ITTO calls for CFE support
26 July 2007Governmental action is needed to ensure that community forest enterprises (CFEs) are successful, a new report by the International Tropical Timber Organisation ITTO) states.
The Community-based Forest Enterprises in Tropical Forest Countries: Status and Potential report looked at CFEs in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Pacific Islands and discovered that they account for US$2.5bn spent on managing and conserving worldwide forest habitats.
However, it has also found that many CFEs are being “sidelined in the international forestry arena” by rules favouring larger producers, undermining their ability to help poorer communities and protect the environment.
“CFEs have the potential to lift millions of forest communities out of poverty,” said Andy White, ITTO Rights and Resources Initiative co-ordinator.
“But only if they are given secure rights to forest resources and assistance with removing the red tape that impedes progress in almost every tropical region.”
The report CITES a number of examples including Cameroon, where four million ha of forests are designated for communities but only 40,000ha is approved for legal use.
