PART I THE SITUATION AND DEVELOPMENTS IN THE FOREST SECTOR 17 Ssons Programmes to plant trees, The following observations are based on the case efforts to reduce the impoverishment of studies forests, can stabilize and reverse deforestation The loss and degradation of forests and and degradation in arid climates. Two of the woodlands and sub sequent soil erosion and six countries studied, Tunisia and Iran desertification are largely the result of human illustrate this point well. activities, aggravated by arid and semi-arid Large government planting programmes can conditions and compounded by the many be successful, but this approach alone will not rural and poor people who depend on scarce necessarily assist the rural poor or solve the natural resources, have large animal herds problem of overgrazing in forests or and use fuelwood in an unmanaged way rangelands. In this Water scarcity and unpredictable droughts practices and community planting add to the problem. programmes, coupled with improved animal Strong government policies, strategies and and crop management, are very important. institutions are required, in addition to a In addition to participatory approaches decentralized approach, and need to be families and communities need to have secure supported by competent and knowledgeable land tenure and to benefit from planting trees Farmers will seldom plant trees for fuelwood Intersectoral and interdisciplinary approaches alone, as there are usually other immediate are needed to address problems of forest loss energy alternatives. They are far more likely and environmental degradation that are not to be interested if they know that they will solely forestry driven but result from such also draw benefits in the form of food fodder factors as demographic changes, competing shelter shade or income. land uses(e. g grazing and agriculture), lack In arid and semi-arid environments, planting of alternative income. food trees can be difficult and costly. Labour levels of education shortage can also be a constraint, since the Participatory processes, emphasizing the planting period usually coincides with that in needs of local people and traditional the agricultural sector. Tunisia and Iran have knowledge, are essential. shown that land can be rehabilitated by Planting new forest resources or regenerating planting trees, but planted trees currentl and sustainably managing natural forests and have a minor role in the other countries woodlands will reduce pressure for fodder studied and fuel, as well as possibly providing or versifying household income and improving the environment. Planting trees on farms(agroforestry)and other activities outside forests offer employment opportunities and immediate benefits to smallholders and the rural poor for subsistence, provide refuges for wildlife, improve the local climate and enhance In Tunisia, forest perse
17 SECTOR FOREST THE IN DEVELOPMENTS AND SITUATION THE I PART Lessons case the on based are observations following The .studies and forests of degradation and loss The• and erosion soil subsequent and woodlands human of result the largely are desertification arid-semi and arid by aggravated, activities many the by compounded and conditions scarce on depend who people poor and rural herds animal large have, resources natural .way unmanaged an in fuelwood use and droughts unpredictable and scarcity Water .problem the to add and strategies, policies government Strong• a to addition in, required are institutions be to need and, approach decentralized knowledgeable and competent by supported .personnel approaches interdisciplinary and Intersectoral• loss forest of problems address to needed are not are that degradation environmental and such from result but driven forestry solely competing, changes demographic as factors lack), agriculture and grazing. g.e (uses land low and insecurity food, income alternative of .education of levels the emphasizing, processes Participatory• traditional and people local of needs .essential are, knowledge regenerating or resources forest new Planting• and forests natural managing sustainably and fodder for pressure reduce will woodlands or providing possibly as well as, fuel and and income household diversifying .environment the improving and) agroforestry (farms on trees Planting• offer forests outside activities other immediate and opportunities employment for poor rural the and smallholders to benefits ,wildlife for refuges provide, subsistence enhance and climate local the improve .landscapes with coupled, trees plant to Programmes• of impoverishment the reduce to efforts deforestation reverse and stabilize can, forests the of Two. climates arid in degradation and ,Iran and Tunisia, studied countries six .well point this illustrate can programmes planting government Large• not will alone approach this but, successful be the solve or poor rural the assist necessarily or forests in overgrazing of problem agroforestry, regard this In. rangelands planting community and practices animal improved with coupled, programmes .important very are, management crop and ,approaches participatory to addition In• secure have to need communities and families .trees planting from benefit to and tenure land fuelwood for trees plant seldom will Farmers immediate other usually are there as, alone likely more far are They. alternatives energy will they that know they if interested be to ,fodder, food of form the in benefits draw also .income or shade, shelter planting, environments arid-semi and arid In• Labour. costly and difficult be can trees the since, constraint a be also can shortage in that with coincides usually period planting have Iran and Tunisia. sector agricultural the by rehabilitated be can land that shown currently trees planted but, trees planting countries other the in role minor a have .studied the at planting forest, Tunisia In year per ha 000 14 about of rate reverse and stabilize helped has degradation and deforestation ISAAC. J/13985/FAO
STATE OF THE WORLDs FORESTs 2003 The way forward of the solution, as are the regeneration and The following suggestions, among others, management of natural forests may help to improve the contribution of trees With regard to providing rural people with an to the environment and to sustainable alternative income, approaches include large- ivelihoods in developing countries with low scale planted forests for industrial purposes, commercial orchards, small-scale projects for Integrated and holistic approaches must be NWFPs and tourism implemented in order to reduce pressure Most lccs need better information on the forest and range resources. The planting of status of their resources so that they can trees,whether as forests or tree clusters, is part monitor change and develop integrated Urban forest watershed management: an example of partnership TreePeople, a non-profit organization based in Los Angeles, building codes require all runoff tobe directed to storm drains, more United States, demonstrates the benefits of partnerships in pro- than 85 percent of the city s rainfall has become a toxic and danger- viding cities with sustainable water supplies. The following is ous flood threat. Todeal with this, various agencies plannedseparate Tree Peoples account of a successful project to help Los Angeles construction projects which would have totalled more than US$20 meet half of its water needs through urban watershed manage. billion but did not, taken together, offer sustainable solutions ment, while at the same time improving the quality of life. The project builds on ten years of research, design, cost-benefit analy-APARTNERSHIP APPROACH sis,demonstration projects and multistakeholder processes In 1992, TreePeopleproposed using watershed management prac tices to resolve these problems, but the proposal was rejected as FLAWS IN TRADITIONAL MANAGEMENT OF INFRASTRUCTURE too expensive for the single purpose of flood control To co SYSTEMS the fact that relevant agencies did not have the tools or Most cities were not designed, organized or managed as part of the ity to take into account such additional benefits as water supply, aturalecosystem. Watersupply, wastewater, solid waste and storm pollution prevention, energy conservation and economic devel- water infrastructure systems are managed by separate government opment, Tree People assembledamulti-agency partnershipin 1994, agencies that typically do not coordinate operations. As cities consisting of the United States Forest Service, the Los Angeles xpand, these systems often grow further apart, compete for scarce Department of Water and Power, the Los Angeles Stormwater funds and unwittingly undermine each other s efforts as they Management Division, the United States Environmental Protec- struggle individually to cope with increased flooding, polluted tion Agency, the Metropolitan Water District, the City of Santa storm water runoff and water shortages. As the problems and costs Monica and the Los Angeles County Flood Control District. The accrue, solutions become increasinglyelusive resources project, known as the Trans-agency Resources for Environmental are available to meet other social needs. Thr grated ap- and Economic Sustainability (TREES), designed best management proaches based on the urban forest watershed, cities can achieve practices to overhaul and manage the citys use of watersheds, environmental, economic and social sustainability Angeles is seeking technical and economically feasible solu- created a cost-benefit modelling tool and conducted a cost-benefit tions for the range of problems associated with urban infrastructure analysis, and then applied the results more broadly management. An average annual rainfall of 15 inches (381 mm) ovides the city with up to half the water it needs for the year. RESULTS OF AN INNOVATIVE APPROACH However, because nearly three-quarters of its area has been re The information and demonstrations of the TREES Project resulted dered impermeable by sprawl (buildings, parking lots, paving)and in substantial changes in Los Angeles public works agencies and
2003 FORESTS S’WORLD THE OF STATE 18 forward way The ,others among, suggestions following The trees of contribution the improve to help may sustainable to and environment the to low with countries developing in livelihoods .cover forest be must approaches holistic and Integrated• on pressure reduce to order in implemented of planting The. resources range and forest part is, clusters tree or forests as whether, trees and regeneration the are as, solution the of .forests natural of management an with people rural providing to regard With• ,purposes industrial for forests planted scalelarge include approaches, income alternative for projects scale-small, orchards commercial .tourism and NWFPs the on information better need LFCCs Most• can they that so resources their of status integrated develop and change monitor ,Angeles Los in based organization profit-non a, TreePeople is following The. supplies water sustainable with cities vidingpro in partnerships of benefits the demonstrates, States United Angeles Los help to project successful a of account s’TreePeople The. life of quality the improving time same the at while, mentmanage watershed urban through needs water its of half meet .processes multistakeholder and projects demonstration, sisanaly benefit-cost, design, research of years ten on builds project INFRASTRUCTURE OF MANAGEMENT TRADITIONAL IN FLAWS SYSTEMS the of part as managed or organized, designed not were cities Most storm and waste solid, wastewater, supply Water. ecosystem natural government separate by managed are systems infrastructure water cities As. operations coordinate not do typically that agencies scarce for compete, apart further grow often systems these, expand they as efforts s’other each undermine unwittingly and funds polluted, flooding increased with cope to individually struggle costs and problems the As. shortages water and runoff water storm resources fewer and elusive increasingly become solutions, accrue achieve can cities, watershed forest urban the on based proachesap integrated Through. needs social other meet to available are .sustainability social and economic, environmental infrastructure urban with associated problems of range the for tionssolu feasible economically and technical seeking is Angeles Los (mm 381 (inches 15 of rainfall annual average An. management .year the for needs it water the half to up with city the provides and) paving, lots parking, buildings (sprawl by impermeable deredren been has area its of quarters-three nearly because, However more, drains storm to directed be to runoff all require codes building separate planned agencies various, this with deal To. threat flood ousdanger and toxic a become has rainfall s’city the of percent 85 than 20$US than more totalled have would which projects construction .solutions sustainable offer, together taken, not did but billion APPROACH PARTNERSHIP A as rejected was proposal the but, problems these resolve to ticesprac management watershed using proposed TreePeople, 1992 In counter To. control flood of purpose single the for expensive too ,supply water as benefits additional such account into take to ityauthor the or tools the have not did agencies relevant that fact the ,1994 in partnership agency-multi a assembled TreePeople, opmentdevel economic and conservation energy, prevention pollution Angeles Los the, Service Forest States United the of consisting Stormwater Angeles Los the, Power and Water of Department Santa of City the, District Water Metropolitan the, Agency tionProtec Environmental States United the, Division Management The. District Control Flood County Angeles Los the and Monica Environmental for Resources agency-Trans the as known, project management best designed), TREES (Sustainability Economic and ,watersheds of use s’city the manage and overhaul to practices ,projects pilot through designs the of viability technical the tested benefit-cost a conducted and tool modelling benefit-cost a created .broadly more results the applied then and, analysis APPROACH INNOVATIVE AN OF RESULTS resulted Project TREES the of demonstrations and information The and agencies works public Angeles Los in changes substantial in partnership of example an: management watershed forest Urban