Inclusiveness, equity and sustainability:
ideas needed for informal timber
operators in Sub-Saharan Africa
IASC2017
Utrecht, The Netherlands
Paolo Omar Cerutti

Source: Global Forest Resources Assessment, FAO (2015)
The world lost more than 18M hectares of tree cover in
2014, about 9.9M hectares corresponded to tropical forests
Annual forest net change by region (2010-2015)
Timber operators: illustration of regime complexity

Effects on the ground: divergent regulations

Effects on the ground: improved livelihoods

[Costs to chainsaw millers]
Effects on the ground: problematic governance
 Stymied policy innovation

Effects on the ground: environmental damage

Towards more cohesive frameworks?
 Internationally-led processes (e.g. FLEGT, REDD+, etc.)
often consider the issue...
 But downplay local political-economic dynamics and factors
of resistance (e.g. policy in silos determined by strong
vested interests)
 Development plans and visions (2020, 2030, etc.) only
marginally consider the forestry sector as having social and
environmental impacts, with a generally twisted
understanding of its financial impacts (check out the new
round of structural adjustments!)
 Answers sought in Min of Forests...but more likely to be
found in Min of Agriculture and/or Territorial Administration

A few thoughts on the way forward
 Reframe the discourse away from forests (and Min
of Forests) towards broader perspectives
 Improve or invent new market-driven solutions
and local/regional value chains for incentives
leading to more sustainable solutions
 Better, more cohesive regimes at the supra-
national level
 Stronger and more united voices from operators
themselves

DANK U WEL
GRACIAS
OBRIGADO
TERIMA KASIH
MERCI
谢谢
THANK YOU