Good governance means that decisions are made in a manner that is just and fair to all stakeholders; that the decision-making processes are transparent; and that decision-makers are held to account. The research conducted under CIFOR’s Forest and Governance Programme seeks to enhance the capacity of forest-dependent communities and excluded groups to participate in decision-making. It promotes greater social and environmental corporate responsibility in the forestry sector, and it supports the transformation of national and local government policies so that they promote more effective and fairer forest management.

The publication of Financing Pulp Mills caught the attention of news media around the world. The report revealed that most of those who invest in the pulp and paper industry have little experience of forestry issues, and a poor understanding of the impact of pulp and paper projects on communities and the environment. This lack of due diligence could lead to a new wave of projects which are potentially disastrous for the environment and forest-dependent communities. The report offers a series of recommendations for investors and governments.

Another major report commissioned by CIFOR – Justice in the Forest – suggests that clamping down on illegal logging through stricter law enforcement could often do more harm than good to many rural communities. Based on the findings of a series of case studies in Africa, Asia and Latin America, the report urges policy-makers to pay proper attention to the rights and needs of forest communities when formulating forest law.

Other highlights for the year included the publication of studies on decentralisation in Indonesia and Cameroon. The Indonesian report was based on many years of research by CIFOR and its local partners, and the lessons learned from the experience of decentralisation here should prove useful to local and national governments in other parts of the world.