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Workshop on Underlying
Causes of
Deforestation and Forest Degradation
Background
Document Africa The four-day African Regional Workshop on the Underlying Causes of Deforestation and Forest Degradation held in Accra, Ghana brought together 36 participants from 14 countries. The participants were drawn from Governments, international donor agencies, international research institutes, and African and international non-governmental organizations (NGOs). A total of 11 papers were presented in the workshop, eight commissioned and three voluntary. These papers formed the basis for all discussions in the workshop. During the Group Workshops, participants separated into three working groups on two separate occasions and in brainstorming sessions identified underlying causes and by the same process addressed them. In all, 15 underlying causes were identified and 15 practical ways of dealing with the underlying causes were generated. The African Regional Workshop came up with strategies that can be woven into the Inter-governmental Forum on Forest (IFF) process for sustainable management of forests. The strategies enunciated will guide IFF, Governments and NGOs to facilitate the sustainable management of forest resource. It is crystal clear that some of the actions are regional in nature and need inter-State collaboration. Participants were urged to make it a policy to remind their respective Governments about the state of the African forest. Participants were of the conviction that the awareness thereby created among stakeholders - Governments, civil society and international institutions - will go a long way towards changing attitudes to sustainable management of forests. The following are presumed to be the direct causes of deforestation in Africa:
The following charts give an overview of which factors prevent us from achieving sustainable forest management as well as practical steps to take to combat forest loss in Africa and. Both charts were developed during workshop sessions. Please see Annex 2 SUMMARIES OF CASE STUDIES AND DISCUSSION PAPERS 1. Underlying causes of deforestation and forest degradation in Cameroon Cameroon’s forest resources are estimated at about 22 million hectares. The forest contains an estimated 1.5 billion m3 of timber. It is estimated that about 200,000 hectares of forest is lost annually, and that due to high rate of forest exploitation, over 40 species of wild life are threatened with extinction. The study focused on the Mount Cameroon forest region which is located in the humid tropical forest of Cameroon at the foot of Mount Cameroon. The rich volcanic soil and humid climate provide habitat to a rich collection of plants and animals. The population of the area is estimated at about 100,000 people with the Bakwerian as the indigenous people. The major economic activity of the people of the region is farming. Cameroon Development Corporation (CDC) is the major agro industrial business in the region. The forest is a secondary forest as such there are no logging companies in the area. Logging is therefore, to provide raw material for carpentry industries and is done by farmers using engine saws. Underlying causes identified in the study were;
The four actors identified as being responsible for the underlying causes are: rural dwellers, private loggers and the government. The following possible solutions have been tendered in the study:
The study concluded on the note that efforts to control the exploitation of the forest resources should be done through community involvement in harvesting and seedlings rejuvenation through the assistance of the Mount Cameroon project. 2. The underlying causes of deforestation : a case study of the Tain Tributaries II forest reserves and its The Case Study was conducted in the Brong Ahafo region of Ghana specifically in the Tain Tributaries II Forest Reserve in the Berekum District. The forest is a Dry semi-deciduous Fire Zone and has patches of Savanna-woodland. It is rich in fauna, some of which are completely protected. The Tain II forest was last logged in 1991. The reserve is mostly degraded; 25 – 50% of the trees are damaged. The Causes of Deforestation and Forest Degradation observed in the study area were identified as being direct and indirect. The Direct factors identified are: Firewood and charcoal (fuelwood production), timber production, agriculture and forest fires. The indirect or underlying causes observed in the study area are grouped under local, national and International categories namely:
The following actors were identified as being responsible for the underlying factors: farmers forest-edge dwellers and concessions holders; traditional authorities and government agencies and the international community. The study concluded with possible solutions to address the problem for example, that a new approach to the management of the forest reserves is urgently needed. Government policies on Agriculture, Mining and Energy should be reviewed to make them more friendly to the maintenance of the countries forest estate. 3. The underlying causes of deforestation and forest degradation: the case study of Mau forest in Kenya The Case Study focuses on the Mau forest complex which is located in the rift valley province of Kenya and straddles four Districts. The forest covers an area of 900 km2. According to FAO, Kenya is classified among the countries with low forest cover of less than 2% of the total land area. The forest is rich in bio-diversity and hosts several indigenous tree species and important mammals of international conservation concern. Mau is the home of the largest group of forest dwellers, the Ogiek, who depend upon the forest for subsistence and shelter. Since forest resources played an important role in Ogiek culture, they deem traditional conservation vital and have therefore instituted various traditional conservation measures that were passed on to the community by the elders. The study highlighted direct causes and actors leading to deforestation and forest degradation. The causes identified include: clearing natural forests to establish plantations, logging, conservation of natural forests into agricultural land, Human settlement, forest excisions and fires. The actors responsible include the Forest Department, saw millers, politicians and influential persons. It is opined that since the forest is gazetted and therefore government property no individual or community has the legal right over this resource. This gives leeway for illegal exploitation as the people are alienated from their resources. Interventions to counteract the deforestation process and problem encountered have been discussed which included: Protection of the rivers and streams in the area, community involvement in forest conservation and legal mechanism. The following underlying causes of deforestation and forest degradation have been discussed in the study.
Three category of actors have been identified at local, National and Global levels as being responsible (for the underlying causes of deforestation and forest degradation) and strategies applied to achieve their goals. The following possible solutions to the underlying causes were tendered:
NGO’s, policy makers, the Ogiek welfare management committee, Forest Department, Ministry of Water resources, Ministry of Agriculture, Kenya Wildlife Service, the local authorities, Ministry of Lands and settlement and others are the actors to implement the possible solutions addressed. The paper concluded on the note that a lot of concerted efforts should be taken to deal with the underlying causes of deforestation involving all the actors responsible. 4. Underlying causes of deforestation and forest degradation: a case study of the indigenous Ogoni, Nigeria This paper centers on the eastern part of Nigeria specifically in the Niger delta. The study area covers 404 square miles of coastal plain. It is inhabited by indigenous people called the Ogonis, whose population is about 500,000. They are mainly farmers and fishermen. The area abounds in natural resources which support the livelihoods of the people. The religious and cultural practices of the people help to protect the environment. Deforestation and degradation of the forest have hampered the socio-economic progress of the people. The underlying causes addressed were:
Solutions proposed in the paper were:
5. Food security and forest conservation in Africa: FAO discussion paper: The paper addresses the linkage between food security and conservation of forest resources in Africa. In terms of forest resources the African region according to FAO refers to forest resources with a focus on 48 countries spanning a land area of 23.6 million sq. km. covering a population of 595.6 million. Only 22% of the area is covered by natural forest. The paper defines food security as access by all people at all times to the food needed for a healthy and active life. That about 20% of the population in developing countries do not have sufficient food despite worldwide increases in food supplies. In Africa 40% of people do not enjoy food security and is projected to worsen by 2010. The paper discusses the root causes of hunger and food security in Africa in terms of supply and demand factors. In terms of supply the following were identified:
The demand factors identified are:
The role of forests in food security was highlighted in the paper. It opined the supportive role that forests play in attaining food security apart from the provision of land for Agriculture. For example, forests offer protective functions, maintains soil fertility and structure and also provide food source for people or fodder for livestock. In addition forests provide fuelwood for cooking. Commercialization of forest products, a major source of income for many rural poor in developing countries. Forests products generate income and foreign exchange. FAO’s response to food security and forest conservation constitutes the concluding part of the paper: The priority of the organization is encouraging sustainable agriculture and rural development, long-term strategy for the conservation and management of natural resources. FAO’s mission in forestry is to enhance human well being through the sustainable management of the World’s trees and forests. In this connection the primary clients are National Governments, NGO’s, private companies, foundations, universities and rural peoples organizations. The organization seeks to assist these and others achieve a better understanding, use and management of the world’s trees and forests. It aims to facilitate progress towards sustainable management of forests. 6. Macro-economics, markets and the humid forests of Cameroon 1967-1997. This paper examines how macro-economic changes and market fluctuations influenced changes in land use and forest product extraction in the humid forest zone of Cameroon between 1967 and 1997. It was argued in the introduction that population-based explanations of forest change have great intuitive appeal but nevertheless are not conclusive. That contrary to expectation studies have found higher population densities were associated with greater forest cover. This implies that population-based explanations alone cannot fully explain deforestation rates and that changes in macro-economic and sectoral policies and market trends probably also play important roles. It tentatively concluded that during the first part of this period (1967 – 76), when food production was largely for household consumption and rural to urban migration had just begun to be important, the level of forest clearing for food crop production probably was largely determined by rural fertility rates. Government policies limited forest clearing for cocoa and coffee production through high implicit taxation on these crops. The situation changed during the oil boom years (1977 – 1985). High international coffee and cocoa prices during the first few years and lower taxation during subsequent years encouraged moderately higher levels of forest clearing for coffee and cocoa production. The governments use of oil revenues to expand parastatal oil palm and rubber plantations led to additional deforestation. By 1990, declining real cocoa and coffee prices and reduced government services and subsidies were seriously affecting humid forest zone farmers. This eventually led many of them to cutback on planting new cocoa and coffee fields and put more effort into food crop production. The net effect was higher total forest clearing by small farmers. The devaluation of the CFA France in 1994 was expected to result in a rapid increase in cocoa and coffee exports but export growth so far has been moderate and farmers appear to continue their shift towards greater emphasis on food crops. The devaluation did, however, greatly stimulate timber production for export and may have promoted the exploitation for export and may have promoted the exploitation of certain non-timber forest products. The paper concluded that economic policy and market fluctuation have both greatly affected the magnitude and location of deforestation and forest clearing in Cameroon. In the cases of commercial timber exploitation and agroindustrial plantations this may be almost self evident, but it also applies to small cocoa, coffee, food crop and fuelwood production. Migration pattern is incorrect to be considered as an external determinant of deforestation without taking these conditions into account. 7. Underlying causes of deforestation in Africa: The effects of the timber trade. This paper focuses on the effect of trade on deforestation and forest degradation in Africa. Deforestation in Africa is reported at the rate of 4.1 million hectares per year. At this rate, Africa is said to lose all her forest cover in fifty years time. Countries in West African region like Benin, Cote d’Ivoire, Ghana, Nigeria and Togo are reported to lose almost all their forest cover. The Principal actors responsible for the deforestation have been identified as: governments, corporations, producers and consumers. The paper stated that trade is a basic human custom and when practiced responsibly it can bring about many benefits like employment and improvement in social and economic well being. However, timber trade as practiced presently in Africa and the world is destructive to the environment with attendant problems. The paper discusses the causes of deforestation and forest degradation, in terms of complex economic, social, political and natural resource management pressures. The underlying causes which trigger the other causes are:
The solutions put up by the paper as the way forward are:
List of case studies and discussion papers Discussion papers
Country case studies
List of Participants
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