Resource information
Forest concessions have been an
important element of forestry, and forest management in many
countries, including many developing countries. More often
than not, the concessions experience of these countries has
not been successful, and, improving their performance is not
likely to be popular. Therefore, if sustainable management
if tropical forests is to be achieved, and deforestation
brought under control, it may be necessary to strengthen the
on-the-ground performance of existing forest concessions,
and to control the allocation of new concessions. The forest
concessions discussed in this study involve both forest
utilization contracts, and forest management services
contracts. Part one of the study examines the forest
concessions experience on public lands, with a focus on
natural forests in developing countries in Africa, Asia, and
Latin America. Experiences provide the basis for proposals
to strengthen the allocation of forest concessions, and
improve their forest, and environmental management.
Economic, and procedural incentives for improved forest
management performance are introduced, as are proposals to
strengthen monitoring, supervision, and compliance with
contract terms. Part two evaluates forest revenue systems,
and presents proposals for revised forest fees, designed to
reflect the values of both the timber, and the concessions.
Additional concessions suggest ways to ease the collection
of fees, and to structure forest fees to provide economic
incentives for concession management, and performance.
