Forests Sourcebook - HCV Resource Network

adapted to the specific national context (political, social,
economic, environmental) of the country concerned.
There is no blueprint for launching an NFP—the process
may embark from various entry points, depending on
which problem or development goals are perceived as the
highest priority. Designing and conducting an NFP involves
four main phases: (i) organization of the process, (ii) strategic
sector planning, (iii) program implementation, and (iv)
revision and updating. NFP implementation is characterized
by a sequence of management and learning cycles.
Organization of the process. This first phase includes
identification of all stakeholders in the forestry and related
sectors, organization of coordination mechanisms, and
development of a communication strategy to ensure transparency
of the process and full participation by all actors.
Partners in the process should include national partners and,
where relevant, international partners. The national partners
may include national- and subnational-level governmental
institutions from the forestry sector and other sectors; training
and research institutions; NGOs involved in development
and conservation; community-based organizations;
private interests; and user groups (including rural communities,
farmers, settlers and Indigenous Peoples and other
forest dwellers, private enterprises, and associations). International
partners may include intergovernmental agencies
and development banks, bilateral agencies, and international
NGOs.
The coordination mechanism helps stimulate, lead, and
monitor the NFP. Existing coordination mechanisms should
be used. If necessary, existing mechanisms could be
improved and strengthened through a capacity-building
program. A communication strategy should be developed as
early as possible to ensure that all stakeholders are informed
about the process and its results and can participate in all
phases.
Strategic planning. The second phase includes an evaluation
of the current situation in the sector, identification of
major problems, and possible immediate actions (see box
6.7). It also includes an in-depth sector analysis, strategic
analyses, and formulation of the NFP. The strategic planning
is aimed at the following:
■
■
■
making the case for public investment in the forestry
sector;
identifying constraints, problems, and opportunities for
forestry development in a cross-sectoral context;
identifying and assessing development options;
■
■
establishing sectoral goals and objectives, the long-term
development strategy (20–25 years), and the overall program
structure in the short term (5–10 years); and
improving national capacity in policy formulation and
sectoral planning.
Strategic planning choices should be a combination of
professional analytical work and the result of public consultations
through seminars, workshops, and other mechanisms
that foster the involvement of all stakeholders. To
ensure compatibility, strategic planning must be carried out
within the broader context of the national planning framework
and ongoing global initiatives.
Box 6.7
Some recurring issues in forest sector reviews
include the following:
■
■
■
■
■
Recurring Key Issues in Forest Sector
Reviews
the need for policy, legislative, and institutional
reforms;
the assessment of the forestry resource and its
economic potential (wood products, fuelwood
and energy, nonwood products, and nonmonetary
benefits) including such issues as demand
and supply, trade, market prices and fluctuations,
substitutes, and various other external
factors;
conservation needs and potential, including
such issues as the need to develop a network of
conservation areas, the protection of endangered
species, biodiversity management in production
forests, watershed restoration and protection,
and soil conservation;
the social functions of the forests, including
such issues as employment generation, contribution
to the local subsistence economy, cultural
functions, special needs of indigenous
groups, and benefit sharing; and
the assessment of the environmental impact of
forest management, wood production, industrial
operations and trade, wildlife management
and forest clearing, shifting cultivation, fuelwood
collection, and extraction of other forest
products.
Source: FAO (http://www.nfp-facility.org/forestry/site/
31811/en/).
NOTE 6.1: USING NATIONAL FOREST PROGRAMS TO MAINSTREAM FOREST ISSUES 217