Africa's capacity to manage its forests: an overview
Africa is rich in forest resources, though their distribution between countries and even within countries is highly uneven. This distribution is potentially good for trade within individual countries and between countries. The human and institutional capacity to take advantage of these
resources in socio-economic development of the continent remains weak. On one hand governments and donors have invested heavily in the sector while on the other various macroeconomic policies have put brakes on this investment, specifically in curtailing the development of human capacity in
the sector. There are various initiatives to correct this at the national level, for example through national forestry programmes that are increasingly becoming linked to poverty alleviation strategies. Various international processes, agreements, and conventions, if strategically implemented,
hold potential to increase the capacity of the sector in national development. Donor support for capacity building should have clear plans for transfer of skills and institutional reinforcement.
Keywords: capacity; forest management; forestry education; policies; poverty
Document Type: Research Article
Affiliations: 1: Sustainable Forest Management in Africa Project, World Agroforestry Center (ICRAF), P.O. Box 30677, Nairobi, Kenya. 2: African Development Bank, BP 323, 1002 Tunis Belvedre, Tunisia. 3: FAO, Viale delle Terme di Caracalla, 00100 Rome, Italy.
Publication date: 01 March 2006
- The International Forestry Review is a peer-reviewed scholarly journal that publishes original research and review papers on all aspects of forest policy and science, with an emphasis on issues of transnational significance. It is published four times per year, in March, June, September and December. Theme editions are a regular feature and attract a wide audience.
The IFR is part of The Global Forest Information Service - GFIS
International Forestry Review has an Impact Factor of 1.705 - Editorial Board
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