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A number of countries have recently adopted new forest regulations. For
example, Bolivia adopted a new forestry law in 1996 (Law 1700) which makes
stateowned forests available to private companies through concessions
provided that local and indigenous populations are involved (Tomaselli
2000). The amount of forest land under protection is also increasing -
from less than 10 per cent of total forest area in tropical South America
in 1990 to more than 14 per cent in 2000 (FAO 2001a).
Market-based instruments such as certification can also contribute to
sustainable forest management, and Bolivia, Brazil, Guatemala and Mexico
now have 1.8 million ha of forests certified by the Forest Stewardship
Council (see box) - far exceeding the area
of tropical moist forests certified anywhere else in the world (FAO 2001a).
Shade-grown coffee is another example where such instruments have the
potential to protect environmental resources and to address local concerns
(see box).
| Shade-grown coffee - harnessing the market
for sustainable development |
| When North American consumers pay a premium for shade-grown coffee,
incentives can be created for Mexican farmers to maintain the biodiversity
of the land on which they traditionally grow coffee in the shade of
the existing forest canopy. By relying on inherent natural predators
and barriers to protect their crops from pests and on the natural
fertility of the soil to nurture the plants, they avoid costly and
often damaging fertilizers and pesticides. Their diverse agrosystems
can continue to provide habitat for migratory songbirds, insects and
other fauna that may otherwise be threatened by conversion to large
plantations of sun-grown coffee, while preserving the cultural values,
livelihoods and integrity of small communities. By realizing the market
value of shade-grown coffee, the economic logic for clearing forests
is drastically reduced, while incentives to conserve and sustainably
use the forest increase (Vaughan, Carpentier and Patterson 2001). |
The area of plantations increased from about 7.7 million ha in 1990 to
about 11.7 million ha in 2000. These plantations, composed of mainly Pinus
and Eucalyptus species, are concentrated in the Southern Cone and
in Brazil, Peru and Venezuela (FAO 2001a). Regional policies on forestry
plantations are mainly oriented towards recovering degraded land. In some
countries, there are a few areas where plantations have played a key part
in increasing forest cover and bringing in large amounts of foreign exchange.
In other areas, plantations are an economic alternative to other land
uses (such as agriculture) and thus help to reduce deforestation. However,
plantations contain significantly less biodiversity than native forests
(Cavelier and Santos 1999).
Most governments receive international support to formulate environmental
policies, strengthen institutions, and establish structures and mechanisms
to improve monitoring and evaluation. Most of the internationally supported
programmes and projects are linked to global concerns such as biodiversity
conservation and climate change. Examples of such initiatives include
the PPG 7 Pilot Project in Brazil, the BOLFOR Project in Bolivia (FMT
2002) and the Iwokrama International Centre in Guyana. International organizations
are active in the region and efforts to address problems through regional
collaboration are gaining ground. The Central American Council for Forests
and Protected Areas advises on policies and strategies for sustainable
use of forest resources and conservation of biodiversity while the Treaty
for Amazonian Cooperation between eight South American countries fosters
collaboration on activities in the Amazon Basin (FAO 2001b).
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