Latin America and the Caribbean: Environment
News from LAC Environment!
USAID/USDA Study Focuses on Community
Forestry Challenges and Opportunities
In Central America
A major study recently conducted by USAID and the US Department
of Agriculture/Forest Service (USDA) recommends that local
timber communities in Central America pursue opportunities
with less-used hardwood species (as opposed to major commercial
types such as mahogany).
The report also recommends that the industry should focus
on regional and national chains and markets (not the US and
international export market).
The study, entitled “Forest
Communities and the Marketing of Less-Used Tropical Hardwoods
in Mesoamerica,” (pdf, 1148KB), or in Spanish, "Comunidades
Forestales y el Mercadeo de Maderas Tropicales Poco Comerciales
de Mesoamerica," (pdf, 1387 KB) also recommends that
local timber communities:
- Improve business management skills of both community forestry
operations and private forest product companies;
- Assist community forestry operations to overcome mistrust
of private industry, and develop cooperative and mutually
advantageous business arrangements;
- Improve understanding of changed markets, and develop
new approaches and marketing capacity in cooperation with
private industry groups and associations;
- Develop legal and regulatory systems in certain countries
to support, instead of detract from, efforts to preserve
natural forests and increase employment; and
- Improve understanding of technical assistance needs and
implement focused assistance efforts, especially related
to processing and marketing.
Specific additional recommendations include:
- Institute micro-credit programs that require compliance
with certain organizational and accounting standards, combined
with active technical assistance in business practices,
processing, and marketing;
- Improve timber extraction methods and technology, and
quality of in-the-woods processing;
- Support or develop decorative veneer production to access
local and regional MDF-based furniture markets;
- Conduct manufacturing and marketing trials involving
lesser-used hardwood species with existing manufacturers,
such as reducing stain and improving recovery in certain
promising species;
- Explore markets for chain saw and axe hewn lumber; and
- Define common goals, and facilitate and strengthen relationships
between community forest operations, private businesses,
and government regulatory and marketing bodies.
The study limited its scope to four areas with community
forestry operations:
- Guatemala – Reserve de la Biosfera Maya
- Honduras – Region Forestal Atlantica
- Mexico – Quintana Roo
- Nicaragua – Region Autonoma del Atlantico Norte.
The study was conducted by Rene Forster, Harald Albrecht,
Mirna Belisle, Arturo Caballero, Hugo Galletti, Orlando Lacayo
and Spencer Ortiz. Most of the field work was conducted in
1999 and 2000.
The full study is available in English “Forest
Communities and the Marketing of Less-Used Tropical Hardwoods
in Mesoamerica,” (pdf, 1,148KB) and in Spanish:
Comunidades
Forestales y el Mercadeo de Maderas
Tropicales Poco Comerciales de Mesoamerica. (pdf, 1387
KB)
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