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Forest Policy, Strategies and Laws of Ethiopia: Opportunities and Challenges to Developing the Sector Melaku Bekele (WGCF-NR, Wondo Genet) and Habtemariam Kassa (CIFOR, Addis Ababa) Presentation at the
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Forest Policy, Strategies and Laws of Ethiopia: Opportunities and Challenges to Developing the Sector MelakuBekele (WGCF-NR, Wondo Genet) and HabtemariamKassa (CIFOR, Addis Ababa) Presentation at the National Dialog On Sustainable Agricultural Intensification in Ethiopia and its role on the climate resilient green economy initiative in Ethiopia 23-24 July 2012, Addis Ababa
Presentation Outline • Background • Forest Policy – a historic perspective • Relevant Policy documents • The current forest policy and strategies • The forest law – its key aspects • Other relevant documents • Questions that need to be raised • Challenges • Opportunities • Conclusions
1. Background Managing ecological integrity is key to sustaining production systems Ethiopia’s real GDP projected to grow by > 8% p.a. for the coming 5 years This will significantly increase the national demand for wood and wood products The national wood and wood products import bill is rising sharply from about 15 million USD in 1995 to over 120 million in 20110/11 Biomass still covers 95% of the national household energy demand (FDRE, 2011). In 2009, national fuelwood deficiency was estimated at 65 million m3, & the gap between supply and demand widens By 2030 fuelwood demand is estimated to be between 120 and 140 million m3 Meeting fuelwood demand by then would require having a min of 6-7 million ha of land under plantations (Zeleke et al, 2009).
Area (Ha) of plantation required to meet projected annual demand
Background (Contd.) Population pressure and large scale investment are fueling major land use changes in forests and woodlands the current development path will result in the clearance of some 9 million ha of land for agriculture between 2010 and 2030 (FDRE, 2011) On the other hand, • forestry education, research and development activities are expanding • We have abundant labor & land, and favorable climatic conditions for forestry development But the country is wood deficit, both at national and household levels, and as consequences deforestation and import bills are increasing unabated. So what are the challenges and under exploited opportunities? What do the forest policy, strategies, and laws and other major documents say about the sector?
2. Forest policy in a historic perspective Forest policy is a process; it is always in the making. It has a historic & future dimension. But in our case, it seems that we come back to “square one”. Examples: a) Italians initiated extensive forestry program (1936-41); but forgotten after liberation b) The Imperial government : Allowed state, private, and communal ownership of forests; but extensive deforestation for agricultural expansion continued c) The military government (till 1991) : assumed all forestry development responsibilities, and was engaged in major plantations and in forest protection. But the state maintained ownership that discouraged effective community & individual participation in forest development d) From mid 1990s huge institutional and organizational vacuum was created as the state moved away from forestry, (though in some regional states concerted efforts are being made to address this challenge – e.g. Oromia and Amhara and some NGOs notably REST in Tigray and ORDA in Amhara are actively involved in forestry)
Forestry development in Ethiopia has remained highly dependent on the following major factors (Melaku, 2008) 1. Land tenure (land ownership): All tenure (entitlements) on land and natural resources emanate from the legal necessity of state ownership 2. Government priority: Priority has been for food production, but agricultural productivity remains still low - Forestry needs land “not needed” for agriculture, - Improvement in agricultural productivity reduces deforestation and well managed forests better support agriculture • Institutional and policy volatility : Major changes in political orientation and frequent institutional changes did not allow the evolution of mature forest policy - 3 contrasting systems in the last fifty years alone! Difficult to digest/quickly harmonize local level institutions and create sense of continuity for farmers) Policy failure and institutional instability have since long undermined tree planting decisions of Ethiopian farmers
3. Relevant Policy Documents 3.1 The current Forest Policy and Strategies Rationale • The country has not been able to harness the expected economic, social, and environmental benefits from the forest sector • Deforestation and forest degradation deteriorate forest resources and increasingly undermine forest benefits the country could get • Sustainable utilization and development of forests is critical for continued economic development and to combating natural resources degradation • Sustainable forestry development requires active community participation Major objectives • To meet public demand in forest and forest products • To enhance the socio-economic and environmental contribution of forests
Six focal areas of the policy • Fostering private forest development • Developing and extending technologies • Expanding markets • Administration and management of state forests • Forest protection • Building data base on forest conservation, development and utilization Strategies • Under each of the policy focus areas, specific strategies have been indicated. E.g. under the first one (fostering private forest development) • Making land available • Tax incentives (until first harvest) – tax reduction for agroforestry practices • Render the required professional and technical support • Designate productive forest areas within state forests • Ensure access to planting materials at fair prices • Facilitate access to credit • Guarantee ownership of any land with developed forest (including in state forests) • Etc.
3.2. The Forest Law The Constitution • Article 44 and 92 • All citizens have the right to live in a clean and healthy environment • The government and citizens have the duty to protect the environment Key aspects of the Forest Proclamation (No. 542/2007) • Replaced the previous forest proclamation • PART 1 • Defined key terms – tree, forest, forest land, state forest, private forest, local community, • Determined types of forest ownership – as private and state • PART 2 • Promotion of forest development • Promoting forest technology • Promoting markets for forest products • Obligations of private forest developers
Key aspects of the Forest Proclamation (contd.) • PART 3 • Designation, demarcation and registration of state forests • Conservation, development and administration of state forests • Utilization of State forests • Administration of protected forests • PART 4 • Prevention of forest fire • Production and movement of forest products • Prohibitions • Forest guards and inspection of forest products movement • Obligations to notify and incentives • Power and duties of the Ministry • Power and duties of Regional States
Key aspects of the Forest Proclamation (contd.) • PART 4 (Contd.) • Forest Products movement permit • Penalty • Speedy trial • Repeals and savings • Issuance of laws, regulations and directives • Detailed Regulation - by the Council of Ministers (Yet to be enacted) • Detailed directives – by the Ministry (yet to be issued) NO COMPREHENSIVE DIRECTIVES TO IMPLEMENT POLICY AND PROCLAMATION ON THE GROUND EVEN FIVE YEARS AFTER!
3.3. Other relevant documents • Other relevant proclamations – Investment, EIA, Rural Land Use and Admin, etc. • Some 15 multilateral agreements (CBC, CCD, UNFCCC, CITES, ..) • EFAPs (national and regional) • The Conservation Strategy • The Environment Policy • Rural development policies and strategies • The Energy Policy • The National Policy on Biodiversity • The Wildlife Policy and Act • The FYDPs – 2001-05, 2006-2010 (PASDEP), 2011-2015 (GTP) • The SLM framework – a 15-year program framework • The CRGE Strategy (2012-2025) + Experiences to build on – MERET, PFM, Area Ex-closures
3.4 Questions that need to be raised • Good policy statements and legal framework • Some good sectoral plans/programs to build on The questions to raise include • Are policies and strategies being implemented and tested on the ground to monitor policy outcomes? • Are extension agents getting the relevant info they need? • Do we connect the dots (regarding tress and forests) in various plans and programs? And who should do that? • Have other sectors (e.g. agriculture, energy, road, ..) done enough to support the forestry sector so that its contribution enhances their own achievements (e.g. hydropower)? • How can opportunities created by the current massive land rehabilitation and tree planting and by the CRGE be ceased?
4. Challenges • Data regarding forest cover and its change remain scanty and wildly variable - Despite official but vague definition, views differ in what forest is and therefore the figures being used about the forest cover • Rate of deforestation being widely used is an old and less representative figure • Inadequate information on forest degradation and afforestation • Official statistics hardly capture smallholder plantations • GIS based data indicate that generally trees inside forests are declining while tress outside forests are increasing ( smallholder tree planting is expanding)
Land use change within a 141,976 hectare forest area,1976-2010 (Guillozet and Bliss, 2011)
Global distribution of trees (percentage tree s in forests green) and on farm (red) Source: Composite of FAO’s 2005 Global Forest Resources Assessment and data from the World Agroforestry Centre. Zomer, R.J. et al. 2009. Trees on farm: analysis of global extent and geographical patterns of agroforestry. ICRAF Working Paper No 89. World Agroforestry Centre, Nairobi
Source: http://www.eorc.jaxa.jp/ALOS/en/guide/forestmap_oct2010.htmAccessed May 9, 2011
Above Ground Biomass, based on global biomass map of Baccini, 2012 (CIFOR, 2012 un published))
Challenges (Contd.) 2) Inadequate attention by the planners to the sector mainly due to undervaluation of the total economic value of forest resources - Market failure (absence, distorted or weak markets for forest services); methodological challenges to in assigning monetary values to forest functions (biodiversity, watershed values, C sequestration, etc.); existence of externalities; conflicting demands/uses by different stakeholders, limited willingness to pay for environmental services - Lack of direct investment by the State in large scale forestry - The outlook: no virtue in untamed nature, still lingers among policy makers - Policy makers not getting the right information on the short and long term costs and benefits of land use changes. The long term costs of deforestation are hardly accounted for)
Challenges (Contd.) 3) Failures in forest property rights - Where property rights are not well defined, an owner cannot expect to enjoy the benefits from long term investment as tree planting. This applies for communal lands in particular. 4) Lack of capable and resourced institutions/ bureaucracy to implementing relevant forestry policies and strategies on the ground, monitoring outcomes of policy interventions and providing feedback for the policy cycle 5) Under developed research in forest valuation and marketing 6) Weak link between forestry institutions among themselves (research, education and extension) and with policy makers, NGOs and the private sector 7) The land rush, land to “investor” - how best to manage this and its implication to forests – for better economic and conservation outcomes)
5. Opportunities • Decentralized governance of natural resources • Growing demand (domestic and international) • Abundant labor and land as well as favorable climatic conditions for commercial forestry • Trained human resource in forestry & NRM • Heavy investment in infrastructure (e.g. dams, railways, highways) that require protection forests • Government commitment and mass mobilization in land rehabilitation and tree planting activities • Land registration & certification improved tenure security that strengthens farmers engagement in forestry development and sustainable land management
If there is any chance for forestry development in Ethiopia (taking the current supportive policies, government’s preference) it would mainly be with the community & individual households, including the unemployed youth & the disadvantaged women Forest stand with its owner at Munessa (2010) Individual woodlot on highly degraded land in North Shewa (2005)
Opportunities (contd.) • Establishment of forest enterprises • Increased engagement of NGOs (REST, ORDA, …) • Increased recognition of the role of trees and forests for climate change mitigation and adaptation • Huge potential for contributing to and benefit from other sectors (energy, agriculture, infrastructure…) • Relevant experiences are building up (area ex-closures MERET, SLM, etc.) • PFM is given priority and the Govt is committed to scaling up good practices and lessons learnt from pilot PFM projects
Opportunities (Cont) - The CRGE strategy identified forestry as one of its four pillars • “protecting and re-establishing forests for their economic and ecosystem services including as carbon stocks” (One of the four pillars of the CRGE, Page 20) • Activities to be undertaken include : “afforestation (2 million ha), reforestation (1 million ha), and forest management (2 million ha of forests and 2 million ha of woodlands) to increase carbon sequestration in forests and woodlands.” (CRGE Document, page 25 and page 30) • Agro forestry is also set to play major role in improving soil fertility and livestock feed availability, and in meeting household and market demands, and also in improving providing
6. Conclusions • Several good initiatives going on but poorly linked and coordinated to maximize efficiency/synergy and impact • Developing the forestry sector requires much more than promoting tree planting activities or issuing relevant policies • Forestry development best serves society when it is centered around smallholders as the experience of north Europe shows and when its ecological services are recognized and valued • The policy and legal frameworks and plans and programs provide good basis for developing the sector • But there is huge gap in policy implementation • Translating policy to practice needs to be supported with resourced and accountable institutions to coordinate and lead the development of the forestry sector
Conclusion (Contd.) • Politicians and technicians need to provide strong support to community and private forest/woodlots owners • Authorities need to come out with more refined community (forest) rights to protect them from elite grab & muddling of the bureaucracy, & to promote participation of the private sector • Advocacy groups and researchers need to learn to appreciate and support what is being done and work within the confines of the legal framework while llobbying for more space and more refined regulations and stronger institution • Education & research institutions need to be proactive & responsive in their dealings in forestry be prepared to learn from and also to provide relevant technical support to the public extension system and to the private sector
Conclusion (Contd.) • Capable and more efficient organizations and teams are required to coordinate national efforts and to effectively handle international negotiations /agreements and to mobilze resources • Co-managed & co-owned national data base is needed to track changes in forest resources and to compose experiences, facts & figures for policy revision, research and education purposes • Establishing regular discussion forum of “wise men” of the land will certainly to reflect on past experiences (in Ethiopia and elsewhere) and on policies and their implementation so as to inform forestry development in Ethiopia
