Justice in the forest: rural livelihoods and forest law enforcement

Abstract

These six case studies examine the ways in which forestry laws and regulations can discriminate against small producers, as well as the large number of people who depend on small-scale illegal forestry activities to survive. The research brings together several pieces of work carried out on behalf of the Center for International Forestry Research as part of a project supported by the U.K.'s Department for International Development and the World Bank's Program on Forests. Data on the situation in Bolivia, Cameroon, Canada, Honduras, Indonesia, and Nicaragua were derived from a literature review and interviews with key informants. Findings revealed that international agencies tend to promote laws favoring large-scale, highly capitalized forest industries, giving priority to sustainable forest management and the generation of state revenues, with far less emphasis on benefits for rural livelihoods and community forestry. The prevalence of illegal foresting practices, such as logging and bushmeat trading, results not just from poor governance and corruption but is an integral part of local and national political economies. Communities' lack of security contributes to poverty, conflicts over forest resources, subsequent repression, and human rights violations. Although independent monitoring has focused on large-scale violators, few prosecutions have resulted. Law enforcement and government initiatives must be carried out in an inclusive, participatory, transparent, and cross-sectoral way to ensure that they do not reinforce exclusionary forms of forestry that harm those whose livelihoods depends on forests.