activités qui se déroulent au sein du secteur forestier en RDC. Plus précisément, l’Atlas interactif commence à répondre aux besoins de l’administration congolaise et des acteurs non-gouvernementaux en intégrant l’information du secteur forestier dans une seule ressource conviviale et accessible au public. Comme un “guichet unique” sur les activités d’exploitation forestière, l’information sur les opérateurs forestiers, les limites des concessions, et les aires protégées, l’Atlas est un véhicule pour aider toutes les parties prenantes - des ministères et des opérateurs privés aux ONG et communautés locales – à faire respecter les règlements et défendre leurs droits.

Les futures versions élargiront les données de 2009 inclus dans cette première version. Grâce à ces mises à jour, ainsi que la formation continue du gouvernement, la société civile, et les acteurs publics et privés sur l’utilisation de l’Atlas pour répondre à leurs besoins, le WRI et MECN-T visent à veiller à ce que l’économie de la RDC se développe sur une trajectoire durable - pour les bénéfices des forêts fragiles du pays ainsi que pour les citoyens qui en dépendent pour leur survie.

L’Atlas interactif de la RDC fait partie d’une collection d’Atlas spécifiques aux pays du Bassin du Congo. WRI, grâce au soutien du programme d’USAID CARPE et en coopération avec les ministères et organisations locales, a produit et continue de mettre à jour des atlas dans les pays suivants :

16 titles were appealed since the date of this publication and the DRC government is in the process of deeming a number of them “legal” forest concessions ↩

DRC Forest Title Conversion Process Results

Tim Herzog — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 18:29:22 -0400

In 2005, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) launched a comprehensive process to review historical logging titles and bring them into compliance with its recently enacted Forest Code to promote sustainable forest management. That process resulted in the conversion of 65 of the 156 titles reviewed, accounting for 10 of 22 million hectares. The remaining 91 titles, representing 12 million hectares, were deemed illegal and subject to cancellation: a huge step of progress for sustainable forest management in the DRC.

This map shows the results of the title conversion process. Areas in orange represent “converted” concessions deemed admissible under the new regime. Areas in gray show inadmissible concessions subject to cancellation. Protected areas are shown in green.

Protecting Forests and Community Rights in the DRC

Pierre Methot — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 13:17:50 -0400

The Democratic Republic of Congo cancelled logging operation titles in 12 million hectares of tropical forest this year in an effort to promote sustainable, socially responsible forest management.

Covering a land area equivalent to the size of Western Europe, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is one of Africa’s richest countries in terms of natural and human resources. Supported by ample rainfall and fertile soil, the nation’s vast forests and mineral resources are reservoirs of potential wealth for the nation’s 65 million citizens.

Despite this abundance of natural resources, the DRC’s formal economy essentially collapsed during the last few decades due to mismanagement, lack of capacity and political will, and social unrest following two damaging wars between 1996 and 2003. The GDP per capita is now one of the lowest in the world—$300 in 2008—and the national faculty for environmental management is limited.

But the DRC is turning itself around. The recent democratic election, coupled with the support of the international development community, provides an incredible opportunity to promote strong governance and help the country develop on a sustainable track.

This growing political will and commitment to sustainable development is exemplified by recent events in the DRC forest sector: events which were supported by the World Resources Institute.

Accounting for 60 percent of forest coverage in the Congo Basin (120 million hectares), the DRC’s forests provide shelter, food, medicine, and spiritual and cultural value to the Congolese population. After the most recent war ended, the government initiated significant steps to shed necessary light into activities taking place within the country’s forest industry in order to curb illegal logging and deforestation.

These efforts culminated in a new Forest Code in 2002. The Forest Code replaced colonial rules and regulations, and for the first time set a foundation for sustainable, socially responsible forest management in the DRC. In conjunction with a 2004 moratorium on the issuance of new logging concessions, the new Forest Code mandated a broad list of environmental, forest management and social requirements that would now apply to all logging operation titles in the DRC. To achieve these, the DRC government in 2005 launched a multi-stakeholder forest title conversion process, or legal review, designed to convert old logging titles into new forest concessions that would respect the new Forest Code.

What Others Are Saying

“In my opinion, the DRC conversion process has been a massive accomplishment, considering the progress that has been made. In 2004, when we first sat down with logging companies and NGOs, you could cut the tension with a knife. Now almost every logging company in the DRC is talking about sustainable forest management.”

John Flynn, Director of USAID’s Central Africa Regional Program for the Environment (CARPE).

“For the DRC—this process put order into the forest sector. There were those in the industrial sector that did not follow regulations and pay their contributions to the state. Following the conversion process, there is now visibility on the ground, especially towards local communities in converted forest titles. We now know who is in the sector, what they are paying, and what the state gains from what they are logging.”

Honorable Pius Bitakuya Dunia, a national DRC Parliamentarian and President of the Environment and Natural Resource Commission.

“The fact that there was an international presence made members of the DRC’s Interministerial Commission aware of their responsibility towards the international community. The Congolese administration did not have the capacity to review, examine, and prepare necessary documents for the Commission. I firmly believe we would not have achieved the results we have today had it not been for the support of WRI.”

Augustin Mpoyi, Executive Director of the Council for Environmental Defense by Legality and Traceability (CODELT) and Member of Interministerial Commission.

In collaboration with Belgian partner AGREGO, WRI served as the international Independent Observer during the process—monitoring the integrity of the proceedings, recording the progress of the conversion process, and making reports public. Simultaneously, WRI-AGRECO strengthened the technical capacity of the DRC government to properly conduct the documentation and field evaluation of the forest title conversion requests submitted by title holders.

WRI faced an uphill battle, amid international concern over the environmental and social consequences of opened or closed forest concessions, as well as the legality of the process itself. Moreover, WRI, along with other international and local NGOs, continuously advocated the maintenance of the environmental and social goals promised at the outset of the process by the World Bank and the DRC government.

At the end of its involvement as Independent Observer in February 2009, WRI-AGRECO formally attested that the process had been carried out in full compliance with the legal provisions applicable in the DRC and general principles of law. Out of the initial 156 titles for which a request for conversion submitted to the DRC government, only 65 were declared convertible by the Interministerial Commission, for a total area of 10 million hectare out of the 22 million hectare under review. The remaining titles, which covered a combined area equal to the size of Pennsylvania, were deemed illegal and subject to cancellation.

DRC Forest Title Conversion Process Results

The outcomes of the conversion process are far reaching and have set the groundwork for transparency, accountability, and sustainable management in the DRC forest sector.

Throughout the process, up-to-date and complete information on the logging titles was made publicly available for the first time ever in the DRC. Information on the progress, constraints, limitations and results of the entire forest title process was also made freely available through reports, a project website, and numerous information workshops and meetings. Through these various avenues, forest information reached all national and international stakeholders—a strong and essential step towards transparency and improved governance in the forest sector. Moreover, by providing an efficient and practical training platform, the process improved the capacity of both the government and civil society in the DRC.

WRI’s particular involvement in the process brought international recognition to the DRC’s efforts to promote sustainable forest management. By insisting on the involvement of local and indigenous populations, WRI helped elevate the degree of participation by groups that had traditionally been marginalized in forest resource management decision-making, setting the path to a real participatory approach to forest allocation and management.

Despite some imperfections, the conversion process was hailed as a success by the majority of national and international stakeholders involved. In addition to promoting a sustainable future for the DRC, the lessons learned through the conversion process will inform and serve as examples for similar processes in the future in both the DRC and abroad, whether in forestry or any other natural resourced-based sector.

Stopping the Resource Wars in Africa

Peter Veit — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 13:54:00 -0400

Two upcoming Senate bills could have a big impact on the Democratic Republic of Congo, by exposing how its 10-year conflict is being funded.

Since 1998, fighting in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has killed an estimated 5.4 million people and resulted in some of the most horrific sexual violence the world has ever seen. Almost a million internally-displaced people are still unable to return safely to their areas of origin. Despite the nine-year presence of the world’s largest United Nations peacekeeping operation, the Mission de l’Organisation des Nations-Unies au Congo (MONUC)—18,422 personnel in 2008 at an annual cost of $1.2 billion—rebel forces continue to terrorize innocent citizens in this large central African nation, creating a dire humanitarian crisis that rivals the tragedies in Darfur and Myanmar.

The armed groups in eastern DRC are funded by the region’s abundant natural resources, especially from the extraction of tin, tantalum, and tungsten used to make laptops, cell phones, digital cameras, iPods, and video recorders. As a result, U.S. and international electronic companies—and the consumers who purchase their products—are funding this war.

Two-thirds of the people living below the poverty line reside in nations rich with extractive resources. Yet they rarely receive any meaningful benefits from their country’s resource wealth.

Two bills are now in Congress—the Congo Conflict Minerals Act and the Extractive Industries Transparency Disclosure Act. These two bills would require companies listed on the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to disclose new information in their financial reporting and help ensure that such minerals do not support the conflict.

The Congo Conflict Minerals Act, introduced by Senators Sam Brownback (R-KS), Richard Durbin (D-IL) and Russ Feingold (D-WI), would require SEC-listed electronic companies, such as Apple, Nokia, and Nintendo, to disclose the exact location of the mines from which they receive their tin, tantalum, and tungsten in their regular reporting. By noting the source of their minerals, consumers will know whether the electronics they are buying are funding illegal armed groups in the DRC. As evident from the effective embargo on conflict timber from Liberia and blood diamonds from Sierra Leone, many U.S. and European consumers are sensitive to breaking the link between natural resources and conflict. Many U.S. and international companies are also concerned about their reputation and the financial risks associated with not being listed on the SEC (the SEC is a principal source of company information to potential investors).

Ending the conflict in DRC—often called “Africa’s World War” because the armies of nearly a dozen other African states have been drawn into the fighting—is a long-standing and high-priority U.S. policy objective. In October 2006, then-President George Bush argued that the conflict constitutes “an unusual and extraordinary threat” to our foreign policy and declared a national emergency. He issued an executive order to block the property of people and institutions contributing to the conflict in the DRC, including those who “have materially assisted, sponsored, or provided financial, material, or technological support.” President Barack Obama’s administration has also made it clear that stopping the war in Congo a top priority of U.S. policy on Africa.

In addition to advancing U.S. interests, the Congo Conflict Minerals Act would contribute to the effective implementation of U.N. Resolution 1856. In December 2008, the U.N. Security Council passed Resolution 1856—the latest in a series of resolutions on the DRC conflict—which links the “illicit trade in natural resources” with the “proliferation and trafficking of arms,” and places an embargo on illegally-exploited natural resources. It calls for the U.N. to heighten security around the mines and authorizes the peacekeeping forces to “seize or collect, as appropriate, the arms and any related material whose presence in the territory of the DRC” contributes to the conflict, including illegally-mined natural resources. Resolution 1856 also urged all countries to take appropriate steps to end the illicit trade in natural resources in the region.

The Congo Conflict Minerals Act is the most recent initiative out of Congress to break the link between natural resources and conflict. While the Act focuses on sourcing three minerals extracted from eastern DRC, another bill awaits action in Congress—the Extractive Industries Transparency Disclosure Act—which would have broader implications for the effective use of natural resource revenues around the world.

The Extractive Industries Transparency Disclosure Act was introduced by Representative Barney Frank (D-MA), Chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, and Senator Charles Schumer (D-NY) in the summer of 2008. It was co-sponsored by Senators Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Richard Durbin (D-IL), Russ Feingold (D-WI), Patrick Leahy (D-VT), Tom Harkin (D-IA)and Joe Lieberman (I-CT). The bill was referred to the Committee on Urban, Banking, and Housing Affairs, but never discussed on the floor. It is, however, expected to be reintroduced shortly by the same sponsors.

The Extractive Industries Transparency Disclosure Act would require all SEC-listed companies to fully disclose the amount of money paid to foreign governments for oil, gas, and minerals—collectively called extractive resources—in their required financial statements. Around two-thirds of the people living below the poverty line reside in nations rich with extractive resources yet they rarely receive any meaningful benefits from their country’s resource wealth. This Act is an important step in ensuring sound revenue management, promoting effective reinvestments and fighting the corruption that contributes to the disjuncture between resource wealth and economic growth.

In July, President Obama traveled to Ghana for his first presidential visit to sub-Saharan Africa because the country is an outpost of democracy—a model for good governance. Ghana, a bipartisan American favorite, is also one of our most trusted partners in Africa. In a speech to the parliament, President Obama highlighted the critical role that sound governance and civil society plays in promoting lasting development. While Ghana is well-known for its gold (the country is Africa’s second largest gold producer), significant quantities of oil have recently been found offshore. Tullow Oil, an Irish company list on the SEC, holds several of the most promising deep water blocks (Tullow also holds several proven blocks in Uganda, another major U.S. ally in Africa). The Extractive Industries Transparency Disclosure Act would help ensure that some of our close allies in the continent—Africa’s new petro-states—use their oil riches in ways that promote development, not civil unrest and conflict.

The Extractive Industries Transparency Disclosure Act enjoys broad support from U.S. development professionals. Critics, however, point out that full disclosure of payments made by extractive industries to foreign governments alone will not ensure extractive resource revenues are invested in ways that support poverty reduction. Other pundits argue that the most corrupt and non-democratic regimes—those which the Extractive Industries Transparency Disclosure Act is targeting—will simply partner with companies from China, India and elsewhere and would not be affected by the Act. In fact, nearly all internationally-competitive oil, gas and mining companies are registered with the SEC and subject to the same regulations as U.S. companies.

The Act would provide a powerful platform for U.S. development assistance to work with governments around the world to ensure revenues from natural resources contribute to economic growth and poverty reduction. Indeed, the passing of these two bills should be complemented by targeted investments by the Agency for International Development, Millennium Challenge Corporation and other agencies delivering U.S. government development assistance. Based on recent research by WRI and our local partner organizations in Africa, such support should emphasize investments in two areas:

Help Governments Establish Fair Distribution Policies. The distribution of environmental benefits (and costs) is determined largely by public policies and government practices. U.S. development assistance can work with governments to develop extractive resource revenue management and distribution policies that create economic, political and other incentives in support of poverty reduction, a priority national policy objective in most developing countries. Too often, public policies favor affluent people and regions, enriching a few powerful political and economic elites while passing disproportionately large social and environmental costs on to the poor disenfranchised majority. Poverty reduction—especially for the poorest—can be greatly enhanced through policies that promote fair distribution of natural resource benefits. In high-inequity, high-poverty countries, equitable access and fair distribution can be more effective than economic growth alone in reducing poverty. Such reforms are most effective in poor countries, where natural resources dominate local economies and natural capital is particularly significant in determining the overall distribution of wealth. Even small changes in these policies can have a large effect on building the assets of the poor and reducing poverty.
Strengthen Democratic Institutions and Support Good Governance. While it is important to work with governments, especially government reformers, to establish fair environmental distribution policies, U.S. development assistance must also strengthen other centers of power which can press for such reforms and check the authority of the executive branch. Among these other power centers are the legislature, civil society organizations and citizens. In many countries, even in those that have embraced multi-party politics and hold regular elections, policy reform processes remain closed and tightly controlled by a small circle of political elites. Small wonder that many public policies do not reflect the interest of the electoral majority—the rural poor. Strengthening the legislature and civil society organizations supports the democratic principal of separation of power, and promotes oversight and accountability. Working with the popular media to educate the public on policy processes can engage citizens in government matters. Accountability requires information on institutional performance, and the power to sanction poor decisions and discipline behavior. U.S. assistance can support performance monitoring and help these actors exercise their constitutional authorities and informal powers to press government on matters regarding the management of extractive resource revenues.

It is time for the U.S. to advance its national interests and support development around the world by passing both the Congo Conflict Minerals Act and the Extractive Industries Transparency Disclosure Act.

WRI Releases Guide to Help Extractive Companies Work with Local Communities

Paul Mackie — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 13:52:07 -0500

Natural-resources extractive companies are profiting financially and socially when they consult with affected communities before and during the construction of projects.

“Rio Tinto and De Beers, for example, have negotiated agreements with communities to avoid harm and provide benefits. In so doing, they have gained local support for projects, and communities have seized opportunities for development,” said Jonathan Lash, president of the World Resources Institute (WRI). “But more work needs to be done. Too often, the rhetoric in support of community engagement does not match the practice.”

The report, Breaking Ground: Engaging Communities in Extractive and Infrastructure Projects, takes an in-depth look at international community engagement standards and how they often fall short of providing guidance to companies and communities. The work follows WRI’s 2007 report, Development Without Conflict, and is designed as a user’s guide to help companies and local community liaisons implement successful standards on-the-ground.

“Many national laws and financial institutions’ policies require companies to implement some type of community engagement in extractive and infrastructure projects, but do not necessarily provide guidance on how to do so,” said Kirk Herbertson of WRI, lead author of the report. “When local communities participate in the design and implementation of a project, they are more likely to understand and support the changes brought about by the project.”

In one of the examples from the report, community engagement during the construction of a natural gas project in the Philippines saved a U.S. company millions by allowing the company to complete construction ahead of schedule. In another example, from Guatemala, a mining company helped rebuild its damaged reputation by inviting local communities to test and monitor water quality, as a way to provide credible assurances that a mine was not polluting their water source.

WRI’s accompanying video documentary on Thailand’s Mae Moh coal power project shows what happens when companies and governments refuse to engage the communities they develop. Hundreds of people filed a lawsuit against the government-controlled Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT), alleging the coal mine and power plant poisoned them with toxic sulfur dioxide emissions and mine dust, and damaged their crops. On Tuesday of this week, which is officially the World Bank’s Extractive Industries Week, a Thai court ruled that EGAT must compensate each of the victims and restore the environmental damage of the coal mine.

Extractive industry experts said at the World Bank conference that they continue to recognize the importance of engaging communities in mining projects, despite the ongoing economic crisis.

WRI, EIA Form Partnership to Stem Illegal Forest Products Imported Into U.S.

Paul Mackie — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 09:18:43 -0500

The World Resources Institute and the Environmental Investigation Agency today launch a partnership to combat illegal logging worldwide and clean up timber supply chains.

The partnership focuses on the 100-year old Lacey Act, which was recently amended to include plant products - including timber and wood.

“The Lacey Act, if enforced, has the potential to send a powerful signal around the world that the U.S. is serious about curtailing illegal logging. Increasingly, illegal logging and deforestation contribute to climate change,” said Jonathan Lash, president of WRI.

Signed into law by President William McKinley, the Lacey Act has been a powerful tool used by the U.S. to battle wildlife trafficking by prohibiting the transportation of illegally captured animals or wildlife products across state lines. The new amendment extends this protection to plants and their derivative products, including items ranging from lumber and wood furniture to paper and sporting goods.

“The bill marks the first time that a major consuming country has made the trade in illegally logged wood a crime. It provides a precedent-setting tool to change the face of a $1 trillion industry, reduce deforestation, and improve forestry governance,” said Alexander von Bismarck, executive director at EIA.

Proposed in 2007 by Representative Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) and Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR), with co-sponsorship by President-elect Barack Obama, the bill received widespread backing from a broad coalition of environmental, industry, and labor groups, led by the EIA.

The WRI-EIA partnership will support the coalition by delivering objective and timely information to governments and the private sector to facilitate adherence to Lacey Act requirements. The Lacey Act allows the U.S. Department of Justice to prosecute if a product is produced in violation of the relevant laws of the country of origin and is brought into the United States.

“The WRI-EIA partnership will provide companies and government officials with FAQ sheets, forest information reports, and procurement guides. These will help them ask important questions to ensure their producers and importers trade in legally-sourced products,” said Dr. Lars Laestadius, senior associate at WRI.

“The U.S. is the world’s largest market for forest products,” said David Bonistall, vice president, Environmental, Health & Safety at NewPage. “The Lacey Act is monumental in that it could domino into other countries and increase transparency within the global wood market, ultimately enhancing the reputation of forest products as a sustainable material.”

“The Lacey Act will protect the forest-products industry’s global reputation by helping eliminate illegal logging, which in some places is carried out by organized crime, spreading violence and deforestation in some developing countries,” added Cassie Phillips, vice president, Sustainable Forests and Products at Weyerhaeuser. “It will cost the global industry economically, but we will all gain in the longer term as illegally sourced wood is removed from the marketplace.”

WRI’s partnership with the EIA arrives at the right time. December 6 is the official “forest day” for delegates at the United Nations climate conference in Poland, where WRI and EIA will both be holding events about the links between deforestation and climate change. Also, the first public comment period on issues relating to implemetation of the Lacey Act, which went into effect on May 22, ends December 8.

What Does Environmental Democracy Look Like?

Monika Kerdeman — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 18:45:44 -0400

Environmental democracy is about government being transparent, accountable, and involving people in decisions that affect their environment. 20 countries in The Access Initiative (TAI) network are expanding their work to promote environmental democracy. Here is a summary of what’s ahead in 2008 and beyond.<!–break–>

Local TAI partners work with their governments to reform transparency laws and train government officers to involve people in development planning. They also build the awareness among judges and in the media about the public’s ability to influence decisions that affect the environment. TAI Partners are already having crucial impacts in key countries:

In Chile, the National Commission of the Environment committed to creating a participatory process in the design of the country’s first Toxic Release Inventory. TAI partner groups helped influence the design of the system to guarantee full citizen participation.
In Uganda, the TAI coalition used the findings of a TAI assessment to convince representatives to draft a Freedom of Information Act establishing citizens’ right to government information.
TAI Ecuador partner ECOLEX and the Ministry of Environment drafted a regulation requiring public consultation in the process of decision-making on environmental matters. The president approved the regulation in October 2006.
In Indonesia, TAI assessments identified the need for and recommended the basic requirements of a Freedom of Information Act. TAI partners worfked with the Government and other civil society groups to draft such an act which was adopted in 2008.
In Mexico, a TAI assessment revealed gaps in public access to information. Together they published a series of citizen action guides which led to a measurable increase in the number of citizens requesting information and more efficient delivery of information on the part of the government.

Here is a quick summary of the work that is already underway—or planned for 2008—in Bangladesh, Bolivia, Cameroon, Chile, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ecuador, Hungary, Latvia, Nepal, India, Macedonia, Malawi, Mexico, Paraguay, The Philippines, Tanzania, Thailand, Sri Lanka, Ukraine and Zambia.

BANGLADESH: BANGLADESH ENVIRONMENTAL LAWYERS ASSOCIATION
Prioritize reforms by conducting national TAI assessment.
More about BELA

BOLIVIA: PRODENA, BOLIVIAN WILDLIFE SOCIETY
Advocacy activities that engage public officials and parliament representatives to include access rights in the environmental and natural resource legislation.
More about PRODENA

CHILE: CORPORACIÓN PARTICIPA
This organization will work with local CSOs to analyze access rights and public participation mechanisms in current Chilean environmental legislation and develop proposals to strengthen the legal norms that impact local poor communities. In addition, they will evaluate tools available in the System of Evaluation of Environmental Impacts in Chile (SEIA) with a special focus on the impact on local poor communities.
More about Participa

CAMEROON: BIORESOURCES DEVELOPMENT AND CONSERVATION PROGRAMME AND FOUNDATION FOR ENVIRONMENT AND DEVELOPMENT
Training and assistance to TAI DRC teams for a national TAI assessment. Raise awareness on access to participation; develop information materials on the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) legal process; initiate teams to work with government officials on EIAs; develop a simplified version of EIA guidelines. Create a link between government and local communities to enable communities to benefit though poverty alleviation strategies. Conduct TAI pilot poverty assessment.

DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO: CONSEIL POUR LA DEFENSE ENVIRONNEMENTALE PAR LA LEGALITE ET LA TRACABILITE (CODELT)
Prioritize reforms by conducting national TAI assessment.

ECUADOR: COALICIÓN ACCESO
Investigate 30 petitions for access to information; file and follow-up on 6 litigation cases where access to information has been denied. Conduct 3 training workshops for 30 public officials and 20 NGO leaders on implementing Ecuador’s Transparency and Access to Information Law.
More about Coalicion Acceso

ECUADOR: ECOLEX
Work with government officials to implement regulations related to civil participation in environmental management and build capacities for the social controllership in environmental issues through training.
More about Ecolex

HUNGARY: ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT AND LAW ASSOCIATION
Training and assistance to TAI-Macedonia team for national TAI assessment. Provide assistance to TAI-Ukraine to implement activities in the Ukraine.
More about EMLA

INDIA: ENVIRONICS TRUST
Prioritize reforms by conducting regional TAI assessment.
More about Environics

LATVIA: REGIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL CENTER – LATVIA
Conduct access to justice seminar for 35 judges who will be trained on practical implementation of access to justice principles in Latvian law and how it relates to obligations under the Aarhus Convention.
More about REC - Latvia

MACEDONIA: FLOROZON-ASSOCIATION FOR PROTECTION OF NATURAL ENVIRONMENT AND SUSTAINABLE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
Prioritize reforms by conducting national TAI assessment.

MALAWI: CENTRE FOR POLICY AND ADVOCACY
Activities aimed to use the media as a tool to reach out to new stakeholders. CEPA will also develop a series of training workshops that will include government officials and civil society members to raise the profile of—and generate public demand for—access in Malawi.
More about CEPA

MEXICO: CENTRO MEXICANO DE DERECHO AMBIENTAL
On behalf of The Access Initiative-Mexico. Training and assistance to TAI-Panama*. Work with members of the Government to implement recommendations from two TAI state assessments. Develop and begin to implement an Action Plan for the Federal District in Mexico. Translation of Code Green program into indigenous languages.
More about CEMDA

NEPAL: PRO PUBLIC
Prioritize reforms by conducting national TAI assessment.
More about Pro Public.

PARAGUAY: INSTITUTO DE DERECHO Y ECONOMÍA AMBIENTAL
Conduct TAI pilot poverty assessment.
More about IDEA

THE PHILIPPINES: ATENEO DE MANILA
Conduct TAI pilot poverty assessment.
More about Ateneo

SRI LANKA: PUBLIC INTEREST LAW FOUNDATION
Establish agenda for joint activities with government through PP10 commitments. Draft recommendations to National Environmental Act to include access to information and access to public participation. Conduct TAI pilot poverty assessment.
More about PILF

TANZANIA: TANZANIA LAWYERS ENVIRONMENT ACTION TEAM (TANZANIA) Implementation of TAI report recommendations including conducing community training on access rights; establishing a media campaign on access rights.
More about LEAT

THAILAND: THAILAND ENVIRONMENT INSTITUTE
Conduct regional workshop that will include training on poverty guidelines. Produce 2000 copies of the Asia regional report. Investigate options for developing a rapid assessment toolkit that could be used by local communities, with a focus on the poor and/or disadvantaged groups, to address access issues at the local level.
More about TEI

UKRAINE: ECOPRAVO
Form a national coalition of CSOs and other stakeholders active in environmental rights and access issues and develop a national advocacy strategy for decision makers. Present international complaint mechanisms to Ukraine government officials and establish a program to monitor the implementation of joint activities stemming from the national TAI report.
More about EcoPravo

ZAMBIA: INSTITUTE OF HUMAN RIGHTS, INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY AND DEVELOPMENT TRUST (HURID)
Prioritize reforms by conducting national TAI assessment.

Support

This expansion of TAI is made possible through a generous grant from the Development Grants Facility of the World Bank.

Brief History of TAI

Since TAI began in 1999, more than 150 civil society organizations around the world have become TAI Partners. Assessments and advocacy have engaged governments in 45 countries to improve access to information, public participation and access to justice in decisions affecting the environment.

TAI bases its advocacy on original and independent research at the national level using an internationally recognized assessment tool.

TAI Partners use national assessments to examine the ability of the public to access information about government decisions, participate in those decisions, and seek justice when their rights are violated.

TAI Partners use assessment results to raise public awareness, set priorities for improvements in policy and practice, and work with governments to create change.

New Toolbox Demystifies Green Forest Product Purchasing

Paul Mackie — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 01:00:38 -0400

Corporate managers will now get powerful help with today’s release of a “Guide to the Guides” - a toolbox that helps them understand and find the best advice on how to purchase products originating from the world’s forests.

Countless resources have been developed to help businesses sustainably procure forest-based products such as construction materials and paper. This proliferation is confusing many buyers.

Now a representative number of these resources have been referenced in an easy-to-use toolbox - which includes a full report that details the top 10 questions that corporate managers should ask when purchasing forest-based products and references to resources for help, a shorter overview report, and a Web site with a spreadsheet tool - released by the World Resources Institute (WRI) and the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD).

Top 10 Elements of Forest Sustainable Purchases

“Finding credible purchasing information around the complexity of the issues - including forestry, climate change, energy, and manufacturing - has always been a maze,” said David J. Refkin, director of sustainable development at Time Inc., who participated in a launch event here today at the National Press Club. “This is a virtual Rolodex of the issues and resources out there.”

The Guide to the Guides will help sustainability managers to define and implement purchasing policies for the entire range of forest-based products, from wood products like construction materials and furniture to paper products like packaging, tissue paper, and countless other products. It details topics such as forest certification, legality, environmental-friendliness, social impacts, and recycled-content percentages, and directs managers to advice on tracing their supply chains, implementing monitoring processes, and many other issues.

“Corporate managers are taking a close look at what they buy because of consumer preference for sustainable products, competitiveness, production costs, and the prestige of having a green brand,”; said Jonathan Lash, WRI president. “We want to help them make smart choices - both for the bottom line and to benefit the environment, particularly in addressing climate change.”

Cassie Phillips, vice president of sustainable forests and products at Weyerhaeuser Company, thinks the environmental benefits match the business payoffs. “Finally having a more complete picture of the landscape will make it easier for buyers to design purchasing policies that fight illegal logging, promote sustainable forest management, and protect the environment.”

Björn Stigson, president of the WBCSD, added, “The idea is that simplified information, supported by specific advice on where to go for the details, can make decisions less complex for procurement managers and help ensure their purchasing supports both sustainability goals and corporate reputation.”

The World Wide Fund for Nature - International, for example, focuses on leveraging the global marketplace to help save the world’s valuable and threatened forests by combating illegal logging and promoting responsible trade between producers and purchasers. It also produced a popular “paper scorecard.” Bruce Cabarle, head of the WWF’s Global Forest & Trade Network, said, “WRI and WBCSD have provided a useful toolbox that compliments WWF’s efforts to promote trade based on a stepwise approach to credible certification.”

The United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization estimates that 28,000 square miles of forest - the approximate size of Ireland - were converted to other land uses each year between 2000 and 2005. The Millennium Ecosystem Assessment found that 54 countries have lost 90 percent or more of their forest cover.

Encouragingly, forest area in Europe, North America, and China has been growing in the past decade due to reforestation initiatives. However, rapid forest loss continues in the tropical regions of South America, Africa, and Asia, where socio-economic and political problems present formidable challenges to forest conservation and sustainable management.

The new toolbox is located here and further information is available here and here.

The 10 Big Questions For Corporate Forest Product Purchasing

Ruth Nogueron — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 01:00:38 -0400

Corporate procurement managers are increasingly looking for ways to ensure that wood and paper-based products are environmentally and socially sound. The WRI/WBCSD procurement guide being released today is a toolbox to help them.

There are several reasons for the shift in procurement practices, including protection of sensitive ecosystems and forests, increasing demand from consumers for sustainable products, reduced costs, and competitive brand positioning. But until recently, finding concise and credible advice on sustainable procurement issues has been a maze for many corporate managers.

That maze becomes a lot simpler today, with the release of the Sustainable Procurement of Wood and Paper-Based Products, a joint report from WRI and the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD). The report is an overview of sustainable procurement for this sector, together with a virtual rolodex of 23 purchasing resources and tools, all in one location.

10 Things You Should Know

10 Elements of Sustainable Forest Purchases

What are the key issues around sustainable procurement of wood and paper-based products? The Procurement Guide provides a comprehensive overview, and a directory of resources for managers to develop their own purchasing policies.

Origin: Where do the products come from?
Information accuracy: Is information about the products credible?
Legality: Have the products been legally produced?
Sustainability: Have forests been sustainably managed?
Special places: Have special places, including sensitive ecosystems, been protected?
Climate change: Have climate issues been addressed?
Environmental protection: Have appropriate environmental controls been applied?
Recycled fiber: Has recycled fiber been used appropriately?
Other resources: Have other resources been used appropriately?
Local communities and indigenous peoples: Have the needs of local communities or indigenous peoples been addressed?

Wood and Paper-Based Product Procurement: 10 Things You Should Know

Paul Mackie — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 14:31:28 -0400

Forest Landscapes Initiative

Richard Waite — Thu, 27 Sep 2007 14:53:48 -0400

Our strategy is to harness the power of information and communication technologies (e.g., satellites) to strengthen the incentives and capacity for sustainable forest management.

We partner with in-country organizations in four forest-rich regions of the world: Central Africa, Southeast Asia, Russia, and South America. We also monitor tree cover change and intact forest landscapes at the global level.

State of the World’s Forests (Click map to view larger size)

Our activities:

Monitor and map forests—support national efforts to create, review and make public geo-spatial forest information and produce map-based tools for decision making.
Provide training and technical assistance to governments, corporations, and non-governmental organizations in the production and use of maps and information.
Build bridges among business, government, and civil society institutions to share information and promote collaborative problem solving.
Support sustainable procurement of forest products—provide purchasers with reliable, impartial, and easy-to-understand advice.
Support emerging forest/climate policies and incentives (e.g. REDD)—develop methods for measuring and monitoring changes in forest cover and associated greenhouse gas emissions.
Assess forestry revenue distribution—examine how revenue from forest exploitation is distributed, so that forest-dependent communities receive their fair share.
Work at both ends of the forest products supply chain— The Forest Legality Alliance supports the Lacey Act amendment in the US, and similar legislation in the EU, by helping forest product producers and importers more effectively identify and avoid illegally sourced wood products.
Pilot test transformational investment strategies—Project POTICO (Palm Oil, Timber, and Carbon Offsets) is designed to divert new oil palm plantations onto degraded lands in Indonesia to curb deforestation.

Also check out our Interactive Maps and Data Explorer.

Painting the Global Picture of Tree Cover Change: Tree Cover Loss in the Humid Tropics

admin — Tue, 01 May 2007 00:00:00 -0400

Introduction

The loss of tree cover over extensive areas of the humid tropics is a global phenomenon with important implications for the health and prosperity of forest ecosystems, as well as the local people and economies that depend on their resources.

Accurate, consistent and timely data on the location and extent of major changes in forest ecosystems is essential to governments and civil society groups that are working to understand and address the impacts of forest loss. Until recently, global forest cover assessments typically had to rely on disparate data sets of uncertain quality and accuracy. However, improved mapping techniques and satellite observations can now, for the first time, produce reliable, cost-effective measurements of forest cover change. This new capability represents a turning point in environmental monitoring and the use of satellite information to improve management of the world’s forests.

Since 2000, remotely sensed data have been available free of cost from the MODIS (MODerate Resolution Imaging Spectro-radiometer) sensor, operated by NASA. MODIS land data are detailed enough (250 and 500 meters) to detect major land cover conversion events. Near-daily data updates for the entire surface of the Earth allow for timely detection and documentation of change.

Case Studies

The case studies in this poster depict the results of a pan-tropical assessment of tree cover change using MODIS data from 2000 to 2006. Each case study includes a 500m resolution inset map detailing forest change at selected locations, with hotspots shown in red. Higher-resolution Landsat images provide further examples of MODIS’ power to pinpoint local hotspots, and illustrate the importance of monitoring as a tool to improve forest management.

View Poster