New solutions to persistent problems: ICTs can help protect forests, but they’re only one part of the answer

CHALLENGE

Information and communication technologies (ICTs) play a major role in development, in urban as well as rural areas. Governments have used ICTs to increase transparency, accountability and public participation. In the forest sector, ICTs show potential for addressing poor forest governance, especially the long standing issues of illegal logging and unsustainable forest use.

The emergence of ICT is brought about with increasing prevalence of mobile devices; increasing speed and lower cost of mobile data; the spread of social media; the wider use of free and easy to use software for mapping, data collection, visualization, and satellite imagery. At the same time, ICT tools application in forestry are only pilots and scaling up remains a challenge.    

APPROACH

With the goal of deepening its understanding of how best to use ICTs for forest governance, the World Bank supported two pilot projects with funding from the government of Korea through its Trust Fund for ICT for Development (ICT4D). These pilot projects, implemented in the Lao People’s Democratic Republic and Moldova, aimed to develop new tools, and also to cultivate insights into the best approaches for introducing new technologies while facilitating organizational change.

The project results in two working papers:

Information and Communication Technology for Forest Law Enforcement and Governance Case Study: Lao People’s Democratic Republic

Information and Communication Technology for Forest Law Enforcement and Governance Case Study: Moldova  

And a report Information and Communication Technology for Forest Law Enforcement and Governance: Lessons from a Two-Country Project in Lao PDR and Moldova. 

The reports and findings can be found on PROFOR blog.

RESULTS

While both Lao PDR and Moldova are transitioning economies with significant forestry sectors, they face drastically different problems in promoting good governance of forests.

In Lao PDR, forests have declined substantially over the last few decades, partly as a result of illegal activities by logging companies. Much of the illegally harvested timber is exported to neighboring countries, catering to high-value international demand. By contrast, illegally harvested wood in Moldova is of relatively low value, and is often used domestically to heat homes.  

As a result, the pilots promoted ICT applications customized to effectively target these context-specific challenges.

The project in Lao PDR focused on building the capacity of staff at the Department of Forest Inspection (DOFI) in using existing internal systems, particularly for safer and faster file sharing. Medium and higher level applications included an online system for reporting illegal activities, to replace the manual version; a Facebook page to share DOFI activities with the public; and a data collection program using mobile phones and Global Positioning System (GPS) information to accurately verify reports of forest activities.

In Moldova, the project collaborated with the Forest Research and Management Institute (Institutul de Cercetări şi Amenajări Silvice, or ICAS), which falls under the supervision of Moldsilva, the national forest management agency. ICAS developed two Web-based applications: (1) an online reporting tool that automatically calculates tree volume, to replace the existing but time-consuming and error-prone manual system; and (2) an online database of all forest plots managed by Moldsilva.  

In both countries, the teams found that maximizing the potential of these applications depended not just on the viability of the technology itself, but also on its implementation. The report’s recommendations include the following:

• In addition to considering local capacity and budget constraints, plans for using ICTs to improve forest governance need to be part of wider, national-level e-government and open government initiatives.
• Forestry agencies should hone their use of ICTs for internal purposes, but also communicate openly with stakeholders in order to gain widespread understanding and support for forestry programs.
• ITCs application should be demand-driven and accessible. In addition to transparency, information and data provided should be accessible and targeted to certain users.
• Flexibility is required when adapting to new technologies, which may entail investing in new skills and activities while de-emphasizing those that have become redundant. This applies to donors attempt to scale up successful ICTs applications.
• Building partnerships with diverse stakeholders promotes sustainability and useful innovation. Engaging with innovative private sector operators, research institutions, civil society organizations (CSOs), as well as individual “hackers” can bring new innovation.
• Finding the right entry points for reform is critical. Instead of choosing between a gradual approach and immediate restructuring, the best solution may involve small, gradual reforms that lead up to larger, agency-wide attitude changes.
• One oft-repeated mistake is to assume that, if an organization creates or builds a new tool, then people will use it. Any ICT strategy should not be driven by the belief that modern equipment alone solves an agency’s computation or communications problems. Real development progress requires changes in institutional readiness and structures, in data availability, and, finally, in the technology itself. None of the three will lead to major changes by themselves.
• The ubiquitous technology improvement allows for two way communication between forest agencies and individuals, implying a technology induced empowerment and decentralization. Thus, engaging in a strategic communication for monitoring efforts requires agencies to take into consideration of information access for different audience groups.
• Forest agencies need to leverage intermediary institutions and partners. Intermediaries such as media and civil society organizations can help forest agencies promote good governance more widely and increase demands for accountability and transparency. Thus, in order for intermediary institutions to better play their role, forest agencies need to provide them with forestry-specific knowledge and expertise
• Forestry institutions need to be mindful of information security, and to protect the privacy of persons who anonymously report illegal logging or corruption.
• Pilots may be needed, but they should be followed by scaling up and monitor. The field of ICT for development is rife with pilots, many of which are not properly evaluated and have inadequate plans for scaling up (that is, “pilotitis,” the tendency to support short-term experiments aiming at demonstrating proofs of concept).

Well-managed forests can play a vital role in combating climate change, maintaining livelihoods, and reducing poverty. While the answer to good forest governance may not be as simple as “There is an app for that,” ICTs can be valuable in ensuring that we continue to enjoy the many benefits of forest resources.

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Last Updated : 02-24-2017