Publication: Forest Governance 2.0 : A Primer on ICTs and Governance
Date
2011-07
ISSN
Published
2011-07
Author(s)
Castrén, Tuukka
Pillai, Madhavi
Abstract
In this report, the authors study the
experiences and lessons learned on the use of Information
and Communication Technology (ICT) to promote good forest
governance, and identify ways modern technology can be
applied to meet the challenges of improving forest
governance and achieving sustainable forest management. The
authors believe that countries and their development
partners can make their forest governance reforms more
effective and inclusive through the use of information
management and technology. The main focus in the report is
on institutions how they interact with stakeholders and how
their performance can be strengthened. The authors are
trying to fill the gap in which experiences from various
forest governance pilots are not widely shared. They do not
cover forest inventories or technical resource assessment;
extensive literature on these topics is available from
various national and international research institutions and
the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). They do not
present all possibilities and current uses of ICT in forest
governance. Their goal is to demonstrate the range and
diversity of approaches, and the feasibility of using
technology to promote forest governance. The report covers
both 'small' and 'big' ICT. Small and
more affordable ICT applications are often based on consumer
devices for which the underlying technology is available
ready-made from commercial sources. These devices can be
used to interact with the public and in professional
applications. The big ICT dimension includes professional
applications that are tailor-made and often system-based and
expensive. The report does not try to provide solutions for
specific problems, but it demonstrates the extent to which
information management is an essential part of sector
reform. Development professionals dealing with forest
governance can use their findings in consultations with
partner countries and to help plan interventions. The report
begins with a discussion of recent developments in the
governance discourse to set the stage and show how the
definition of forest governance has evolved. The authors
then describe recent developments in access to ICT services,
particularly in rural areas, and how information is used in
the forest sector. There has been much concern about
in-country digital divides; while they still exist, the past
few years have seen an unprecedented increase in access to
technology in rural areas.
Citation
“Castrén, Tuukka; Pillai, Madhavi. 2011. Forest Governance 2.0 : A Primer on ICTs and Governance. Program on Forests (PROFOR);. © World Bank, Washington, DC. http://openknowledge.worldbank.org/handle/10986/17243 License: CC BY 3.0 IGO.”