CRITERIA AND INDICATORS FOR ASSESSING LOCAL LEVEL
SUSTAINABLE MANAGEMENT IN TEMPERATE FORESTS:
PILOT TEST IN EJIDO EL LARGO, CHIHUAHUA, MEXICO
November 13, 2000
Pam
Wright, USFS Inventory and Monitoring Institute[1]
The
cool temperate forest zone of the northern state of Chihuahua comprises 7.09
million ha. This forest zone is located on the mountain ridges at high
elevations and consists predominantly of pine and spruce species with some oak.
While arid by comparison to much of the US and Canada, summer monsoons are
timed such that there are high levels of natural regeneration in much of the
forest land.
Many
of the sustainability concerns in the forests of Chihuahua are shared by the US
and Canada. In particular, issues of concern for the Chihuahuan temperate
forest zones include:
q
4.07
million m3 mean annual increment with between 2.0 m3 2.7 m3 authorized for
annual harvest
q
Illegal
timber harvest suspected to be at levels perhaps as high as approved harvest
levels
q
Potential
for catastrophic losses to forest fires
q
Multiple
entries: compaction and erosion
q
Genetic
selection concerns
q
Wildlife habitat
and floral diversity
q
Forest
structure
q
Riparian
habitat
q
Ejidotarios
and local community members
q
Local
access (fuel wood, etc)
q
Tourism
and diversification of local economies
Mexican interest in the sustainable management of the temperate forest zone is evident by Mexican participation and signature to the Santiago Declaration and resulting adoption of the Montreal Process C&I for assessment at the national scale. Mexico’s First Approximation Report for the Montreal Process is scheduled for 2003. In 1998, Mexico participated in the CIFOR-North America test of local level criteria and indicators held in Boise, Idaho. One of the primary conclusions of that CIFOR-NA was that although the test was designed to produce indicators useful for local level monitoring for all three nations, the application of many of these indicators was felt to be difficult in Mexico due to substantially different social, economic and to a lesser degree, ecological conditions.
In addition to government initiatives on sustainability there is increasing external market pressure for green certification of Mexican wood particularly for the forests in the Rio Grande river basin as well as in southern, tropical Mexico.
The purpose of the pilot test
is to develop a suite of C&I for use in monitoring and assessing
sustainability in Mexican cold temperate forests at the local level. Criteria
and indicators developed during the pilot test conducted at Ejido El Largo will
be verified with available data in order to assess the current state of forest
management and to produce an action plan to help guide forest management on the
Ejido.
The work that will be carried
out in Ejido El Largo will be useful for proposing a model for the evaluation
of forest management sustainability for the rest of the state or for other
parts of Mexico and will contribute to meeting Mexico’s obligations under the
Santiago Declaration.
q
Building
on the evaluation work of C&I from the CIFOR-NA test, the LUCID tests, the
Montreal Process, University of Chihuahua-Model Forest, FSC and others;
q
Re-evaluating
C&I considered but rejected during the CIFOR-NA test for their
applicability to Mexico;
q
Using
an explicit systems approach to help guide the selection of C&I;
q Building on the methodological developments for C&I testing from the CIFOR-NA and LUCID projects;
q
Expanding
beyond the CIFOR-NA test by verifying C&I with available data;
q
Identifying
areas that contribute to sustainability and areas for improvement through the
development of an action plan for the Ejido.
2.
To
develop linkages between local level monitoring initiatives, national level
reporting requirements for sustainability and forest certification efforts;
The Chihuahua
C&I project is a cooperative initiative between the US Forest Service
(International Programs and the Inventory and Monitoring Institute) and the
Mexican government agencies INIFAP and SEMARNAP partnering with the Ejido El
Largo management and staff. Additional support to the project is being provided
by USAID. Project management is being coordinated on the US side by Jan Engert,
USFS International Programs and USFS Inventory and Monitoring Institute Tom
Hoekstra and Pam Wright.
In Mexico, project management is being coordinated by Leonel Iglesias Gutiérrez (INIFAP) who coordinates the participation of technical staff from INIFAP and SEMARNAP and Alfonso Domínguez Pereda (Ejido El Largo UCODEFO #2) who coordinates staff from UCODEFO, the communities and organizations in the Ejido El Largo area. Leonel and Alfonso jointly coordinate the participation of other external consultants. Pam Wright (pwright@island.net) is coordinating the technical and field operations for the non-Mexican participants.
The
structure of the Chihuahua C&I test consists of the project management team
(consisting of Iglesias, Domínguez, Wright and Hoekstra); a group of advisors
from the Mexican institutions; the forest team; and subject matter experts who
will be identified to supplement the forest team as needed. The forest team
serves as the primary evaluation team and is made up of staff from the forestry
unit UCODEFO #2 for Ejido El Largo.
July
1998 Project
need identified by CIFOR-NA test
April 2000 Scoping
visit by representatives from USFS International Programs and the IMI
LUCID project – Selection of Ejido El
Largo as test site
June
2000 Draft
project proposal presented to COFAN in St. Andrews, New Brunswick
June
2000 Final
project proposal prepared and presented to Mexican and US partners
Sept. 2000
Mexican project
coordinator (Iglesias) visits LUCID test site on the Allegheny National Forest
for a briefing and for preparation of testing tools
October 2000 Briefing and workshop on the Chihuahua test
conducted in Chihuahua City, CH
October 2000 Workshop
1 conducted at Ejido El Largo with all Ejido staff – Evaluation process begins
|
|
Phase 1
|
Phase 2 |
Total |
|
Budget |
$140,903 |
$94,294 |
$235,197 |
|
Funds
Acquired |
|
|
|
|
USFS International
Programs |
$40,000 |
|
|
|
USFS IMI |
$8,000 |
|
|
|
USAID/Mexico |
$25,000 |
|
|
|
Ejido El Largo |
$20,000 |
|
|
|
Funds Needed |
$47,903 |
$94,294 |
$142,197 |
*
All amounts in US Dollars
The first workshop consisted of two primary parts: a briefing and mini-workshop held for one day in Chihuahua City for the project’s institutional advisors and sponsors; and a 4 day workshop at the Ejido (Madera City) for Ejido staff to begin the C&I project. These workshops were held October 30 through November 3, 2000.
In preparation for Workshop 1 the technical project coordinators (Iglesias and Wright) prepared a number of tools and resource materials. These included a series of briefing presentations (power point) in Spanish for the workshops, the master list of C&I for evaluation, evaluation tools and the database, and background reading materials. Samples of some of these materials are attached – others will be made available on the project’s web site.
The briefing meeting held in Chihuahua City was attended by representatives from the various government agencies, industry groups and associations along with the project management team (see participant list attached). Heather Huppe from US AID (Mexico City) attended the meeting and the workshop that followed as did Judy Loo from the Canadian Forestry Service. In addition, representatives from each of the INIFAP regions attended the workshop (approximately 15 individuals) to gain an overview of the concepts of criteria and indicators and monitoring for sustainability.
|
Time |
Activity |
Presentor |
|
10:15 |
Introduction |
Moderator – Aurelio Gonzalez |
|
|
Opening Comments |
Jorge Castillo - SEMARNAP |
|
10:30 |
Precursors to the C&I Project a) Mexican National Initiatives on Sustainability |
SEMARNAP Jose Guadalupe |
|
11:00 |
b) State of Chihuahua Initiatives |
State Secretary –Rural Management |
|
11:30 |
c) International, National and Local Initiatives (MP, Certification, CIFOR-NA, LUCID) |
Pam Wright (USFS-IMI) |
|
12:00 |
Chihuahua C&I Project Overview |
Leonel Iglesias (INIFAP) |
|
|
Project Administration |
Leonel Iglesias (INIFAP) |
|
4:00 |
Sustainability Monitoring at the Regional Level |
Oscar Estrada (Fideicomiso Chihuahua Forestal) |
|
4:30 |
Discussion:
|
Facilitated by Leonel Iglesias |
Target date for the release of the Mexican Montreal Process First Approximation Report (FAR) is 2003. In their review of MP indicators, the Mexican work group has identified 17 indicators for immediate application, 32 require medium term action and 18 require a longer-term strategy.
How applicable are indicators from elsewhere to Chihuahua and v.v.?
Discussion about experience from CIFOR-NA and other CIFOR initiatives in developing nations – also experiences of Canadian Model Forests. Ecological indicators perhaps less applicable with more adaptation required for social and economic indicators. Enabling condition indicators anticipated to be much more important in Mexico.
What are the ecological, social and economic benefits of doing this project?
What is the difference between sustained yield and sustainability?
Discussion ensued to clarify.
Fideicomiso Chihuahua Forestal Presentation
Oscar Estrada gave an overview of the Fideicomiso, the industry association and how they work, where they obtain and spend funds from. Oscar identified that FCF is very interested in the project and can anticipate that they may be involved in further dissemination of the results of the test in terms of facilitating implementation of C&I monitoring at a state-wide level throughout each of the ecoregions.
This 1 day briefing workshop was an excellent start to the process. The opening words by Jorge Castillo (SEMARNAP) along with the supportive words by other key decision makers (e.g., state and FCF representatives) suggest growing and strong support for the project. The participation of the ecoregion managers and the discussion facilitated by FCF regarding the application of the results of the pilot test to other regions was quite encouraging for future extension of results.
Although SEMARNAP has yet to provide direct funding to the project, the support by Jorge Castillo at this workshop was felt to be encouraging. A newspaper article published the following day in El Heraldo de Chihuahua from Castillo’s office indicated strong support for the project.
The workshop in Ejido El Largo was held from October 31 to November 3 in Madera City. Workshop participants included the project management team (Iglesias, Wright and Dominguez), the forest evaluation team from Ejido El Largo and visitors. USAID representative Heather Huppe and Canadian Forestry Service representative Judy Loo attended the workshop from October 31 through November 2. Ejido commissariate members attended the workshop on the afternoon of November 2nd for a project briefing. Oscar Estrada (Fidiecomiso) attended the workshop on November 3.
Alfonso Dominguez arranged for the participation of all the professional staff from the Ejido to participate in the entire workshop – this full participation by all staff means a common grounding in the concepts and methodology of the test. One new participant to the project is Martina Alvorado a SEMARNAP employee who has recently completed masters level research relating to monitoring. Martina will be an excellent addition to the team.
|
Date |
Agenda Item |
|
October 31 am |
Travel to Madera City |
|
October 31 pm |
Ejido field trip for Loo and Huppe Workshop preparation (Iglesias and Wright |
|
October 31 pm |
Briefing on the Ejido and Structure |
|
November 1 |
q Project background q Monitoring for sustainability q Project objectives q Project overview (methods) q Project administration q PCIV framework q Systems concepts and discussion q Master list (core set) of PCIV q Detailed steps for evaluating C&I q Tools and techniques/ methods |
|
November 2 |
q Access database and evaluation form for indicators q Review and discussion of principles q Initial evaluation of sample criteria and indicators q Overview presentation for Ejido Commissariate |
|
November 3 |
q Modeling for Sustainability / Netweaver overview q Project administration details q Discussion with Fideicomiso regarding interest q Discussion of next steps |
This is a great idea – another one from the USFS – but will it really come to any benefit for the Ejido and the staff?
- Talked about control of the project resting in Mexico with oversight by multi-agency body
- Budget controlled in Mexico
- All technical work completed by Ejido staff not folks from away
What is the difference between certification and monitoing?
- Discussed both approaches as complementary
- Certification is a judgment tool/ Monitoring is a management tool that helps identify where to change, what direction etc
- Discussion of time scales involved and the customization of indicators, verifiers and standards specifically to Ejido conditions
Isn’t much of what prevents the Ejido from being sustainable out of their jurisdiction?
- Discussion of enabling condition idea and that C&I monitoring should track both those things that the Ejido does and those that affect the Ejido
- Discussion of need of (and presence) of inter-institutional involvement since the monitoring process may well identify things that others will need to work on to help the Ejido
Involvement of local people in C&I pilot?
- Cosme, the Ejido’s public affairs officer provided an overview of some of the ways that the Ejido currently communicates with the public (including weekly radio show)
- Discussed the need for and interest in involvement of the community both the Ejido management (UCODEFO + Commissariate), the Ejidotarios generally, and the broader public
- Question of whether the process would “open up a can of worms and create conflict” – We discussed the fact that people probably already had concerns about the Ejido but didn’t always have a forum, or a common language to discuss them in a positive and constructive way
Why is the US interested in supporting this process? (Question from President of Commissariate)
- Pam provided some answers including: 1) complement to LUCID test since we don’t have this ecosystem type covered – identified that the US can learn a lot from this test in different conditions with different data, different social needs and different resources to devote to monitoring; 2) USFS sponsored CIFOR-NA test and recognized that it didn’t fully meet the needs of Mexico and wanted to follow up on this; 3) interested in supporting forests who are showing leadership in the sustainability movement regardless of location; 4) part of obligations and commitments to inter-governmental institutions like COFAN.
What will the Ejido staff, who are devoting a lot of time and resources to the project, get out of it (beyond the broader benefits to the forest/Ejido itself)?
- Talked about opportunity for professional growth and training in a new field where there is currently a lot of interest
- Opportunity within project currently to develop some new skills and expertise both in content areas (e.g., ecology) and technical areas (e.g., modeling)
- Alfonso and Leonel outlined that the original proposal did include a salary complement for Ejido staff that was hopefully coming from the CONACYT proposal – CONACYT proposal was initially denied (although reapplication is in effect) and as a result the Ejido (Commissariate) supported the project directly for $20,000 US to help pay for salary etc. Unsure at this time (although they are working on Ejido’s budget and financial status to determine this) whether that will mean an additional salary complement to the staff but at least acknowledges that they can officially work on the project.
- Did discuss potential to twin other training opportunities (e.g., GIS?) to the project – perhaps with participation of US partners.
The workshop was facilitated predominantly by Leonel Iglesias with assistance from Pam Wright (technical briefing on some concepts e.g., modeling by P. Wright). Leonel did an excellent job facilitating the workshop. This was a very relaxed workshop where a concept was introduced and reviewed and then discussed amongst the team members. There were lots of excellent questions, discussions and suggestions as a result of the workshop.
On the second day, Leonel led the team through the evaluation of several example indicators. We had a good discussion of some of the basic concepts particularly in ecology (e.g., the concepts of structure vs function and landscape vs. ecosystem) to begin this work. Results of these initial evaluations were captured within the Access database (example provided). At the end of the workshop team members had a really good grasp of the C&I concept and testing methodologies and had begun to make adaptations in the methodology and the indicators to fit their needs and the local conditions on the Ejido.
[1] Pam is a consultant to the USFS IMI working on the LUCID project and the Mexican C&I Project. Contact her directly at pwright@island.net or at her home and office in British Columbia at 250 247-9919.