forestry in zambÉzia: “chinese take-away” oram, 2005
TRANSCRIPT
FORESTRY IN ZAMBÉZIA: “CHINESE TAKE-AWAY”
ORAM, 2005
Introduction
How forests are supposed to be managed: • According to policies, laws, international agreements
calling for:sustainable forest management for
poverty alleviation
How forests are actually being managed: • Stripping out precious timbers for export to Asia as logs• Bypassing local resource rights and economic
development • Degrading the resource and rendering it
unmanagable in the medium-long term
What should happen?
Resource inventory
Delimitation of permanent forest estate
Approval by communities;benefit sharing agreements
Delimitation of concessions
Sound management plans
Harvesting + regeneration
Processing + Export
= Sustainable Management + Economic Development
DN/SPFFB Operators
Supervision by SPFFB
What is actually happening?
questionable inventory+ annual allowable cut
no permanent forest estate or spatial control of logging
communities cheated of resources and benefits
licensing of unqualified operators+ unsustainable concessions
Too many operators +
fictitious management plans
illegal harvesting +
no post-harvest treatement
most timber exported as logs
= Sustainable poverty + forest resource degradation
DN/SPFFB Operators
collusion by SPFFB
Industry paralysed
WHAT ARE THE IMPACTS ?
• Large number of operators without experience or professionalism abusing the resource
• Exploitation of local labour (below minimum wage, or not paid at all)
• Little contribution of forests to sustainable rural or industrial development;
• no benefits to local people, • Lack of controls on volumes and areas harvested
rendering resource unmanageable • culture of corruption perpetuated
WHAT IS DRIVING THE SITUATION? • Asian buyers secure logs by providing easy credit
that attracts a large number of cowboy operators to get into logging,
• Booming Chinese economy with high demand for logs.
• Involvement of politicians and government officers in forestry
• Government supports Asians interests through policy and regulation
• Donors, consultants and civil society are unwilling to speak out!!
• Mozambique is not alone!! – the forests of Papua New Guinea, Indonesia, Myanmar, Russia and Congo Basin are also being stripped to the detriment of indigenous people and local economies.
FORESTS OF ZAMBEZIA
Zambezia, total area: 10,270,622 ha
Saket 1994 PMSR 2001-2 *
Forest type Cover
%Area (ha)
Cover %
Area (ha) Diff %
Lowland high density > 75 187.500 >70 152.300 -19
Lowland mid-density 50-75 597.410 40-70 1.093.600 + 83
Lowland low-density 25-50 1.146.959 10-40 2.014.400 + 75
Tall thicket 20-40 1.142.455 <10 309.300 - 73
Total Productive forest 3.074.324 3.569.600 +16
* Technical problems delayed publication until late 2005
Annual Allowable Cut
Zambézia total area: 10.270.662 ha
Saket 1994 PMSR 2005
Productive forest area (ha) 3.074.324 3.231.900*
Total comercial volume (m3) 3.761.164 15.143.219
Annual allowable cut (m3/yr,118 spp) 98.615 683.000**
Annual allowable cut (m3/yr, 7 spp) 17.000 72.533
* Excluding reserves
** For 75 species
The PMSR report does not even mention this remarkable increase. Can it be true??
Who gets what?
YEAR 2003
(m3)
2004
(m3)
Simple licence operators
15,419 28,655
Industrial operators
(with concession)
10,337
(2,265)
20,865
(???)
TOTAL 25,756 49,340
A BOOMING FOREST SECTOR
2000 2003
Industrial operators 11 24
Concessions request 2 49
Simple licence loggers 27 144
Concessions in Zambezia
2001 2002 2003 2004
No. of Concession Applications
9 27 49 36
No. of Companies 6 17 30 30
Total area (‘000 ha)
339 1.132 1.564 1.449
There are concession applications for over half of Zambezia’s commercial forest area. Half of these applications, including nearly all the best forest, have been made by Asian buyers with influential national partners, and other foreign companies.
Scandals in forest sector governance (1)
• SPFFB licenses many more operators than it can supervise.
• Concession applicants are allowed to log their areas before preparing management plans!
• Management plans are approved that propose to harvest timber in < 10 years.
• Operators systematically under-report the volume of timber harvested – perhaps by 50%
Scandals in forest sector governance (2)
• Illegal export through Quelimane port revealed by contradictory forest statistics different agencies: DNFFB, SPFFB, CFM, DPIC – and direct observation!
• Widespread bribery and corruption • Loss of government revenues of about
$200,000/year in Zambezia alone• Timber prices paid by Asian buyers
reduced to cover “cost of doing business”
Contradictory Gov’t Statistics
Year SPFFB Port authority
Licensed
(m3)
Extracted
(m3)
Exported
(m3)
Exported
(m3)
2000 18,090 28,043 6,512 865
2001 32,682 26,622 18,417 42,352
2002 42,175 33,200 28,461 52,422
2003 31,744 25,397 20,084 40,640
2004 49,340
WHAT SHOULD WE DO?
Either we continue, as now to … • Cut and export as much as possible while
you still can! • Degrade the resource!• Impoverish the communities!• When its gone - sell up and leave!
Or: civil society lobbies for sustainable forest management for poverty alleviation!
WHAT SHOULD WE LOBBY FOR?
A moratorium on log exports.WHY?
Zambezia has the capacity to process at least 35,000 m3/year, and all timber types.
National, regional and international markets exist for Mozambican processed timber.
Mozambique should add value to its own timber, rather than exporting logs and jobs to China
Other immediate measures
• Moratoria on:– annual logging permits (licenca simples)– new concession approvals
until systems for sustainable management are in place, and operators can demonstrate their ability to log responsibly.
• Demand independent review of previously approved concession management plans
• Revise legislation to give communities rights to the timber on their own land
ENVISAGED OUTCOMES
• Foreign log buyers will leave or switch to exporting processed timber
• The “credit system” buyers have been using to support inexperienced simple licence operators will be abandoned
• Only the more dedicated professionals operators will continue in forestry – cowboys will leave.
• Existing industrial capacity will be better utilised and developed, creating more jobs for Mozambicans.
Alternative vision for forestry
• Harness forests for economic development
• Integrate forestry in provincial and national development planning
• Sustainable management of forests for wide range of products
• Value-added processing of forest products• Community-based concession
management and processing
Who should do what
Government (at national, provincial, district levels):• constructive engagement with China to promote
Mozambique’s economic development, not just China’s• crack down on corruption in DN/SPFF• establish and enforce regulations for best practice in fores
management• fulfil commitments to sound governance• legislate to give resource rights to communities• market support and financial incentives for in-country
processing • improve infrastructure (roads, power) needed for forestry• facilitate regular dialogue with all stakeholders !!!
Who should do what
Operators:• Realise forestry is a privilege NOT a right. • Promote high standards of forest
management via professional associations• Collaborate with local communities and
respect their rights• Process and transform timber locally• Diversify products and markets• Develop Zambézia’s forests for benefit of all
Who should do what?
Communities: • Commit to sustainable management of own
forest resources for community development• Organise themselves for effective decision-
making and benefit sharing • Seek management partnerships as appropriate
Local NGOs: • Facilitate and support community processes and
interactions with private sector.
Who should do what?
International NGOs:• Provide Independent Forest Monitoring (IFM)• Support local NGOs
Donors: • Put pressure on GOM to fulfil its policy
commitments• Financial and technical support• Constructive multi-lateral engagement with China
What the “Chinese take-away” means for Mozambique
• Chinese presence in Mozambique could obviously bring many benefits, BUT:
• THE CHINESE ECONOMY SHOULD NOT BOOM AT THE EXPENSE OF POORER COUNTRIES LIKE MOZAMBIQUE.
• We must work with Chinese and other timber importers such as India, to ensure that:
MORE PROCESSING AND MORE BENEFITS FROM FORESTRY STAY IN MOZAMBIQUE.
For that: POLICIES PROMOTING ENLIGHTENED NATIONAL INTEREST ARE NEEDED
CHINESE IMPORT OF FOREST PRODUCTS
YEAR VOLUME (m3) VALUE ($) 1997 40 million 6 billion 2005 134 million 16 billion 2015 300 million* 32 billion*
* (mid-level estimate)• [email protected]
CHINESE EXPORT OF FOREST PRODUCTS
YEAR VOLUME (RWE)* VALUE ($) 1997 4.2 m m3 $3.6 billion2005 23 m m3 $17.2 billion
In 2005, 80% of all forest exports were timber products, primarily furniture and wood-based panels
Approx. 70% of timber imported into China is re-exported
* round wood equivalents White et al, (2006) Forest Trends
WHERE DO CHINA’S FOREST PRODUCT EXPORTS GO?
• Between 1997 and 2005 US imports of Chinese wood products boomed an astonishing 1000%
• In 2005, US imported 35% of its total wood based products, from China.
• Europe is the second biggest importer and imports increased almost 800% in the same period.
• Japan …
SO ….
• Americans, Europeans and Japanese are the biggest consumers of the “Chinese-takeaway timber” and should take action”!
• they must join local and international initiatives, and exercise consumer pressure to fight illegal and unsustainable logging.
OBRIGADO