This project aims to contribute to the local scientific knowledge needed to achieve Sustainable Forest Management (SFM) in the country. The complexity of the forestry activity is grounded on sound ecological, economic and social principles of equilibrium. The results will be published and will open a forum of discussion in academia with the industry and rural representatives. Sustainable forest management (SFM) aims to achieve multiple management objectives; it is also a long term process which requires constant reinvestment of financial benefits from production into the maintenance of the system
involving investment in training for staff, developing management systems, continued stakeholder participation, or silvicultural treatments. SFM requires that the harvest rates do not exceed levels of regrowth; in order to determine a sustainable harvest level, reliable data has to be collected. Hence, the proposed proposal basically is to carry out research work on the timber forests of Kolombangra.

Objectives:

? Determine the impact of the current forestry activity on rural local livelihoods.

? Determine the rates of growth for the main commercial tree species in the island, needed for the regulation of harvests and the materialization of future investments.

Project Components

? Forest inventory

? Socioeconomic survey

? Results processing

? Final write up

? Mid-term review and reporting

? Final review and reporting


Expected Outputs:

Forest inventory completed, data collected, and report produced.