Justice in the Forest: Rural Livelihoods and Forest Law Enforcement

There has been considerable growing international concern with illegal forest activities over the last decade or so. Illegal forest activities are said to cause massive environmental destruction, deprive governments of billions of dollars in lost revenues and generally undermine the rule of law. The concern for illegal activities in forest that have resulted in deforestation has, in turn, led to increased studies in the existing forest laws. These studies have recently suggested that many forestry laws and regulations can discriminate against small producers and that a large number of people depend on small-scale illegal forestry activities to survive. It has, therefore, been postulated that enforcing these laws might potentially harm poor people. It is also feared that some government authorities would selectively target small producers, truck drivers and forestry workers rather than the big players who are responsible for most of the real problems. As a result of these concerns, the Centre for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) commissioned exploratory studies drawn from six countries (Bolivia, Cameroon, Canada, Honduras, Indonesia and Nicaragua) to help think through these legal issues in practice and in different contexts. The studies were coordinated and reports synthesized into the present final report. The findings of the report can be summarized in the following thematic areas: