National | PANORAMA

Developing a Policy Framework for the Sustainable Commercialization of Non-Timber Forest Products and Services

TRI’s Kenya ASAL team has also supported the development of a policy framework for the management and utilization of NTFPs. The First National Strategy and action plan for Sustainable Commercialization of Non-Timber Forest Products and Services in Kenya has been developed to support sustainable production, extraction, utilization, access to finance and market development of NTFPs and Services value chains in Kenya. A multi-stakeholder consultative approach through a Technical Working Group (TWG) that includes TRI's National Project Coordinator (a renowned NTFPs specialist), held an inception meeting and developed the structure for the strategy and action plan which KEFRI used to develop an initial draft. A number of meetings were held to review and improve the draft strategy and action plan before subjecting it to public participation in seven clusters throughout the country. Additionally, TRI has helped the government develop their 2016 forest regulation on equitable benefit the Forest Conservation and Management Act, sharing with sensitization workshops and recommendations to ensure NTFP benefits are properly distributed.

The development of the NTFPs Strategy was enabled by the robust literature review, surveys, and consultations undertaken by KEFRI. Without the review and situational analyses, the strategy would have missed appropriate intervention measures, stakeholder needs, and the contours of the various NTFP subsectors. TRI would also not have been able to pursue measures related to the equitable benefit sharing in forestry without the pursual of policy by the national government.

By supporting the elaboration of the NTFPs Strategy, TRI gained critical information about how generating science-based information along with consultations helps develop more robust policies. As the team helped identify 14 NTFPs, including seed oils, indigenous fruits, medicinal plants aloes, dyes and tannins, and ecotourism, as well as potential government interventions the government, TRI worked to highlight science-based information and how it could be used in restoration. The process of consultations also underscored key potential interventions included in the strategy such as the establishment of local tree nurseries and the branding and certification of medicinal plants. By working to promote and develop the regulation on equitable benefit sharing, TRI was able to learn more about how to communicate with local communities and how equitable benefit sharing could most effectively be pursued in the forestry sector. In all, TRI Kenya ASAL learned that joining science-based knowledge with input from local communities allows for policies that address local issues with evidence-based measures.

Implementation

National

Strategic Plan

Developing a Forest and Landscape Restoration (FLR) Implementation Action Plan and Monitoring Framework

TRI’s Kenya ASAL team supported the development of Forest and Landscape Restoration Implementation Plan (FOLAREP), an FLR strategy and monitoring framework formulated through a multi-stakeholder consultation process engaging experts from national institutions, the Council of Governors, County Governments, and non-state actors. The Ministry of Environment and Forestry (MoEF) established a diverse technical working group (TWG) in 2019 to develop FOLAREP. The draft was then subjected to public participation in seven clusters involving key stakeholders before being validated in a National stakeholders forum. The plan will ensure sustainable restoration of targeted landscapes and outlines the the key activities to be carried out, resources required, coordination framework and a robust monitoring and evaluation framework to promote an effective and efficient FLR programme in the country. TRI’s role included providing technical input as part of the national technical working group, as well as helping hold public consultations to ensure input from local communities was integrated. Additionally, TRI’s monitoring and enforcement (M&E) officer played a critical role in developing an M&E framework, which will track outcomes on policy and regulatory frameworks.

To help successfully prepare FOLAREP, TRI also contributed to drafting the Roadmap for an FLR Action Plan, which outlined the process for elaborating the policy. With a coherent strategy, the TRI team was able to facilitate KFS’s drafting of FOLAREP. Additionally, without a participatory process that included county consultations and input from numerous stakeholders, the elaboration of the policy would have been less inclusive and left out the priorities of the local communities, which in turn, would have made it much harder to implement.

Through the process of elaborating FOLAREP, the team gained many lessons, including the various parts of the policy process, county priorities, and the potential strategies for promoting FLR. By taking part in developing, validating, and approving the policy, TRI learned how participatory processes better facilitate the creation of FLR-based policies and where in the process barriers exist. The participatory process also highlighted county priorities, provided information about how the policy could be more effectively implemented, and enhanced local communities' participation and ownership of FOLAREP. Additionally, through input from the national technical working group in meetings such as the National Landscape Restoration Scaling Conference, TRI gathered information on what actions should be taken in the policy to further FLR action in Kenya.

Implementation

National

FOLAREP

West and Central Africa

Strengthening national and county level policy and regulatory frameworks to support forest and landscape restoration in Kenya

Adriana

Vidal

Developing a Forest and Landscape Restoration (FLR) Implementation Action Plan and Monitoring Framework

Facilitating the Integration of Natural Resource Management and FLR Policies at the County and Local Levels

Developing a Policy Framework for the Sustainable Commercialization of Non-Timber Forest Products and Services

North Africa

Enhancing Climate Change Adaptation in North Coast and Nile Delta in Egypt

Waleed

Ali

North Africa

Enhancing Climate Change Adaptation in North Coast and Nile Delta in Egypt

Waleed

Ali

Reviewing Policy and Regulatory Frameworks to Promote the Use of Innovative and Sustainable Financial Mechanisms

TRI Pakistan reviewed policy and regulatory frameworks to identify, understand, and facilitate the use of innovative and sustainable financial mechanisms such as payment for ecosystems and services and targeted funs at district level for providing incentives for ecosystem services (PES). This includes an initial scoping mission to assess the feasibility of payment for ecosystem services, which includes training 26 participants on ecosystem services valuation, incentives, and PES. This PES scheme was piloted in Chitral with a consultant engaged in studying the various options for generating resources for conservation and sustainable land management of the Chilgoza Forest. TRI Pakistan also produced an economic valuation study of the Chilgoza Forest ecosystem services, which outlined to the government how much economic gain FLR and sustainable land management can provide and pushed decision makers to allocate greater resources to forest restoration. Additionally, TRI Pakistan convened capacity building workshops of hundreds of staff on the use of fuel-efficient stoves and gasifiers. Together, this review allowed TRI Pakistan to learn more about potential FLR interventions and conservation incentives.

To be able to review frameworks that facilitate the use of innovative and sustainable financial mechanisms, TRI Pakistan needed to train participants on schemes like the payment for ecosystem services and on the use of technology like fuel efficient stoves and gasifiers. With trainings, participants could implement the interventions and provide enough data on their feasibility. Additionally, providing government bodies with an economic valuation study that shows the value of restoration will prove invaluable in pursuing FLR policies.

Reviewing policy and regulatory frameworks that could promote innovative and sustainable financial mechanisms taught TRI Pakistan about the feasibility of potential interventions to facilitate restoration and sustainable land management in Chilgoza Forest ecosystems. Studying the effects and implementation of payments for ecosystem service as well as the use of fuel-efficient stoves and gasifiers, TRI Pakistan learned how the mechanisms affected restoration and whether they were interventions worth pursuing. Using these findings, the team was able to make better recommendations for policies being elaborated. Additionally, the economic valuation study of the Chilgoza forests ecosystem services provided TRI Pakistan with critical information showing the economic value restoration and sustainable land management could provide for communities. This further allowed TRI Pakistan to provide recommendations and pursue policy development as the study also shows government bodies drafting policy the economic potential of FLR.

Implementation

Subnational

National

Developing Forest Management and Landscape Restoration Frameworks for Chilgoza Forest Ecosystems

To strengthen Pakistan’s policies and legal frameworks in support of FLR and sustainable land management, TRI Pakistan has facilitated the development of forest management and landscape restoration frameworks for Chilgoza Forest Ecosystems in the four districts of Sherani, Chitral, South West, and Gilgit Baltisan with technical input and hosting and engaging in the consultation of stakeholders. While the Chilgoza Forest Multi-Function Management Plan for the Sherani District has been finalized and a draft for the South West Multi-Function Management Plan has been drafted, the plans for Chitral and Gilgit Baltisan are still under development. The plans are drafted by the respective district’s forest departments and work to address economic concerns, biodiversity conservation, and the key drivers of degradation. The plans are also built on the findings of the participatory ROAM assessments TRI Pakistan conducted, which included key stakeholders from all four project districts and identified restoration opportunities and priority interventions such as more efficient cooking stoves. Ultimately, these plans facilitate the implementation of FLR and sustainable land management at the local level as they are made with input from local stakeholders and outline management measures designed with their communities’ priorities in mind.

In order to develop these policies in a way that best addresses the needs of the four districts, TRI Pakistan’s ROAM assessments were vital. As a way to ensure hotspots are given priority, properly conducting the assessments was also critical. Pakistan trained forty-four professionals and key stakeholders from all districts on the ROAM methodology to ensure the process was inclusive as possible and effective in identifying priorities to be addressed in the management plans.

From the development of the four districts’ Chilgoza Forest Multi-Functional Management Plans, TRI Pakistan learned multiple lessons on how forest management should be approached at the local level and how differences in local communities affect the prioritized goals and measures. Beginning with the ROAM assessments, TRI Pakistan was able to see where the districts differed in their prioritized restoration areas, which interventions they pursued, and the overall goals and economic needs of local community groups. From these assessment findings, the respective forest departments, in elaborating the plans, also showed the team how their district context affected the way they approached FLR and sustainable land management. Understanding how the different local communities approach forest management further helped TRI Pakistan facilitate the government’s transition in considering local and private sector perspectives in the implementation of national forest and climate policies.

Inception phase

National

Developing policy and regulatory frameworks to promote restoration, sustainable land management, and emissions reductions

TRI CAR is actively working to facilitate the development of policy and regulatory frameworks that promote restoration, sustainable land management, the maintenance and enhancement of carbon stocks in forests and other lands uses, and emission reductions from the land use, land-use change, and forestry (LULUCF) sector and agriculture. This includes initiating discussions with the Ministry of Water, Forests, Hunting, and Fishing on the revision process of CAR’s forest policy. TRI CAR will bring all of the stakeholders together to define and plan the process of revision and provide the ministry with technical input. TRI CAR is also conducting documentary analysis of local development plans of five forest communities – Mbata, Mongoumba, Nola, Pissa, and Yobé – and is in discussions with the Ministry of Environment and Ministry of Territorial Planning to develop a joint management plan for the southwest territory so the local development plans can be implemented in a broader vision. Additionally, TRI CAR is helping upgrade the Wood Energy Supply Plan (WISDOM) in Bangui with recommendations developed from research on wood energy production and market.

TRI CAR is able to help develop policies support FLR and sustainable land management because of the political will of CAR’s major ministries to improving laws and regulations to support its restoration goals. It is also possible because of TRI CAR’s ability to bring together the various stakeholders implicated in the LULUCF sector and restoration activities in CAR. Without input and recommendations from the numerous actors, the policies could not as adequately address the diverse priorities of everyone affected by FLR.

Through the process of helping CAR’s various ministries update policies related to restoration, sustainable land management, and emissions reductions, TRI CAR has learned multiple lessons around the process of policy elaboration in CAR and how policy updates can better address the needs of the various stakeholders. Between working with the Ministry of Water, Forests, Hunting, and Fishing on the revision of the country’s forest policy and the Ministry of Environment and Ministry of Territorial Planning on developing a joint management plan for the southwest territory to better implement the local development plans, TRI CAR is learning how the different ministries approach policy development and how the team can work with them all to ensure policy cohesion across sectors. Additionally, in its work to provide information on the market and practices of wood energy production in Bangui, TRI CAR has gained knowledge around how wood energy can affect restoration and how best to approach its management.

Implementation

Subnational

National

Filling knowledge gaps in restoration opportunities and the valuation of ecosystem services

To increase CAR’s commitment to forest and landscape restoration at the national and subnational levels, TRI CAR is working to fill existing knowledge gaps in the valuation of ecosystem services and restoration opportunities. To do this, TRI CAR has contracted two graduate students with the Central African Agricultural Research Institute (ICRA) and the Higher Institute for Rural Development (ISDR) to carry out a valuation of ecosystem services. As the projects develop, the on-the-ground research will inform TRI CAR’s technical recommendations for the various policies being elaborated. Similarly, to help identify restoration opportunities, TRI has initiated the creation of a geospatial working group that will focus on finding restoration priority areas. This will also lay a base for TRI CAR’s policy input, as the team will pursue measures focused on the restoration opportunities identified in geospatial data analysis.

To successfully engage in projects that fill knowledge gaps necessary for policy elaboration, the work of ICRA and ISDR in supervising and leading the graduate projects looking at the valuation of ecosystem services will be critical. Additionally, to best enable the technical working group working on analysis on geospatial data, TRI CAR has conducted trainings on how to collect and use data analysis. The trainings ensured the working group most effectively analyzes the geospatial data.

Contracting two projects to research the valuation of ecosystem services and bringing together a technical working group to conduct analysis of geospatial data to identify restoration opportunities, TRI CAR is learning critical lessons around how to work with local institutions to facilitate knowledge generation and how to train participants to best implement project research. TRI CAR is growing its understanding of how working with institutes like ICRA and ISDR through the graduate projects will help policy commitment and how collaborating with outside actors can provide greater resources for filling knowledge gaps. TRI CAR is also strengthening its ability to train participants and local actors in collecting and analyzing data required for the effective development of the country’s policies. Ultimately, TRI CAR’s work has also provided the team with invaluable information it can use to provide technical input and recommendations for the elaboration of national policies related to restoration and sustainable land management.

Inception phase

National