Bolivia Sustainable Forest Management Project June 13, 2003
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
TRAINING ASSESSMENT: IMPACTS AND NEEDS Bolivia Sustainable Forest Management Project Submitted to: U.S. Agency for International Development Submitted by: Chemonics International Inc. Prepared by: Jocelyn Wyatt and Amanda Jefferson June 13, 2003 TABLE OF CONTENTS Acronyms i Executive Summary iii SECTION INTRODUCTION 1 SECTION II METHODOLOGY 3 SECTION III FINDINGS AND ANALYSIS 5 A. Impacts and Future Needs of Stakeholders 5 A1. Public Sector 5 A2. Universities 11 A3. Private Sector 13 A4. Local Social Groups (ASLs) 17 A5. Indigenous Community Groups 23 B. Academic Scholarships 29 C. Thesis Grants 31 D. Gender 32 SECTION IV RECOMMENDATIONS AND CONCLUSIONS 35 ANNEX A LIST OF INTERVIEWEES A-1 ANNEX B MAP OF BOLIVIA B-1 ANNEX C ANALYSIS OF BOLFOR TRAINING, 1994 - 2000 C-1 ANNEX D BOLFOR TRAINING PLAN 2000 D-1 ANNEX E BIBLIOGRAPHY E-1 ACRONYMS AMAISAM Associación Madereros Industriales de San Miguel (Association for Industrial Woodworkers of San Miguel) ASL Agrupaciones Sociales del Lugar (Local Social Groups) BOLFOR Bolivia Sustainable Forestry Project CADEFOR Centro Amazónico de Desarrollo Forestal (Amazonian Center for Sustainable Forest Enterprise) CADEX Cámara de Exportadores de Santa Cruz (Santa Cruz Chamber of Exporters) CFV Consejo Boliviano para la Certificación Forestal Voluntaria (Bolivian Council for Voluntary Certification) CIMAR Centro de Investigación y Manejo de Recursos Naturales (Center for Research and Renewable Natural Resources Management) FCBC Fundación del Bosque Chiquitano (Foundation for the Chiquitano Forest) FSC Forest Stewardship Council GIS Geographic Information System GPS Geographic Positioning System INRA Instituto Nacional de Reforma Agraria (National Agrarian Reform Institute) MDSP Ministerio de Desarrollo Sostenible (Ministry of Sustainable Development) NGO Nongovernmental Organizations SF Superintendencia Forestal (Forest Superintendency) TCO Tierras Comunitarias de Origen (Indigenous Community Groups) UAGRM Autonomous University of Gabriel René Moreno (Universidad Autonoma de Gabriel Rene Moreno) UFI Unidades Forestales Indígenas (Indigenous Forest Units) UFM Unidad Forestal Municipal (Municipal Forestry Unit) UOB Unidad Operativo del Bosque (Forest Operations Unit) Executive Summary A. Background When the Bolivia Sustainable Forest Management (BOLFOR) project began in 1994, the Bolivian forests were in dire need of protection. BOLFOR was tasked with building the capacity of both the public and private sectors to manage the forests sustainably. Training is a significant component of the BOLFOR project. Its training activities include short- term technical training courses, on-the-job training, academic scholarships, and thesis grants. USAID has asked that BOLFOR evaluate its training activities to create a clear record of past efforts and to explore future needs. Amanda Jefferson and Jocelyn Wyatt traveled to Bolivia for three and a half weeks to conduct interviews, prepare a report evaluating the impacts of these training activities, and make recommendations for the future. This report also addresses the training needs of stakeholders and offers recommendations for future Bolivian forestry training providers. In making our evaluation we looked at the effects of BOLFOR on five groups of stakeholders: the public sector, universities, the private sector, local social groups (ASLs), and indigenous community groups (TCOs) operating through indigenous forest units (UFIs). The people we met with spoke very highly of BOLFOR’s training activities and emphasized the importance of its impact. BOLFOR worked on two tracks to accomplish its goal of capacity building. On one, it offered short courses and on-the-job training to build the technical skills of those working in the forest sector. On the second track, BOLFOR offered academic training in the form of graduate degree scholarships at universities outside Bolivia and thesis grants for undergraduate students at Bolivian universities. BOLFOR has offered both one-time training and continuous training to its stakeholders. The one-time workshops and seminars were designed to provide a road map to the implementation of Bolivian forestry law, covering such topics as the procedures for requesting grants from Municipal Forest Reserves and for forming ASLs. Continuous workshops and seminars are those that need to be repeated periodically to train new staff, professionals, and public officials in such areas as aspects of forest management and timber production, as well as business organization and marketing. B. Findings BOLFOR has three components: forest management, research, and public sector support. It has provided training in all these areas. Training for the private sector focused on forest management techniques, especially those required for certification. For the public sector BOLFOR provided CHEMONICS INTERNATIONAL INC. compliance training, to enable them to regulate forests. Finally, it supported university training, especially research. One of BOLFOR’s strengths is that it was able to address the needs of stakeholders as they arose. Through training on one topic, additional training needs were identified. BOLFOR has been in constant communication with stakeholders to cater to their ever-changing needs with demand- driven training. BOLFOR training has thus evolved over the years. At first, in 1994, BOLFOR provided technical training to foresters. Once the new forestry law was signed in 1996, BOLFOR began to train people in the public and private sectors on how to comply with it. Then came training in forest management, followed by training in organizing ASLs and TCOs. This led to a realization of the need for business administration courses. Now that most timber companies, ASLs, and UFIs have been trained in functional organizational systems and basic accounting systems, BOLFOR has begun to work with these groups on drafting business plans, marketing their goods, and creating new products. How has BOLFOR affected its stakeholders? In the public sector BOLFOR training has brought an increased knowledge of the new forestry law and defined roles and responsibilities of various public institutions. The sector now needs additional training in roles and responsibilities and land surveying and titling. BOLFOR training supplemented slow-changing university curriculums with intensive short courses, giving students opportunities to apply forest management techniques and increasing the capacity of professors as well as students to identify plant and tree species. In the future, university professors need to learn more about their advisory roles and students need business administration courses. For timber companies, BOLFOR training has improved forest management, increased their knowledge of the forest certification process, reduced their costs, improved species classification, and improved financial management systems. Private representatives have asked for marketing and product development, business administration, and more species identification courses. Thanks to BOLFOR, ASLs now have an enhanced understanding of the new law, deeper knowledge of forest management, improved organizational systems, and stronger accounting systems. They still need training in organization, business administration, marketing and product development, and sustainable forestry management. BOLFOR training has given TCOs and UFIs a better understanding of sustainable forestry management techniques, better defined roles and responsibilities within communities, improved business management systems, and income generation options. Community members saw a further need for training in advanced forest management techniques, presentation skills, business administration, and marketing and product development. iv BOLFOR TRAINING: IMPACTS AND NEEDS CHEMONICS INTERNATIONAL INC. Though BOLFOR training has had different effects and future needs are different for each group of stakeholders, there is a great deal of overlap. For example, BOLFOR successfully trained several groups on the implications of the new forestry law for all parties. BOLFOR trained both public and private sectors in sustainable forest management, including forest management plans, inventories, censuses, and mapping. In the future, all those active in forestry need training in marketing and product development and business administration. C. Recommendations To date, though educational institutions have adopted individual BOLFOR courses, none has expressed an interest in all or a majority of them. We recommend that BOLFOR offer to transfer training materials and methodologies to a local institution, even though BOLFOR has expressed the belief that Bolivian institutions have the capacity to assess the training market and reach their own decisions. As the forest sector becomes more organized, we recommend that nongovernmental organizations and local associations look into training their staff in training methodologies. This would enable them to more effectively transfer their knowledge to colleagues or community members. Similarly, we recommend that training providers incorporate proven training methodologies into their offerings and allow ample time within courses for trainees to apply the content. The forestry training providers should group workshops into courses of study, so that participants are aware of the sequence and prerequisites for the courses. Participants could then work towards certification in certain areas. We recommend that the universities coordinate more closely with other training providers to ensure that