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Oliver Springatebaginski - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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democratising Timber an assessment of myanmar s emerging forest law enforcement governance and Trade flegt process
Forest Policy and Economics, 2014Co-Authors: Oliver Springatebaginski, Aung Kyaw Thein, Anthony Neil, Win Myo Thu, Faith DohertyAbstract:Amidst Myanmar (Burma)'s political reform process the forest sector remains an important area awaiting democratisation. Forests historically covered over 50% of the countries' land area, and have been of major importance for both local livelihoods, the national economy and ‘ecosystem services’ such as biodiversity and catchment hydrology. The export Timber Trade has however played a decisive role in determining forest sector policy and indeed has exerted a significant influence on overall national politics since the colonial era began and continuing to the present day. Under the post-independence military dictatorship the Timber Trade involved ever more unsustainable plunder, particularly from the 1970s, rapidly degrading forests. But now reform of Myanmar's Timber Trade is on the national political agenda, reform which will be crucial for the Nation's transition towards an equitable and sustainable development trajectory.
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democratising Timber an assessment of myanmar s emerging forest law enforcement governance and Trade flegt process
Forest Policy and Economics, 2014Co-Authors: Oliver Springatebaginski, Aung Kyaw Thein, Anthony Neil, Win Myo Thu, Faith DohertyAbstract:Abstract Amidst Myanmar (Burma)'s political reform process the forest sector remains an important area awaiting democratisation. Forests historically covered over 50% of the countries' land area, and have been of major importance for both local livelihoods, the national economy and ‘ecosystem services’ such as biodiversity and catchment hydrology. The export Timber Trade has however played a decisive role in determining forest sector policy and indeed has exerted a significant influence on overall national politics since the colonial era began and continuing to the present day. Under the post-independence military dictatorship the Timber Trade involved ever more unsustainable plunder, particularly from the 1970s, rapidly degrading forests. But now reform of Myanmar's Timber Trade is on the national political agenda, reform which will be crucial for the Nation's transition towards an equitable and sustainable development trajectory. New legislative measures within consuming countries, including the EU, to challenge illegally sourced Timber and wood product supplies have begun to exert a catalytic influence on Myanmar's forest policies, and converging with domestic civil society pressures have led in 2013 to the initiation of a formal ‘Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade’ (or FLEGT) bilateral process between the European Union and the Government of Myanmar. This paper presents an analysis of the nature of Myanmar's current Timber Trade and of the challenges and opportunities for reform, particularly in relation to the emerging FLEGT process. We argue that there are eight key aspects of Myanmar's Timber Trade overdue for democratic reform, which the FLEGT process puts into sharp relief: 1) resolution of ethnic conflicts primarily in upland forested areas, 2) reform of forest tenures; 3) a review of overall forest sector policies and the appropriate place of Timber production; 4) reform of military era state Timber institutions, 5) a return to silviculturally based sustainable forest management; 6) restructuring of the Timber industry away from ‘crony’ domination; 7) measures to combat illegal logging and assure the rule of law; and 8) citizen participation in policy development and implementation. This ‘shopping list’ of democratic reforms implies a major and undoubtedly difficult process ahead, and success is far from certain. From 2013 promising initial progress has already begun on several of these areas. However, although the Government of Myanmar may give the international audience the impression that it is rapidly democratising, on the ground only limited substantive changes are yet experienced in rural areas, and resistance to reform persists amongst the military and their commercial partners. A spectrum of possible outcomes for forest sector reform may be foreseen, from mere token improvements on the dictatorship-era ‘business as usual’ to a thorough realisation of democratic aspirations. The outcome will be determined by the balance of power between civil society, public representatives, Timber merchants particularly the powerful so-called ‘crony’ and proxy military business interests, and the intermediating powers of Government (including a significant rent-seeking ‘shadow state’), the EU, and the international markets that drive the demand for Burmese Timber. The extent to which the FLEGT process can reinforce the wider democratisation process may be a decisive factor.
Edward B Barbier - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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Timber Trade and environment
1999Co-Authors: Edward B Barbier, Jeffrey R VincentAbstract:This article is concerned with environmental-Trade linkages in the global forest products sector, in particular the role of Trade in influencing sustainable forest management. The latter term has been interpreted in many different ways. Here, the chief concern will be with sustainable production and environmental management of those forests currently or potentially exploitable for Timber, although there is also a general concern of the impact of Timber production and Trade on the “sustainability” of forest resources generally and the potential values of their goods and services. The main focus will be on Trade in the major wood products — roundwood, sawnwood, plywood, furniture and pulp and paper products.
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the economics of the tropical Timber Trade and sustainable forest management
1998Co-Authors: Edward B BarbierAbstract:In recent years, concern about the destruction of tropical forests has led to increased interest in the role of the international Timber Trade in promoting deforestation in the tropics. At the same time, concerted international efforts led by global institutions such as the International Tropical Timber Organization (ITTO), the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations and the Intergovernmental Panel on Forests (IPF), are searching for ways to improve the role of Trade in providing incentives for more sustainable, long-term management of tropical forests. This linkage between sustainable forest management and the international Trade in forest products was also enshrined in the global Forest Principles Accord of the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) at Rio de Janeiro.
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the economics of the tropical Timber Trade
1994Co-Authors: Edward B BarbierAbstract:Based on a study prepared for the International Tropical Timber Organization, this work examines current and future market conditions in the tropical Timber Trade, links between the Trade and deforestation, and the role of Trade policies in achieving sustainable forest management. Using extensive case studies, the authors argue that market distortions along the trading chain from forest to consumer encourage excessive deforestation. They describe what measures can be taken to correct these distortions and contribute towards good forest management practices.
Edgard O Espinoza - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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chemical differentiation of bolivian cedrela species as a tool to trace illegal Timber Trade
Forestry, 2018Co-Authors: Kathelyn Paredesvillanueva, Edgard O Espinoza, Jente Ottenburghs, Mark G Sterken, Frans Bongers, Pieter A ZuidemaAbstract:Combating illegal Timber Trade requires the ability to identify species and verify geographic origin of Timber. Forensic techniques that independently verify the declared species and geographic origin are needed, as current legality procedures are based on certificates and documents that can be falsified. Timber from the genus Cedrela is among the most economically valued tropical Timbers worldwide. Three Cedrela species are included in the Appendix III of CITES: C. fissilis, C. odorata and C. angustifolia (listed as C. lilloi). Cedrela Timber is currently Traded with false origin declarations and under a different species name, but tools to verify this are lacking. We used Direct Analysis in Real Time Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometry (DART-TOFMS) to chemically identify Cedrela species and sites of origin. Heartwood samples from six Cedrela species (the three CITES-listed species plus C. balansae, C. montana and C. saltensis) were collected at 11 sites throughout Bolivia. Mass spectra detected by DART-TOFMS comprised 1062 compounds; their relative intensities were analysed using Principal Component Analyses, Kernel Discriminant Analysis (KDA) and Random Forest analyses to check discrimination potential among species and sites. Species were identified with a mean discrimination error of 15–19 per cent, with substantial variation in discrimination accuracy among species. The lowest error was observed in C. fissilis (mean = 4.4 per cent). Site discrimination error was considerably higher: 43–54 per cent for C. fissilis and 42–48 per cent for C. odorata. These results provide good prospects to differentiate C. fissilis from other species, but at present there is no scope to do so for other tested species. Thus, discrimination is highly species specific. Our findings for tests of geographic origin suggest no potential to discriminate at the studied scale and for the studied species. Cross-checking results from different methods (KDA and Random Forest) reduced discrimination errors. In all, the DART-TOFMS technique allows independent verification of claimed identity of certain Cedrela species in Timber Trade.
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forensic Timber identification it s time to integrate disciplines to combat illegal logging
Biological Conservation, 2015Co-Authors: Eleanor E Dormontt, Edgard O Espinoza, Bernd Degen, Markus Boner, Birgit Braun, Gerhard Breulmann, Shelley Gardner, Phil Guillery, John C Hermanson, Gerald KochAbstract:Abstract The prosecution of illegal logging crimes is hampered by a lack of available forensic Timber identification tools, both for screening of suspect material and definitive identification of illegally sourced wood. Reputable Timber Traders are also struggling to police their own supply chains and comply with the growing requirement for due diligence with respect to Timber origins and legality. A range of scientific methods have been developed independently with the potential to provide the required identification information, but little attention has been given to how these tools can be applied synergistically to support the legal Timber Trade. Here we review the use of visual identification methods (wood anatomy, dendrochronology), chemical methods (mass spectrometry, near infrared spectroscopy, stable isotopes, radio-carbon), and genetic methods (DNA barcoding, population genetics/phylogeography, DNA fingerprinting) each with potential application to forensic Timber identification. We further highlight where future research and development are required to identify illegal logging crimes using these methods and suggest ways in which multiple methods can be used together to answer specific identification questions. We argue that a new integrated field of forensic Timber identification should be a global investment priority, for which the ongoing collection, curation and taxonomic study of appropriate reference material is a critical part. Consideration of the specific legal requirements for method development and the application of identification methodologies to criminal evidence are also imperative to achieve robust scientific support for illegal logging crime prosecutions and prevention.
Kathelyn Paredesvillanueva - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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chemical differentiation of bolivian cedrela species as a tool to trace illegal Timber Trade
Forestry, 2018Co-Authors: Kathelyn Paredesvillanueva, Edgard O Espinoza, Jente Ottenburghs, Mark G Sterken, Frans Bongers, Pieter A ZuidemaAbstract:Combating illegal Timber Trade requires the ability to identify species and verify geographic origin of Timber. Forensic techniques that independently verify the declared species and geographic origin are needed, as current legality procedures are based on certificates and documents that can be falsified. Timber from the genus Cedrela is among the most economically valued tropical Timbers worldwide. Three Cedrela species are included in the Appendix III of CITES: C. fissilis, C. odorata and C. angustifolia (listed as C. lilloi). Cedrela Timber is currently Traded with false origin declarations and under a different species name, but tools to verify this are lacking. We used Direct Analysis in Real Time Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometry (DART-TOFMS) to chemically identify Cedrela species and sites of origin. Heartwood samples from six Cedrela species (the three CITES-listed species plus C. balansae, C. montana and C. saltensis) were collected at 11 sites throughout Bolivia. Mass spectra detected by DART-TOFMS comprised 1062 compounds; their relative intensities were analysed using Principal Component Analyses, Kernel Discriminant Analysis (KDA) and Random Forest analyses to check discrimination potential among species and sites. Species were identified with a mean discrimination error of 15–19 per cent, with substantial variation in discrimination accuracy among species. The lowest error was observed in C. fissilis (mean = 4.4 per cent). Site discrimination error was considerably higher: 43–54 per cent for C. fissilis and 42–48 per cent for C. odorata. These results provide good prospects to differentiate C. fissilis from other species, but at present there is no scope to do so for other tested species. Thus, discrimination is highly species specific. Our findings for tests of geographic origin suggest no potential to discriminate at the studied scale and for the studied species. Cross-checking results from different methods (KDA and Random Forest) reduced discrimination errors. In all, the DART-TOFMS technique allows independent verification of claimed identity of certain Cedrela species in Timber Trade.
Andrew D Johns - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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vertebrate responses to selective logging implications for the design of logging systems
Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B, 1992Co-Authors: Andrew D JohnsAbstract:The adoption of tropical rain forest management systems that conserve both Timber stocks and the environment is increasingly viewed as a necessary development to maintain both the tropical Timber Trade and the forests themselves. There are no theoretical reasons why such systems should not be achievable. Ecological studies of vertebrate animal populations, and of wider ecosystem processes, can assist foresters in designing more appropriate forestry systems and in their long-term monitoring. Data are presented from two Forest Reserves in South-east Asia, Tekam in Peninsular Malaysia and Ulu Segama in Sabah, to show how simple analysis of ecological parameters may be used to quantify the extent to which logging affects the forest ecosystem and the extent to which it recovers over time.