Forest Governance Learning Group - Project Document June 2003

The Forest Governance Learning Group is an alliance of independent agencies to exchange learning and develop ideas on forest governance and to help make them work. Forestry can contribute to the eradication of poverty and environmental sustainability. To make this contribution a reality requires good forest governance ­ decisions and actions that remove the barriers and install the policy and institutional systems which spread local forestry success. Whilst there is much attention being given to a few big international issues in forest governance ­ there is an inadequate supply of practical approaches, and preparedness to use them, to address the underlying problems. The forest governance learning group - an alliance of independent agencies and partners in Sub-Saharan Africa - aims to help fill this gap. The group will focus on achieving improved understanding of forest governance for poverty reduction in Sub-Saharan Africa. In its first year, outputs will include policy research conducted on illegal/corrupt forestry and poor people, learning between countries promoted in two regions ­ West and Southern Africa, and some specific practical governance guidance materials and tools. In a subsequent two-year implementation phase the group would work to increase the impact of the first year's outputs and achieve governance changes in key areas including: national forest programme processes; forestry’s contribution to poverty reduction; and, sustainability and equity in forest privatisation and decentralisation.