5.  PROGRAMME OUTPUTS, ACTIVITIES AND OUTCOMES (see also LFA)

5.1 Overall objective

Activities:

1.    Build up a well functioning Secretariat; recruit staff, establish a physical facility, build up a database and website for AFF work (including communication among members), etc.

2.    Establish the components in the Governance structure; the Members’ Forum, the Governing Council, the Executive Committee, and the Secretariat; including organising initial meetings of these organs.

3.    Mobilise resources for Forum activities; initially for initiating, facilitating, coordinating and/or implementing the activities related to the specific objectives below and for other priority activities identified in SFM I/II: funds, expert working groups, consultants, workshops, advisory panels, etc.

 
Expected results/impact:

•    Sustainable supply of forest-based products and services that have a measurable impact on livelihoods and  the environment
•    A functional African Forest Forum actively supporting improved forest management in Africa

5.2 Specific objective/purpose on information

Outputs:

•    Robust and quality information on forest management.
•    Improved forestry sector compliance with international conventions and agreements.
•    New educational material, improved curricula and training in forestry.
•    Improved networking among forestry-related institutions.

Activities:

1.    Collate and interpret information on new and emerging areas for forestry and related education, like non-wood forest products, climate change, good governance, community based forest management, and forest-water issues.

2.    Liaise with and support relevant institutions and individuals to collect information on compliance of the forestry sector to various forestry and related conventions, international agreements and protocols, the non-legally binding forest instrument, the millennium development goals.

3.    Work with various institutions with a view to orient the curricula of various university programmes on forestry, natural resources, environmental studies, geography and related areas to take up these new issues in education/training; facilitate these institutions to compliment each other and provide a systematic focus on forestry issues.

4.    Liaise with and support relevant institutions, networks and individuals to locate, collect, collate and share data on key aspects of forestry and related areas

5.    Create a website for AFF as well as a web-based “African Forest Portal” with links to relevant web pages with information on forestry, and tree resources

Expected outcomes:

•    Programme results accessible, widely distributed and used
•    Improved networking among forestry related institutions leading to more effective use of information
•    Improved curricula and educational materials leading to graduates with better and more relevant education

5.3 Specific objective/purpose on governance and fair trade

Outputs:

•    Good forest governance and forest law enforcement better understood and possibly subscribed to within a sub-regional context.
•    Fair trade practices in forest products better understood, promoted, and possibly subscribed to within a sub-regional context.

Activities:

1.    Build synergies with other players in good forest governance, especially the FLEG process being established in East Africa, to which SFM II is already a partner.

2.    Explore, with other partners, the state of trade in forest products and services and mechanisms for creating a fair trade approach to the same.

Expected outcomes:

•    Increased participation in FLEGT processes  by stakeholders
•    Good forest governance and law enforcement enhanced and possibly institutionalised.
•    Improved understanding of forest tenure practices.
•    Improved pricing mechanisms initiated for forest/tree products and services


5.4 Specific objective/purpose on climate change

Outputs:

•    Sufficient awareness on influence of climate change on African forests and their productivity created.
•    National and regional forestry related institutions more active and better equipped for tackling climate change issues
•    Information on effects of climate change, carbon trade and market opportunities, lessons from existing climate change related projects, available and widely shared.
•    A body of knowledge/expertise on climate change issues of relevance to Africa created
•    An African response to climate change formulated.
•    A few pilot projects on carbon sequestration initiated with facilitation of AFF
•    Increased African forest stakeholders participation in carbon trade

Activities:

1.    Constitute a think tank/committee on climate change to draft discussion papers on the subject as related to African forests.

2.    Implement several workshops and electronic discussions to identify the approach(es) to climate change that African forestry stakeholders might take.

3.    Work with interested parties to facilitate formulation (and where possible, establishment) of pilot projects on selected priority activities from the workshops and electronic discussions.

Expected outcomes:

•    Increased and improved participation of  African forestry sector and stakeholders in climate change issues and initiatives, including adaptation, mitigation and sharing of possible benefits

5.5 Specific objective/purpose on forest-water relations

Outputs:
 
•    Forest-water relations inventoried, issues better understood, and way forward mapped
•    Measures to give forest-water relationships prominence in development planning

Activities:

1.    Constitute a committee/think tank to examine forest-water relations and propose way forward.

2.    Implement electronic discussions/workshops on selected priority aspects and outputs from no. 1 above.

Expected outcomes:

•    Increased participation of forestry stakeholders in dialogue and activities leading to improved forest-water relations
•    Integrative approaches to implement forest and water programmes initiated

5.6 Specific objective/purpose on strengthening forest dialogue and processes in Africa

Outputs:
 
•    Increased collective input of the African forestry sector to sub-regional, regional and global level discussions, plans and initiatives affecting forestry
•    African forestry sector effectively participating in forestry discourses at various levels
•    Collective approach to mainstreaming decisions and monitoring compliance.
•    Better understanding and involvement of national forestry associations/societies in forestry.

Activities:

1.    Identify issues and forums at sub-regional, regional and international levels that require forestry sector inputs, mobilise relevant actors and resources for such inputs which are suitable for AFF support.

2.    Establish mechanisms for feedback and mainstreaming decisions.

3.    Undertake a study on the state of national forestry associations and societies, ways to strengthen them, establish them where they do not exist, and link them firmly to AFF.

Expected outcomes:

•    Forestry sector effectively represented at relevant forums at all levels and able to promote “African issues”
•    Visibility and favourable positioning of African forestry
•    Measures to improve forest policies and strategies initiated

5.7 Specific objective/purpose on strengthening management of forest plantations

Outputs:

•    Information on the current status, economic viability, and improved governance structures for managing forest plantations in Eastern Africa.
•    Improved plantation management information, and potential for private sector, farmers and communities to invest in plantation forestry
•    Information on demand and supply of industrial round-wood from forest plantation available
•    Better coordination of primary and secondary forest production

Activities:

1.    Examine and analyse current revenue collection systems, licensing/concession procedures, forest tenure and management arrangements and pricing mechanisms for plantation industrial roundwood and industrial forest products.

2.    Estimate potential for income generation and employment creation, and incentives that could favour rapid forest plantation establishment by various stakeholders, including the private sector and local communities.

3.    Provide options for improved management of current public forest plantations

4.    Undertake market surveys to determine supply scenarios and demand projections of plantation wood volumes and trends, including current cost of importing timber and wood products.

5.    Undertake a study of the current situation regarding extent, quality and other features of public plantations in Eastern Africa

Expected outcomes:

•    Better information available for plantation forestry
•    Measures to increase adoption of SFM practices on plantations in place

5.8 Specific objective/purpose on African-Swedish collaboration

Output:

•    A carefully selected number of pilot projects and activities to verify and adapt the usefulness of Swedish SFM experiences under African conditions designed and initiated.
•    Partnerships between African and Swedish bodies for the implementation of the above pilot projects identified and established.
•    Increased collaboration between African and Swedish forestry actors

Activities:

1.    Three background studies undertaken, one in each of the areas forest policies and legislation, institutional capacity for supporting mechanisms to SFM, and organising and empowering stake-holders.

2.    Three workshops with African and Swedish expert participation to discuss the reports and set priorities.

3.    Three reports with the recommendations from the workshops transferred into priority pilot projects.

Expected outcomes:

•    Institutions and individuals from Africa and Sweden collaborating in forestry
•    Opportunities for improved technology and knowledge sharing available