Sustainable Forestry and the Environment in Developing Countries

- a profile of a research project -

Contact information

Finnish Forest Research Institute
Unioninkatu 40 A, FIN-00170 HELSINKI, Finland
Ph: +358 0 857051
Fax: +358 0 625308
URL: http://www.metla.fi/

Problem of non-sustainable forestry

very few developing countries have managed to develop their forestry in a sustainable manner according to conventional economic terms.

The concept of economic sustainablility has recently been expanded to include also ecological, social, cultural and political aspects, especially so after the Rio UNCED conference. Deforestation leads to declining forest areas and degraded forest ecosystems. Unsustainable forestry is understood as a disruption in the dynamic equilibrium of forest ecosystems, endangering regeneration, species and their habitats and eventually leading to environment catastrophes. Accordingly the future generations cannot enjoy non-decreasing forestry benefits.

Forest area in the developing countries is declining at the annual rate of about 20 million hectares. Our research implies that the rate is accelerating where further remaining forests exist.

Only few developing countries have been able to conduct sustainable forestry in socio-economic terms. In most countries, in the name of development, forests have been destroyed with consequent floods, droughts, soil degradation, reduced biodiversity, and an increasing risk of the Green House effect.

Purpose of the research project

The purpose of our multidisciplinary research project is to generate new knowledge on the causes of deforestation, its scenarios and consequences. More knowledge is needed for more effective, efficient and equal public policy both at the national and international levels in supporting sustainable forestry in teh developing countries.

Sustainable forestry and deforestation being complex and multifarious problems, we use environmental, socio-economic and political approaches. The problems are analysed simultaneously in three case-study countries and comparatively in 104 countries.

The general purpose is to find a solution to integrate sustainable forestry as a part of a developing economy. Our results will be published in international reports and articles, and are disseminated in workshops, seminars and lectures. The project is implemented during 1987-1996.

Sub-studies

We have initiated field work in the three case-study countries in 1992-1993. In Chile and Ethiopia we are developing a monitoring system for deforestation, increasing erosion and related changes in land use. The research has been mobilized in the case-study areas using remote sensing and field studies. In the Philippines, we are selecting a case-study area for the valuation of the environmental effects of shifting cultivation and erosion.

The general study on deforestation is based on a comparative analysis of the developing countries. Our research group has consulted the 1990 Forest Assessment Project of FAO (FAO Forestry paper no 112). We are among the first researchers in the world to analyse the data on deforestation.

Research team

In addition to our Finnish research team, there are counterpart researchers and organisation in each case-study country and additionally in Brazil. Nine experts from five countries act as an advisory group for our project. The research project emphasizes multidisciplinarity; the following disciplines are represented: forest economics and policy, geography, environmental conservation, environmental economics, environmental policy and history, agricultural tehcnology, economics, and anthropology.

Team memebers in Finland

Finnish Forest Research Institute Matti Palo, professor, project leader Raija-Riitta Enroth, Licentiate (For.) Assefa Kuru, Doctor, leader of Ethiopia case study Gerardo Mery, M.Sc.(For.), leader of Chile case study Paula Horne, M.Sc. (Econ.) Eshetu Yirdaw, M.Sc. (For.) Linda Gemeda, Ms., project secretary
University of Helsinki Ari Siiriäinen, professor
University of Joensuu Olli Saastamoinen, Assoc. professor, leader of the Philippine case study Elina Uitamo, M.Sc.(For.) Anssi Niskanen, M.Sc.(For.)
Swedish School of Economics and Business Administration Luis Luna, Doctor
UNU/WIDER-Institute Erkki Viitanen, M.Sc.(Geography)

Project Publications

Palo, M. & Salmi, J. (eds.) 1987: Deforestation or Development in the Third World? (Volume I). Metsäntutkimuslaitoksen tiedonantoja 272, Helsinki, 258 pp.
Palo, M. & Salmi, J. (eds.) 1990: Deforestation or Development in the Third World? (Volume II). Metsäntutkimuslaitoksen tiedonantoja 309, Helsinki, 182 pp.
Palo, M. & Mery, G. (eds.) 1990: Deforestation or Development in the Third World? (Volume III). Metsäntutkimuslaitoksen tiedonantoja 349, Helsinki, 190 pp.
Palo, M. 1990: System Causality of deforestation and Development in the Third World. IUFRO XIX World Congress 5-11 August. B-Report, p. 408-419. Montreal, Canada.
Palo, M. & Mery, G. (eds.) 1990: Deforestation or Development in the Third World: System causation and remedial strategies. In: Global Natural Resource Monitoring and Assessments: Preparing for the 21st Century. Proceedings of the International Conference (Venice) by IUFRO and FAO. Vol. 2:780-792.
Palo, M. & Horne, P. 1991: Environmental and Economic Costs and Benefits of Deforestation in Developing Countries. UNRIDS - seminar of Social Dynamics of Deforestation in developing Countries. Mt. Kenya Safari Club, Kenya. July 15-19. 1991. 38 p.
Kuru A. Time running out: The urgent need for forest resources conservation in Ethiopia. In: Solberg B. (ed.) Scandinavian forest Economics No. 33, p. 510-530. ISSN 0355-032x.
Mery, G. 1992: A Review of Chilean Forestry: Deforestation threat with high success in plantations. In: Solberg, B. (ed.) Scandianvian forest Economics No. 33. p. 531-547. ISSN 0355-032x.
Mery, G. 1992: Rol de las Leyes Forestales en el Control del Proceco de deforestacion. In: Schmithusen F. (ed.) Forstgesetzgebung/Forestry legislation. Forstwissenschaftliche Beiträge 11, p. 194-208. Zürich.
Mery, G. & Hakkila, P. 1992: Puun korjuu ja käyttö Chilessä. Resumen: EXplotacióy uso de la madera en Chile. Metsäntutkimuslaitoksen Tiedonantoja 482. Helsinki 1992. ISSN: 0358-4283. ISBN 951-40-1245-3.
Palo, M. 1992. Accelerating Deforestation in the Tropics: Strong Theoretical and Empirical Support. In: Solberg, B. (ed.) Scandinavian forest Economics No. 33, p. 468-484. ISSN 0355-032x.
Palo, M. 1992: Terms of Transition From Deforestation into Sustainable Forestry in Latin America. An invited paper in IUFRO CENTENNIAL Meeting, Berlin, September 2, 1992. 11p.
Saastamoinen, O. 1992: Economic Evaluation of Soil Erosion: A survey of methods and approaches. In: Solberg, B. (ed.) Scandinavian forest Economics No. 33. p. 486-509.
Palo, M. 1993: From deforestation into sustainable forestry. - A transition based on markets and policies. In: Helles, F. & Linddal, M. (eds.): Scandinavian Forest Economics 35, p. 391-397.
Palo, M. 1994: Population and Deforestation. In: Pearce, D. & Brown, K. (eds.) The causes of Tropical Deforestation. University College London Press. p. 42-56.

Matti.Palo@metla.fi 1997