Stakes, Suspicions and Synergies in Sustainable Forest Management—the Asian Experience

Abstract

In spite of the intensive global dialogue about the spirit and substance of Sustainable Forest Management (SFM) during recent years, there is little agreement on the scope and definition of SFM among the different stakeholders. Criteria and Indicators, and Forest Certification processes have provided primacy for stakeholders, and they substantially influence the way the forest resources are managed, through their claims for benefits and related tactics. Most often they are competitors and their interests are in conflict, as a result they tend to view each others with suspicion and get involved in power struggles. Synergies are, however, developed in situations where there are no ‘better’ alternatives to cooperative action or where clear policy incentives foster and nurture development of such synergies. The understanding, and appreciation of SFM by stakeholders are conditioned by the extent to which their claims are satisfied; this decides the success or otherwise of SFM implementation. Asia presents a wide spectrum of forestry situations and stakeholder roles. This paper discusses four cases drawn from four different countries, to illustrate stakeholder influences, to identify relevant issues and to draw indicative lessons in SFM.

The four countries — India, Indonesia, Malaysia and Papua New Guinea (PNG) represent various stages in the forestry “development” scale. Their forest resource endowment and problems of management are considerably different. Based on historical background, their institutional frameworks also vary. Similarly, the four cases reviewed illustrate different management needs and focus. The Out-grower Farms of Clonal Trees of ITC Paperboard and Specialty Paper Division in India is a case of partnership between a large private sector corporation and farmers to establish pulpwood plantations in private farmlands. PT. Sari Bumi Kusuma in Indonesia is the case of a well-managed private logging concession, which has been in operation since 1978 and has recently been renewed for a further period of 70 years. Matang Mangrove Forest of Perak State, Malaysia is a case of integrated mangrove management for wood and non-wood products, with a 100 year history of SFM. Vanimo Forest Products Ltd in PNG is a 20 year non-renewable concession in a customarily owned forest, due to expire in 2010. These cases and the situation in the respective countries highlight that major constraint to SFM is not lack of technology, but the institutional factors, which militate against the application of the best available technology. These institutional factors appear in the form of short-term perceptions and time preferences of the investors and other stakeholders. Due to the long time horizon involved, technology-based models of SFM, often, face implementation problems, and plans are vitiated by intervening developments in political, economic and social arenas. To address such situations, long-term, policy-based commitment of the stakeholder community is crucial.