Forests Sourcebook - HCV Resource Network

Considering the above issues, an institutions-centered
SEA comprises the following three stages 4 :
■
Capacity building and governance strengthening for
environmental sustainability
■
■
Identification of the potential significant environmental
and social effects and opportunities that may result from
an operation
Assessment of institutional capacity to manage the environmental
and social effects and opportunities, and to
take into account interests of affected stakeholders
LESSONS LEARNED AND RECOMMENDATIONS
FOR PRACTITIONERS
Country Environmental Analyses
There is considerable flexibility in CEA scope and design.
CEAs can focus on all key environmental issues linked with
Box 6.18
The Sector Study of Social and Environmental Impacts of Forest & Environment Sector Program in
Cameroon
Between 1992 and 1996, Cameroon established a New
Forestry Policy, only partially implemented because of
limited capacity of national institutions. The Forest &
Environment Sector Program (FESP) was developed to
address this gap and, therefore, focuses on strengthening
national institutions responsible for sustainable
management of forests. The Cameroon Ministry of
Environment and Forests carried out a SEA of the FESP
with the double objective of optimizing the environmental
and social impacts of the program and verifying
its conformity to the environmental and social policies
of the World Bank. The SEA was undertaken by a multidisciplinary
team of national and international consultants,
and included an integrated impact assessment,
general sector analysis work, and public consultation.
About 10 consultations were held with the local
populations in six provinces. Two national workshops
and four joint multidonor missions with the participation
of NGOs were organized. Also, during the implementation
of the FESP, a regular program of local consultation
on the social and environmental impacts of
the program were to be implemented.
The SEA shows that most of the negative impacts
identified in the sector are not derived from forestry policy
itself, but from the limited institutional capacity for
implementation. If the program attains its objective, it
will have large positive environmental and social
impacts. However, the SEA brought out some environmental
and social risks that will be associated with the
implementation of the forestry policy. The main ones
follow:
■
Environmental level. (i) the risk of increased poaching
activities following access to vast and previously
inaccessible areas; (ii) the risk of overexploitation of
agricultural and pastoral territories and other
resources (firewood, water, and so forth)
Source: Derived from Ministry of the Environment and Forestry (2003).
■
Social level. (i) the risk of reducing access to some
areas and resources as a result of the landscape
approach used and the classification of forests and
protected areas; (ii) the risk of conflicts between
investors and the administration on one hand, and
some social groups on the other hand, if the distribution
of forest revenue does not materialize; (iii)
marginalization of Indigenous Peoples (Pygmies)
resulting from lack of adaptation of compensation
measures to their cultural specificities
The SEA also identified extra-sectoral social and
environmental risks that may affect the FESP, such as
strong population growth combined with extensive
agricultural production systems, or the malfunctioning
of the judicial system. It recommended that the program
develop links with policies and programs external
to the forestry sector, and act on the strategies of rural
development, promotion of the rule of law, poverty
reduction, and promotion of the private sector.
The SEA proposed the following plans to accompany
program execution:
■
■
■
A Master Plan of Access to Resources, to reduce the
risk of loss of access to resources. It includes necessary
procedures for public consultation and the
maintenance of users’ rights in all circumstances.
A Development Plan for Pygmies, to ensure that the
pygmies could fully draw on the opportunities
offered by community forests, share charges and
employment opportunities, and be guaranteed that
the quality of their mode of life would continue
The Permanent Environment Secretariat, to execute
a monitoring and management plan for social and
environmental impacts. The development of the
Secretariat’s capacity to implement this plan was to
be supported by the PSFE.
242 CHAPTER 6: MAINSTREAMING FORESTS INTO DEVELOPMENT POLICY AND PLANNING