Raphael Tsanga | CIFOR - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Raphael Tsanga

PRO-Formal Research Tools - Transport Questionnaire

Contributions of Central African countries to combat climate change The urgent need for intersect... more Contributions of Central African countries to combat climate change The urgent need for intersectorial coordination Towards more achievable NDCs by 2020

Cette analyse s'inscrit dans le cadre du suivi forestier independant en Republique democratiq... more Cette analyse s'inscrit dans le cadre du suivi forestier independant en Republique democratique du Congo. Elle intervient plus precisement dans le cadre d'une de collaboration avec le Fonds Mondial pour la Nature (WWF) ayant pour objectif d'appuyer la societe civile congolaise dans la mise en œuvre du code forestier de 2002 et specifiquement les clauses sociales.

Since 2001, the government of Rwanda has started several reforms to improve the forestry sector i... more Since 2001, the government of Rwanda has started several reforms to improve the forestry sector in the country, as the importance of the timber business and its contribution to national economy were neglected. This report, supported by the Promotion of Economy and Employment Programme (Eco-Emploi), a Rwandan-German Development Cooperation Programme with Technical Assistance by Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH and commissioned by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), presents a qualitative and quantitative analysis of timber value chain in the country and provides some financial and economic modelling as to the future choices available to policy and decision makers, as well as technical partners such as GIZ.

Dans de nombreux pays producteurs de bois tropicaux, les marches nationaux ont connu une croissan... more Dans de nombreux pays producteurs de bois tropicaux, les marches nationaux ont connu une croissance reguliere ces dernieres annees, devenant la principale destination de la production nationale de bois transforme localement. Malgre les preoccupations croissantes concernant la legalite du bois sur les marches internationaux, la legalite est rarement une priorite politique pour le bois vendu localement. Pourtant, les gouvernements, les collectivites territoriales et les acteurs prives sont d’importants consommateurs de sciages, en raison de la croissance economique et des politiques de developpement conduisant a de nombreux projets d’infrastructure. Les plans et programmes internationaux tels que le FLEGT considerent que le commerce du bois peut dans une certaine mesure contribuer a la lutte contre l’exploitation forestiere illegale. Dans cette perspective, le plan d’action considere que la legalite des sciages consommes sur le marche national ou regional est aussi essentielle que cel...

Les pays d’Afrique centrale ont pris des engagements devant la communauté internationale pour con... more Les pays d’Afrique centrale ont pris des engagements devant la communauté internationale pour contribuer à la lutte contre les changements climatiques, via leur Contribution Déterminée au niveau National (CDN), en vue de la vingt-unième Conférence des Parties (COP 21) de la Convention Cadre des Nations Unies sur les Changements Climatiques (CCNUCC) tenue à Paris en 2015. Alors qu’on se rapproche de 2020, année à laquelle il faudra faire le point sur la préparation des pays pour mettre en œuvre les mesures envisagées pour contribuer à la lutte contre les changements climatiques, il parait urgent pour les pays d’Afrique centrale de s’organiser pour présenter leur état de préparation à cet effet. Afin d’être convaincants et attirer les financements nécessaires à l’atteinte des objectifs fixés, les pays devront mettre en exergue les efforts faits pour améliorer la coordination intersectorielle, démontrant ainsi une bonne appropriation du processus CDN. Contributions des pays d’Afrique c...

The problem of illegally sourced wood products in government contracts in Central Africa Demand f... more The problem of illegally sourced wood products in government contracts in Central Africa Demand for timber in Central Africa is growing rapidly, especially as more countries adopt development programs. Yet, currently not enough attention is given to the legality or sustainability of the wood supply line for national consumption. Moreover, the States and their partners, who finance these programs, account for a large part of the national demand through government contracts that do not require a legality or sustainability clause. Hence, the States and other development actors contribute indirectly to the informal and illegal practices that prevail in the national timber industry in Central Africa. It is therefore essential that the Central African Forest Commission (COMIFAC, Commission des Forêts d'Afrique Centrale) Member States, and their technical and financial partners, establish policies that oblige public service providers to purchase wood products exclusively from legal sources.

Natural Resources Forum, 2021

The performance of private forest governance systems, such as the standard and approach developed... more The performance of private forest governance systems, such as the standard and approach developed by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), is often assessed at the local level although they also have an indirect influence on public policies at the national level. Such spillover effects must be understood to assess the effectiveness of certification in contributing to improved forest governance. With this purpose, this article analyses the influences of the implementation of FSC standards on changes in forest governance in Cameroon, Congo and Gabon based on perceptions of 43 “knowledgeable” actors of FSC natural forest management. The information was collected through the use of semi‐open and open interviews, and rankings. Findings show that perceived FSC influence on forest governance has followed two pathways: (a) a clear impact on stakeholder participation and timber traceability; and (b) a limited impact on improving national governance, as illustrated by the lack of global improvement in resource management practices or in biodiversity conservation. Moreover, interviewees agreed that struggles against corruption and transparency have not been impacted by the FSC certification in the Congo Basin. This mitigated influence of FSC on forest governance is first explained by a limited spillover effect of the virtuous practices of the seven FSC‐certified companies on the national logging sector. Secondly, progress in FSC certification has been little taken up by public policies, which remain the main leverage for action on forest governance in producing countries.

Ecology and Society, 2019

Since the second half of the 2000s, several options for implementing community-based forest manag... more Since the second half of the 2000s, several options for implementing community-based forest management in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), like the local community forest concession (LCFC), have been discussed in the country's technical and political circles. Proposals and pilot testing have increased in the last five years, but the funding of initiatives is often proposed for divergent purposes and taking different approaches. We reviewed current experiences in the Eastern province of the DRC and found that nobody has carried out an estimation of the financial returns of the business models they drew up for/with the communities involved. We therefore conducted a financial feasibility analysis for two case studies, estimating the costs of developing/ implementing activities and the benefits expected for the communities within the next five years. Three main conclusions were drawn from the analysis: (1) most activities conducted under the LCFC model deal with rural development, and not with forestry operations per se; (2) several forestry activities such as biodiversity conservation or carbon sequestration are not detailed in the management documents and appear to have little legitimacy for local populations; (3) the two LCFCs show a negative financial performance because the inception and implementation costs are substantially higher than the medium-term profits. Community forestry is unlikely to develop in the DRC unless local people are guaranteed that it will contribute to improving their livelihoods, notably their financial and physical capital. This requires that LCFC initiatives focus on actual productive uses of forest resources, which financial performance is systematically assessed ex ante. A simplification of the legal constraints is also needed to reduce the cost of creating and managing a LCFC.

International Forestry Review, 2016

In Cameroon, sustainable timber management relies on the model of large logging concession. Howev... more In Cameroon, sustainable timber management relies on the model of large logging concession. However, over the past fifteen years, small-scale logging has become a common activity, with two different forms. First, the creation of community forests in the late 1990s allowed village associations to legally harvest, process and trade timber, almost always with the support of external actors such as NGOs or private operators. Second, individual chainsaw milling, almost always informal, has grown considerably. The article compares the economic, social and environmental impacts of these two options of small-scale logging. Although much focus has been put on community forestry over the latest two decades, it remains a marginal activity with a turnover of less than € 2 million per year and a small impact on rural economies. Conversely, informal chainsaw milling represents an annual turnover of € 93 million, with a flow of revenues around € 30 million for the benefit of rural population. From an environmental perspective, none of the two options seems to substantially conserve or degrade forest resources, but more research is needed on the issue. The chainsaw milling sector remains largely ignored by-national and international-public policies in the attempts to achieve sustainable timber management in Cameroon. Some perspectives are proposed to legalise the small-scale logging sector without reducing its current socioeconomic impact on rural and urban livelihoods.

Collecting Evidence of FLEGT VPA Impacts for Improved FLEGT Communication in Indonesia, Cameroon and Ghana, 2020

The designations employed and the presentation of material in this information product do not imp... more The designations employed and the presentation of material in this information product do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) concerning the legal or development status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. The mention of specific companies or products of manufacturers, whether or not these have been patented, does not imply that these have been endorsed or recommended by FAO in preference to others of a similar nature that are not mentioned. Collecting Evidence of FLEGT-VPA Impacts for Improved FLEGT Communication iv 2 Public administration, private sector (mainly Small and Medium forest Enterprises, SMEs), civil society organisations, local community representatives, and 'Other' (a category including consultants, researchers, industry and donor representatives). The final sample size is 341 respondents: 102 in Cameroon, 137 in Ghana and 102 in Indonesia. Collecting Evidence of FLEGT-VPA Impacts for Improved FLEGT Communication ix Synthesis of results Change between the two periods (from before to after VPA implementation) has been measured on a scale from 0 to 5 (no progress to great progress), while the VPA contribution has been measured on a scale from-3 to +3 (strongly negative to strongly positive VPA contribution).

La revue de la littérature technique et scientifique relative à la foresterie communautaire dans ... more La revue de la littérature technique et scientifique relative à la foresterie communautaire dans les pays africains, voire dans d'autres pays en développement, a été réalisée dans l'objectif d'en retirer des enseignements destinés à guider la mise en oeuvre des politiques de gestion communautaire des forêts de la République Démocratique du Congo, dans la mise en oeuvre du décret du 02 Août 2014. Afin de procéder à un état de l'art utile, et au vu de l'extrême hétérogénéité de la littérature scientifique et technique, dans les contenus et dans les formats, dans leurs degrés théorique et empirique, de spécificité ou de généralité, il nous est apparu nécessaire de problématiser notre approche et de structurer la demande. Après lecture de l'ensemble de la littérature disponible, notre démarche a été de sérier un certain nombre de questions récurrentes et de procéder en regard de celles-ci.

Pro-Formal Project Brief (English)

Pro-Formal Project Brief (Spanish)

Pro-Formall Research Tools - General Questionnaire