Proposal
The Formoseño Model Forest (BMF) has an area of influence close to 800,000 hectares in the extreme west of the Province of Formosa, in the north of Argentina, bordering Paraguay. It is a semi-arid wooded area that integrates the Gran Chaco region. About 80% of the area is fiscal land. The remainder comprises private lands, Aboriginal community areas, and two protected areas.
History
Background
The United Nations Conference on Environment and Development, UNCED, which took place in Rio de Janeiro in 1992, was a transcendent event in matters of forest policy, despite not having yet resulted in binding agreements in this area ( United Nations, 1992). Since UNCED, the concept of citizen participation is recognized as an integral part of Sustainable Forest Management, SFM. Nine processes, mainly regional, for the development of SFM criteria and indicators, were established from 1992 and subsequent years.
Origins in Argentina
The recognition of planning as a process strongly influenced by ideas and values led to the acceptance of different types of citizen participation, to assist decision makers in areas of common interest. Citizen participation is today recognized as an integral part of sustainable forest management.
The incipient nature of the use of participation mechanisms in Argentina has an important influence on the processes and their results. The participatory development and execution of a national forestry program is today a necessity for sustainable forestry development in Argentina.
Citizen participation in forestry issues is defined as “Various forms of public inclusion where people, individually or through organized groups, can exchange information, express opinions and articulate interests, and have the potential to influence decisions or the resolution of specific forestry issues ”. It is characterized by being "inclusive" with reference to interests, "voluntary", it can be "complementary" with respect to legal requirements, "equitable" and "transparent" with respect to all participants, based on the good faith of the participants, and "non-predetermining" of the final result. They mainly emphasize that public participation can: i.) Increase public awareness of forests and forestry, ii.) Maximize the benefits of forests, offering opportunities to improve their multiple use and the distribution of their costs and benefits, and iii.) improve the social acceptance of SFM (Sustainable Forest Model). Consultation is defined as a right of people ("right to be consulted and give an opinion") and as an obligation of the authorities.
Creation and Election of its Participants
Case Study: The Formoseño Model Forest
The BMF formation process began in 1998, through workshops with the different social actors in the area. More than a dozen organizations and entities participated in them. Most of them today form part of the BMF board of directors, formally established in June 2004. In a joint and participatory manner, the parties delimited the geographic area, defined the problems and potentialities, and stated the BMF's mission and vision and objectives. of the work areas. The proposal was approved by the SAyDS (Secretariat for the Environment and Sustainable Development). The first actions consisted of the design and execution of initiatives that did not require a significant investment. The support of local technicians was important in this strategy. Later, a more advanced project, presented by the Toba Comle'ec Community, obtained funding from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). This project, "Strengthening Community Productive Development", carried out multiple actions that represented a dominant portion of the BMF's achievements between 2003 and 2005. The project, which operated during that period, included rural development activities, native forest enrichment, and beekeeping. , commercial coal production, and development of drinking water infrastructure. It was a sustainable project, with activities that continue after its closure.
Institutional structure
The Formoseño Model Forest in this last stage of formulation is made up of:
- Government of the Province of Formosa
- Ministry of Production
- Ministry of Public Works and Services
- National University of Formosa
- Municipality of Laguna Yema
- Pozo de Maza Development Commission
- Los Chiriguanos Development Commission
- Central West Development Program - Technological Validation Center
- Forest Directorate
- College of Forest Engineers of Formosa
- West Formoseño Technicians Association
- Foundation for Aboriginal development
- Producers
- Toba Aboriginal Community
- Wichi Aboriginal Community
Deliberation process and decision-making body
Highest decision-making body: The Assembly
The assembly is the highest decision-making body; the institutional directory is elected from it. The assembly has the power to request the institutions to appoint another representative if there is a serious offense (this has not been the case so far).
Members:
Active, individual or institutional members.
Requirements:
Be of legal age and have been in the institution for six months.
Elected representatives:
Elected by the Assembly:
• President
• Secretary
• Treasurer and
• 4 vowels
Supervisory body: 2 members.
They meet monthly.
In recent years there has been a generalized use of public consultation processes on issues related to forest planning and management. This is undoubtedly related to regulatory developments, as well as a growing public concern for environmental issues and the use of natural resources. Consultation, generally through “participatory workshops”, is increasingly used by the two national organizations with responsibility for forests, the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development (SAyDS) and the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Food ( SAGPyA). Both have done so with a diversity of objectives, among them the development of policies and legislation, the design of programs, and the definition of research topics to be financed with public funds.
Results
This model forest works mainly with a community productive development project financed by JICA, which in its first phase (2003-2005) financed a proposal presented by the Toba community of Ingeniero Juárez.
This project was the basis of the model forest; Its work focused on three fundamental axes: training, production and infrastructure, and directly benefited 680 people. In 2006 the second phase of the project began.
In the intermediate stage between the first and second phases, the importance of JICA funds became evident as activities were diminished
Strategic Goals of the Program
- Incorporate all actors in the process of sustainable development, harmonizing environmental, political, social, cultural, productive and economic issues.
- Ensure the solidity of the Proposal, lines of action and activities, promoting the commitment of all its components in the viability of the Project.
- Provide government authorities, civil institutions and the general population with the necessary and sufficient tools for decision-making regarding government action plans, expansion of productive capacities, orientation of private investments and technological, training and education requirements.
- Achieve diversification of productive activities
- Promote a sustainable development model that ensures the permanence of the rural population in the countryside, thereby avoiding migration to urban centers.
- Determine and evaluate the potentialities of the Natural Resources of the area, to achieve a comprehensive organization of activities: forestry, agriculture, livestock, industrial and tourism.
- Implement comprehensive management systems for Natural Resources, scientifically supported, locally validated and transferred to their potential beneficiaries.
- Harmonize the different stages of productive activities, from the use of the natural resource to its commercialization, in such a way that the project area becomes a supplier of processed raw material.
- Encourage the participation of women in the integral development of their community and their family.
- To promote the dissemination and exchange of knowledge and experiences with other regions of the country and abroad.
- Maintain and disseminate the cultural heritage of the different communities settled in the project area.
Analysis and Criticism
Regarding the results of the process, the participants see the process as successful, and their participation as a positive experience. They do not doubt that the process is superior to any non-participatory alternative, that creative and innovative ideas for action were produced, and that knowledge, understanding and skills were gained.
External Links
Jorge Trevin, Tomás Schlichter and Jorge Menéndez - Public Participation in Forest Planning and Management in Argentina (2006)
Secretary of the Environment and Sustainable Development of the Nation
Formoseño Model Forest - Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development