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Forest Transparency Workshop
Summary · Toolbox
for Best Practices · Complete Report (HTML)(PDF)· Agenda ·
Participant List ·
Presentations · Pictures
A
Toolbox
of Best Practices
for Detecting Illegal and
Destructive
Commercial Logging
During three days of
discussions and presentations workshop participants contributed many
suggestions and considerations to building a toolbox of useful tools for
the detection and monitoring of illegal and destructive commercial
logging.
The context for these suggestions can be found in
the workshop report.
Building on that information the Global Forest Watch team has
assembled this “toolbox” of best practices.
Step 1:
Constructing a Monitoring Framework
Step 2:
Ensuring
Information Access and Transparency
Step
1: Constructing a Monitoring Framework
Monitoring
Needs:
What Are They?
Preparing a needs assessment was not discussed at the workshop but is
the initial work necessary to constructing the monitoring framework.
Many of the participants presented their views during their
presentations.
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Opportunities
for Partnerships
Partnerships and networks are fundamental to detecting,
monitoring and communicating illegal and destructive commercial logging.
The complexity of the issue calls upon the skills of a diversity
of institutions and individuals. Non
governmental organizations (NGOs) play a key role, yet collaboration
with government, industry, donors and citizens enhance efficiency and
interest in the work.
NGOs offer mobility, independence, expertise, tools, a diversity of
perspectives, and with this can often create the political “space”
for civil society dialogue. NGOs can enhance the flow of information
from government to people and can work both within countries and
internationally. Nonetheless a single NGO might face long-term funding
instability, insufficient skill sets for monitoring, detection and
communication, and the inability to set the local issues into a broader
political, social and geographical context.
Said challenges encourage building alliances and networks.
NGOs are often likely candidates for forging partnerships and
developing networks. Collaboration
might include working with non-governmental organizations, government,
donors, industry and/or citizens living where monitoring is taking
place.
Opportunities for collaboration:
with non governmental organizations
(NGOs)
-
Coordinating
and synthesizing regional information on monitoring efforts and
results is fundamental for creating an information clearing house
and database
-
Establishing
a coordinated connection between NGOs can lead to political and
financial opportunities (see Ring of Fire coalition: http://www.pacificenvironment.org/timbertrade/ringoffire/rofintro.htm)
-
Training
and orientation in monitoring for community and civic organizations
fosters communication
-
Empowering
citizens with knowledge can support monitoring activities
with government
-
To
monitor enforcement of government to government exchanges
-
To
track logs
-
To
create new incentives/market access for legal logging
(certification)
-
To
implement regulations and tax structure in favor of legal wood over
illegal wood
-
To
gain access to Forest Management Plans, and improve, broaden their
scope, develop a database
-
Partnerships
between NGOs and Government can lead to efficiency and lower cost,
such as:
-
NGOs
doing high-tech satellite interpretation work
-
Cedar
Brigades (anti-poaching brigades) by WWF where 3-4 people have
managed to find more violations than a government agency with 1,500
person staff
-
IKEA
is supporting the new brigades and now NGOs have state
enforcement powers
with
donor institutions
with
industry
-
Identify
methods for monitoring and sourcing only legal wood.
-
Market
intervention strategies
-
Facilitate
stakeholder dialogue
Building Partnerships
Some of the ways
to build partnerships are through workshops and training
courses. Such as:
-
 Regional
educational workshops that involve audiences such as judges,
prosecutors, labor, and unions
-
Regional training
workshops to link international and local perspectives
-
Problem–oriented
workshop (see example from the Amur River Conference: China
and Russia).
-
Training rather than
discussion workshop
-
Training workshop
designed to address specific situation
-
Hands-on training
with 1-2 people from the field
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Monitoring
Tools
Investigative
Tools · Technical Tools
Investigative
Tools
Investigative
Tools are those used in the field to discover information about
illegal logging activities. Each
of the three investigative tools: research, paper
audits and assessments, and field
investigations
has its own unique considerations and challenges. Knowing these are
helpful to develop a monitoring plan.
Research
Research
to foster detection of illegal logging should support a strategic
objective that will help enforce compliance. The following research
topics are useful in developing a monitoring program:
-
Legal
analysis of comparative international forest management and
environmental laws
-
Identify
what constitutes illegal logging in any given country, this will
help guide NGO monitoring activity and frame the debate
-
Identify
the log trade transparency requirements
-
Chain
of custody using bar codes
-
Document
log price and market issues
-
Citizen
enforcement provisions – in-laws Freedom of information (FOI) requirements
-
Select
applicable local laws and regulations and compile into an accessible
database
Paper
Audits and Assessments
In some places it will be difficult to carry out
paper audits since access to the “paper” is not allowed.
Creating links and partnerships with local groups and
institutions can be key to gaining access.
Corruption may be an issue; safety
of the monitor may be another. The
following are considerations for those wishing to carry out paper audits
and assessments:
-
Examine
species-specific management plans and trade to see if conform with
laws
-
Examine
existing legal instruments (example:
Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and
Flora (CITES))
-
Create
a replicable system for conducting paper audits so work can be
repeated over time or between areas
-
The
quality of the data found during the assessment is not always
consistent nor comparable
-
It
is important to develop indicators to track the production and
consumption data, trade data, judicial and enforcement review,
concession oversight and process review, market price, management
plans and review licenses
See
case studies on paper audits and assessments from: Cameroon
· Russia
Field
Investigations
People who directly or indirectly benefit from
illegal logging may impede access to information and citizen support
during field investigations. Moreover,
these people may threaten to harm anyone who obtains knowledge on the
illegality of the commercial logging operation.
Safety in field
monitoring requires advanced preparation and careful planning. Community
responsibility for legal forestry is the core of effective monitoring;
efforts must be put into developing local trust.
Additional considerations are:
-
Use scientific approach when doing field investigations:
observe, ask research questions, take measurements and look
for patterns and explanations
-
Gain
credibility for the work
-
Illustrate
findings with examples
-
Disseminate
findings of work in several formats (e.g. via web, hard copy
reports, press releases)
-
Undertake
programmatic as well as opportunistic
investigations
-
Develop
a network of citizens to monitor compliance (if citizens are
adequately trained in legal and scientific skills they can play a
key role in gaining access to local knowledge and local support for
monitoring activities
-
Examine
legal instruments
-
Prioritize
monitoring based on ecological, social and topical significance
See case studies on field investigations from: Brazil ·
British Columbia (Canada)
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Technical
Tools
The group expressed needs for technical tools such
as:
-
Inexpensive
satellite images
-
Baseline
(satellite) data on forest condition and activities in forests
-
Digital
cameras to use with GPS
-
Radio
communications in field
-
Transportation
means, such as vehicle and fuel to enable monitoring activities
-
GPS
units
Remotely Sensed imagery and information is important for wide-scale
monitoring of forests at a national and regional level.
Results can be used to help government enforcement and
stakeholders focus fieldwork in high-priority areas.
Some considerations and
challenges for use of satellite information are:
-
 standardizing
analytical methods to maintain consistency and allow for replication
-
use
a series of images over time to build data and information base for
long-term monitoring
-
Ensure
both satellite images and resulting datasets are readily available
to promote transparency and accountability
-
Satellite
images provide objective documentation of potential infractions
-
Images
do not capture everything (for example some roads aren’t visible
under forest canopy)
-
Images
can be expensive ($600 for Landsat, over $1000 for IKONOS)
-
Analysis
requires processing time and expertise
-
Need
to develop ongoing methodology especially to detect and document
different activities (fire and selective logging)
-
Need
to document lessons learned regarding methods for analysis;
there can be a steep learning curve to conduct remote sensing
well
-
Long-term
commitment is needed to do this work
-
Remote
sensing should be complemented by other ‘on the ground' data such
as logging concession boundaries, roads, and field checks with GPS
for verification
-
Need
skilled employees for imagery analysis
-
Two-levels
of training are required: GIS
specialists and non–specialist users
-
Images
are sometimes unavailable for areas due to cloudiness and high cost
-
Governments
restrict access and distribution of results of analysis
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Building
a Strategy and Work Plan
When building a strategy to detect illegal
and destructive commercial logging one might consider using the
following tools and methods:
-
Determine
international
ombudsman for Forests
-
Identify
strategies to increase costs of illegal logging
-
A
communication strategy is key to disseminate the information and
market the work (see step 2)
-
Increase/stimulate
bottom-up grassroots involvement
-
Improve
monitoring activities in both international and local scales
-
Training
for both technical capacity and safety
-
Establish
coalition for citizen monitoring (Ring of Fire Coalition as an
example)
-
Incorporate
participatory decision making structures
-
Organize
Safety Campaigns for the people working on the ground
-
Study
government incentives to increase wood consumption or increase trade
to ‘alternative markets’ (e.g. Canada
is examining possibility of China as buyer, since USA
is using tariffs to discourage trade), and the potential impact on
illegal logging and demand from these incentives.
-
For
greater impact, establish a better link between illegal logging and
issues of higher concern for governments such as labor, poverty,
etc.
-
Link
pre-existing government/international development agencies to log
market issues
-
Set
Goals that will impact log/wood product and market dynamics.
-
Determine
coordinator for network (see Forest Integrity Network as
an example)
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Step
2: Ensuring Information Access and Transparency
Transparency
of Illegal and Destructive Logging: Communicating
Results for Change
Seven important focus
audiences
and users of the monitoring data are:
-
Donors
(World Bank etc) – influential in pressuring government agencies
-
Media
– important link between various groups
-
Local
Communities
-
Key
players of Government agencies
-
Moderate
industry leaders
-
Individuals
-
Other
NGOs/Research groups
The considerations and challenges when preparing
a communication strategy are:
-
 Develop
communication strategy to pressure for change using the media,
reports, meetings, focus groups, and targeted audiences for
lobbying/discussions
-
Compelling
stories are important to help raise awareness and engage potential
change agents
-
Hire
staff members who know and understand communication approach
-
Provide
media training to set a coordinated message that targets audiences
and enlarges political will.
-
Analyze
and plan how to reach key audiences by identifying issues, building
contacts, sharing information, and offering solutions.
-
Help
educate and develop good relationships with environmental
journalists
-
Identify
key allies in government and industry to work with and provide
support to them.
-
Link
environmental impacts of illegal logging with known labor conditions
and labor rights violations to gain local support for improved
governance.
-
International
financial institutions as players and users of information can
influence logging operations and create security for field operators.
-
Interview
local groups, governments, and concession owners.
-
Ask
companies for the records of payment of concessions.
-
Access
to information outlets and audiences can be difficult.
-
It
is important to ensure the accuracy of disseminated information and
data.
-
Select
an appropriate communication format (report, meeting, briefing
sheet, press releases, focus groups.
-
Adapt
key messages to specific audiences such as media, scientists and the
general public (example focus on a specific issue or legal case).
-
Build
a broad network of contacts.
-
Find
an alternative information medium to the internet for places where
access to the internet is difficult or too expensive.
The tools for information
exchange are:
-
Mechanism
for ongoing exchange of information
-
Website
on local citizen groups/NGO data collection
-
Clearinghouse
web-site – all presentations from the workshop and other
information
-
International
actions website on illegal activities of government and industry
-
Media
training for awareness and access
-
Hold
an outreach and education effort in countries (weeklong workshop) to
develop a communication plan
-
Bulletin/Listserv:
see Transparency
International/Forestry Integrity Network for examples
-
Database
of experts on illegal logging issues
-
Translate,
adapt, and refine the toolbox to meet specific needs in each region.
-
General
guidebook on detecting/monitoring illegal logging for NGOs
-
Common
methodologies for case studies on trade and compliance monitoring
(see Forest Integrity Network for
example)
-
In-country
workshops - bring in government and industry, trainers with technical
and local knowledge
-
Workshop
on illegal logging targeting NGOs’ communications staff and environmental reporters
This toolbox of considerations, ideas and suggestions could be
translated into other languages where this information would be useful.
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