Expected project impact

• Research in WP1 will focus on the valuation of environmental goods and services and contribution to livelihoods (i.e. dependence of local communities on forest services);
• Research in WP2 will concentrate on assessing the implications of the VPA between Ghana/Indonesia and the EU on livelihood issues, and build local capacity to strategically interact with this VPA process, now and in the longer run (scenarios!). The initial research results highlight VPA livelihood implications that give reasons from concern. For example the absence of community representatives in the VPA negotiations has come to the fore in the preliminary results of the MSc study of Bossman Owusu. Another example are the results of the MSc study of Bernd Slesazeck that make it strikingly clear that currently farmers predominantly benefit from local (off-reserve) timber resources illegally. The question should therefore be raised to what extent an effective VPA in Ghana will cut off these (illegal) livelihood sources and what positive spin-off will be put in place as alternative?
  Information collected in the above working packages will feed into capacity building programmes (WP3) targeting selected partner institutions in Ghana to ensure that multi-stakeholder interests and knowledge sources are duly incorporated in unfolding research and resulting policy debates. As research results are still limited today the translation into capacity building has not yet been effected.

Linkage of activities to the development of novel, more equitable local options for management of natural resources (improved governance)
The short term objective of the project is to develop broadly supported governance mechanisms that manage the consequences of VPA timber legality standards on local livelihoods and to strengthen the capacity of stakeholders to (re)negotiate institutional arrangements for sustainable resource use in Ghana and Indonesia. The proposed research (WP 1 and 2) will contribute to current VPA negotiations and forest management reforms in Ghana and Indonesia through developing mechanisms for improved policy dialogue and stakeholder participation in a limited number of pilots. In Ghana, the research will take place at national level and in eight communities in the High Forest Zone, as selected for the EU-funded project on chainsaw lumbering. To put the results from Ghana into a wider context, a comparative analysis will be carried out in Indonesia with studies both at the national level and in East Kalimantan Province.

Preparations have been made for a paper on a critical policy analysis of the VPA negotiation process and its outcomes (with a focus on stakeholder participation and livelihood considerations). This paper will form the basis for a next paper (on the VPA effects on livelihoods) and a policy document (on governance mechanisms to mitigate negative effects of the VPA on livelihoods). With the future Indonesian MSc student, a similar (and hence comparative) analysis will be made for Indonesia. Given the complexity and the conflicting nature of the logging issue in both Ghana and Indonesia, the action research will support a social learning process among the involved stakeholders. The projected trans-disciplinary approach brings scientific and local knowledge and insight of stakeholders together in an iterative process of strategic planning. The added value lies in the increased understanding of (longer term) implications and the consequent ownership of negotiated solutions which are considered elements of improved governance.

The chainsaw lumbering project launches an innovative governance mechanism in the form of a multi stakeholder dialogue (MSD) at national and (selected) district level. Research activities under WP1 and 2 are planned to feed into the MSD, and outcome of the dialogue is expected to feed into VPA debate that so far has largely taken place at global (EU) and national level. The fact that the VPA process predominantly (especially in the first stages) targets the export sector while the MSD process targets the local market, makes it important to proactively interlink both debates, and fill knowledge gaps where needed.

• In 2008 capacity was built of 8 Ghana project facilitators and 2 project coordinators to apply their skills to engage all stakeholders (also the local communities) in VPA-related policy debates;
• Ghanaian nationals (4) are engaged in conducting VPA-related research under supervision of the WUR;
• (Inter)national academia, NGOs and policy makers have access to (preliminary) research outcome through presentations, papers and website.