Forestry Stakeholder Mapping in Thailand
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Forestry Stakeholder Mapping in Thailand January 2013 Report by: Sureeratna Lakanavichian, Ph.D. Forest and People Research Centre (FP) Faculty of Agriculture, Chiang Mai University Thailand Funded by the European Union EU FLEGT Facility and the Governments of European Forest Institute Finland, France, Germany, the www.euflegt.efi.int Netherlands, Spain and the United Kingdom. Table of Contents 186 Executive summary ................................................................................................................................. 3 Table of Abbreviations ............................................................................................................................ 5 1. Introduction ........................................................................................................................................ 6 2. Objectives of the Study ....................................................................................................................... 7 3. Methodology ....................................................................................................................................... 8 General approach of the Stakeholder Mapping Study ....................................................................... 8 Methods .............................................................................................................................................. 9 4. Results ............................................................................................................................................... 11 Findings from the stakeholder consultation ..................................................................................... 11 Stakeholder landscape in Thailand ................................................................................................... 16 Capacities and constraints of stakeholders in possible VPA negotiations ........................................ 17 5. Consultative Summary Workshop .................................................................................................... 23 6. Conclusions ....................................................................................................................................... 25 7. Recommendations ............................................................................................................................ 26 Annex 1: Forestry related industry associations/federation ................................................................ 27 Annex 2 : Forestry-related private sector ............................................................................................. 31 Annex 3: Government Agencies ............................................................................................................ 33 Annex 4: Forest-planting groups/individuals and workers ................................................................... 44 Annex 5: Civil society/NGOs involved in forestry issues (Local / International) ................................... 46 Annex 6: Workshop participant list ...................................................................................................... 52 This report has been produced with the assistance of the European Union. The contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and can in no way be taken to reflect the views of the European Union. FORESTRY STAKEHOLDER MAPPING IN THAILAND Executive summary The European Union has been working with the Royal Thai Government (RTG) on Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade (FLEGT) since 2010 through the EFI/FLEGT Facility and the FLEGT Asia Regional Support Programme, raising awareness among stakeholders about the EU FLEGT Action Plan and the possible FLEGT VPA negotiations between Thailand and the EU. A study was commissioned to map the various Thai stakeholders that might be directly or indirectly affected by the outcomes of such negotiations, should they occur, and to gather initial ideas on how to engage multiple stakeholders in the VPA process. The aim of the study was to identify key stakeholders, assess their capacity and level of organisation, determine their means of engagement in the forest sector in Thailand and learn how they perceive the FLEGT VPA preparations. To ensure that all relevant stakeholders are included in the VPA process, the study adopts a supply chain approach, drawing on preliminary findings from the study ‘Timber flows and their control in Thailand’ by the consultancy LTS International and current knowledge on the involvement of civil society in Thailand’s forest sector. The study also builds on other analytical outputs by university researchers and other existing material. The main approach was developed as a series of stepwise activities: 1) initial stakeholder identification, 2) use of participatory methods to engage identified stakeholders in discussions and 3) individual in- depth interviews with selected representatives. Based on the literature review and the stakeholder consultation, six categories of key stakeholders were identified: 1) Forestry-related industry associations/federation; 2) Forestry-related private sector; 3) Government agencies; 4) Forest-planting groups/individuals and workers; 5) Civil society/NGOs involved in forest-related issues; and 6) Parliament. During the discussions, stakeholders were informed about the VPA process, and many also participated in three major FLEGT-related events held in Thailand in 2012. Stakeholders’ main concerns about the FLEGT process and changes to the international timber market can be summarised into five areas: 1) loss of export earnings (particularly for small and medium enterprises); 2) increased administrative procedures and higher costs; 3) high cost of compulsory third-party monitoring under the VPA; 4) insufficient capacity; and 5) increased risk of weak governance and corruption. Engaging multiple stakeholders in the FLEGT VPA negotiation process would be feasible, provided that an effective coordination system is created both within and between stakeholder groups. Activities promoted by the RTG to date have focused mainly on the trade aspects because the private sector has demonstrated the greatest interest in pushing forward the VPA and responses from other stakeholder groups have been limited, as they have not appreciated the full extent of opportunities that may arise during the discussions of the governance aspects of the VPA. During the Consultative Summary Workshop held as part of this study, the more than 100 participants showed a great degree of interest in being involved in the VPA process. It is therefore important to ensure that every category of stakeholder is involved in the VPA process from the outset to implementation. 3 FORESTRY STAKEHOLDER MAPPING IN THAILAND Suggested practical modalities for establishing a platform for stakeholder involvement are either a network or working groups, to be set up with the agreement of all relevant stakeholders (including the government), possibly before negotiations begin. Representatives of stakeholder groups should be directly elected and not appointed. To enable meaningful participation by stakeholders that have been at the margins of the process, further information sharing is needed; these stakeholders also require enhanced access to all elements of the process, particularly to any governance issues that might arise during negotiations. In addition, confusion between the FLEGT VPA process and the requirements of the EU Timber Regulation needs to be resolved. The main recommendations of the study are as follows. If possible, adjust the composition of the National FLEGT Negotiation Committee so that it represents a wider range of stakeholders by incorporating a few more members from the categories of civil society/NGOs and forest-planting groups/individuals/workers. Form either a functional network or working groups of key stakeholders and enhance their involvement in the VPA preparation and negotiation processes. Investigate the potential role of Parliament in monitoring the negotiation and implementation phases. Make additional efforts to reach stakeholders that have not been involved. Encourage the government to carefully consider the long-term effects of subsidies of the pararubber replanting scheme, including the disincentive it has created to planting teak, Dipterocarpus alatus and other tree species. Explore ways to develop closer links with stakeholder consultations being carried out in Thailand in the context of REDD+. Seek to coordinate approaches between the RTG and stakeholders with counterparts in other countries in the region that are in the process of entering or have already entered into VPA negotiations with the EU; for example, the ASEAN Secretariat has been conducting some work on FLEG(T). In particular, the ASEAN Social Forestry Network could serve as a useful forum for discussing issues pertaining to social/community forestry rights and ethnic minorities and/or indigenous populations. 4 FORESTRY STAKEHOLDER MAPPING IN THAILAND Table of Abbreviations ASEAN Association of South East Asian Nations ASFN ASEAN Social Forestry Network BAAC Bank for Agriculture and Agricultural Cooperatives DFID Department for International Development (UK) FAO Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations FIO Forest Industry Organization FLEGT Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade FSC Forest Stewardship Council GIZ Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (German German Agency for