Governance Principles For Concessions And Contracts In Public Forests

This report reviews the types of contracts used in the management of public forests. Agreements for forest utilization are analysed along with contracts for the acquisition of goods and services. The study illustrates the importance of an effective institutional and legal framework. The key elements to consider when awarding contracts are detailed, along with valuation, administration and ensuring the terms of the contract are fulfilled. Special attention is given to the importance of awarding contracts through a transparent and competitive process.

The specific objective of these Voluntary Guidelines is to promote the sustainable management of public production natural forests in tropical countries through forest concessions, thereby fulfilling their potential contribution to the achievement of Agenda 2030. Forest concession regimes are treated here as forest policy instruments, and should be aligned with the sustainable forest management objectives agreed by countries in the UNFF. The current Guidelines intend to serve as guidance for making forest concessions an effective economic instrument of forest policy in the context of the 2030 Agenda, transforming them into an instrument capable of delivering sustainable forest management in all its dimensions, and generating socio-economic benefits to relevant stakeholders.

This report forms part of a review aimed at providing advice on improving forest concession systems in tropical forests. The review was carried out by FAO in cooperation with the International Tropical Timber Organization, the Brazilian Forest Service, the Center for International Forestry Research and Centre de Coopération Internationale en Recherche Agronomique pour le Développement. The report is based on three regional reports produced by consultants, discussions at an expert meeting in Rome in November 2015, and a literature review

Concluding chapters review the roles of the newer institutional landowners, of smaller private and farm landowners, and of public agencies.

This is the 7th edition of the FAO's biennial report on the state of global forest resources, recent developments and emerging issues in the forest sector. This edition focuses on progress towards sustainable forest management at the regional and global levels, with each regional report structured according to seven thematic elements: the extent of forest resources; biological diversity; forest health and vitality; productive functions of forest resources; protective functions of forest resources; socio-economic functions; and legal, policy and institutional frameworks. These summaries are based on the most current information available, including new data from the Global Forest Resources Assessment 2005 (FRA 2005). The report goes on to consider 18 key issues in the forest sector, including: climate change, forest landscape restoration, forest tenure, invasive species, wildlife management and wood energy. The overall conclusion is that whilst progress is being made, it is very uneven with those regions with developing economies and tropical ecosystems continuing to lose forest area whilst lacking adequate institutions to reverse this trend. The biggest limitation for evaluating progress is weak data, with many countries lacking the financial resources to undertake national forest assessments.

This book demonstrates the challenges and opportunities of climate change actions in developing countries and primarily focuses on case studies in Indonesia, the world’s fourth most populous country. The most important feature of the book is its examination of multiple facets of climate change issues in Indonesia, which allows readers to understand the complexity of climate change in developing countries: the synergies and trade-offs between different climate change actions as well as between climate and development priorities. Another unique feature is that it was jointly written by Indonesian and international authors, as well as by academics and development practitioners. This book addresses questions concerning mitigation measures in major sectors with original analyses of aspects including energy subsidies, sectoral energy efficiencies in manufacturing sectors, forest concessions, energy-saving labeling schemes, policy mixes for the urban transportation sector, and the introduction of waste-to-energy technologies. The book provides first-hand knowledge and data on energy and the institutional realities in Indonesia, which are not widely and readily available to an international audience. It offers a valuable reference guide for professionals working for governments and NGOs and donor agencies in the fields of climate change and development in developing countries. This work is also a valuable resource for undergraduate and graduate students of economics and environmental and development studies, in particular those who are interested in the synergies and conflicts between climate change and development.

This book analyzes the wide range of issues that should be taken into account in forest-related legislation. It stresses that forest law must be understood in the context of the broader legal framework governing land use and land tenure, as well as international obligations related to trade, environmental protection, and human rights. The book also pays significant attention to institutional arrangements and governance practices relevant to forests, including decentralization, transparency, and law enforcement. The authors draw extensively on experience from around the world to provide tools for dealing with various forest management challlenges. The authors are experts in the field of forest law. Lawrence C. Christy is a Former Chief, Development Law Service, Legal Office, Food and Agricultre Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Charles E. Di Leva is Chief Counsel, Environmentally and Socially Sustainable Development and International Law Unit (LEGEN), Legal Vice-Presidency, World Bank. Jonathan M. Lindsay is Senior Counsel with LEGEN, Legal Vice-Presidency, World Bank. Patrice Talla Takoukam is Counsel with LEGEN, Legal Vice-Presidency, World Bank.

This book describes and assesses an emerging threat to states’ territorial control and sovereignty: the hostile control of companies that carry out privatized aspects of sovereign authority. The threat arises from the massive worldwide shift of state activities to the private sector since the late 1970s in conjunction with two other modern trends – the globalization of business and the liberalization of international capital flows. The work introduces three new concepts: firstly, the rise of companies that handle privatized activities, and the associated advent of "post-government companies" that make such activities their core business. Control of them may reside with individual investors, other companies or investment funds, or it may reside with other states through state-owned enterprises or sovereign wealth funds. Secondly, "imperfect privatizations:" when a state privatizes an activity to another state’s public sector. The book identifies cases where this is happening. It also elaborates on how ownership and influence of companies that perform privatized functions may not be transparent, and can pass to inherently hostile actors, including criminal or terrorist organizations. Thirdly, "belligerent companies," whose conduct is hostile to those of states where they are active. The book concludes by assessing the adequacy of existing legal and regulatory regimes and how relevant norms may evolve.