| Additional projects in this region |
| ASIA AND AFRICA: CONFLICT TIMBER: DIMENSIONS OF THE PROBLEM IN ASIA AND AFRICA | | WORLDWIDE: LESSONS LEARNED: PROPERTY RIGHTS AND NATURAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT (LAND TENURE) | | WORLDWIDE: MILLENNIUM CHALLENGE CORPORATION, TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE IN AGRICULTURE (MCC) | | WORLDWIDE: RAPID RESPONSE TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE | | WORLDWIDE: AWARENESS FRAMEWORK: PROPERTY RIGHTS AND NATURAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT (GLT I) | | WORLDWIDE: EARLY WARNING UNIT FOR CONFLICT, INSTABILITY, AND STATE-FAILURE (C/FACTS) | | WORLDWIDE: BIOTECHNOLOGY IN FOOD AID | | WORLDWIDE: WATER SECTOR MUNICIPAL FINANCE SUPPORT: CASE STUDIES OF BANKABLE MUNICIPAL WATER AND SEWERAGE UTILITIES | | WORLDWIDE: CROSS-SECTORAL URBAN TRAINING | | WORLDWIDE: INCREASING TELECOM ACCESS THROUGH POLICY, LEGAL AND REGULATORY REFORM | | WORLDWIDE: CORPORATIZATION OF MUNICIPAL WATER UTILITIES STUDY | | WORLDWIDE: UN HIGH COMMISSION - LEGAL EMPOWERMENT OF THE POOR | | GLOBAL: HYGIENE IMPROVEMENT CORE TASK ORDER | | WORLDWIDE: PROPERTY RIGHTS AND RESOURCE GOVERNANCE (PRRG) | | WORLDWIDE: EVALUATION OF THE GLOBAL CONSERVATION PROGRAM (GCP) |
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ASIA AND AFRICA: CONFLICT TIMBER: DIMENSIONS OF THE PROBLEM IN ASIA AND AFRICA
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DEVELOPMENT CHALLENGES
In 2002, USAID contracted ARD to conduct a nine-month study on Conflict Timber: Dimensions of the Problem in Asia and Africa. For the purposes of this study, conflict timber was defined as occurring in two situations:
- The harvest and sale of timber and other forest products, specifically to finance armed conflict (Type I), and
- Rival claims to ownership of, or control over, forest resources, resulting in conflict (Type II).
The primary objective of this task order was to provide a careful, comprehensive, and nuanced examination of the economic, ecological, political, social, and security dimensions of conflict timber in both Asia and Africa. In addition, the Team was also asked to conduct the analysis in a way that would broaden and deepen the understanding of conflict timber within USAID. Specifically, the goals of the analysis were threefold:
- Examine the dimensions of conflict timber at the regional, country and local levels.
- Assess the role of forests in peace processes.
- Identify programmatic responses that the Agency could take in response to conflict over forest resources and conflicts financed by timber.
APPROACH
The Conflict Timber Task Order was implemented in two phases, beginning in September 2002 and concluding in June 2003. The final reports can be found on the List-Serve page.
Phase I (September–December 2002):
At the start of the first phase of the study, the ARD Team, in close collaboration with the USAID study CTOs, developed a framework to analyze the problem of conflict timber. This analytical framework examined: - Commodity characteristics of tropical timber,
- Market characteristics for timber, and
- Governance characteristics associated with incidents of conflict timber.
The team then presented the analytic framework in a workshop to a range of stakeholders within USAID, and used participants’ feedback to revise it. The team drew on the framework to structure the Country-level Conflict Timber Profiles/Regional Characterizations, and to develop the 14 in-depth Country Case Desk Studies as well.Phase I continued with gathering, reviewing and analyzing a broad range of conflict timber information relevant to the country studies. The Team gathered data on conflict timber incidents from a range of sources (e.g., official and nongovernmental organization [NGO] reports, newspaper accounts, interviews with key informants and stakeholders within the US government/UN agencies/international finance institutions/NGOs, etc.). Conflict timber profiles were then developed for the 14 Asian and African countries.
Phase II (January–June 2003):
Based upon the results of Phase I, Indonesia and Democratic Republic of the Congo were selected for the in-depth Country Case Studies that constituted Phase II. These studies were designed to enable the team to gather additional information in the field on the dimensions of conflict timber in each country. This applied research included an analysis of the status, trends, and agents of conflict, as well as the contributing factors in the following key areas (corruption, institutional mechanisms for moving and laundering money [private banks, hawala, casinos, bulk cash transfers, on-shore/off-shore numbered accounts, etc], the regulatory framework, market forces, and competition over resources). The Team also analyzed the impacts of conflicts over timber on communities and clarified the links between forests, conflicts, and poverty.
RESULTS
The results of the study were presented in a three-volume report. Volume II (Asia) and Volume III (Africa) contain the regional reports. They highlight regional findings and trends, and also include the Country Profiles and the in-depth Country Case Studies for Indonesia and DRC. Volume I, the Synthesis Report, highlights overall findings and provides recommendations for USAID to consider in combating conflict timber. These reports can be accessed from our reports page (AsiaConflictReports).
Follow the links for more information on a follow-on task order, Managing Conflict in Asian Forest Communities, as well as its associated list-serve. This project was awarded as a Task Order under the BIOFOR IQC.
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