Presented by Daniela Schweizer (University of Sao Paulo and CIFOR) at the World Conference on Ecological Restoration (SER 2017) in Foz do Iguassu, Paraná (Brazil), on August 29, 2017. Session: The role of public policies in influencing forest restoration in Latin America.

1. Which policy, institutional and governance
aspects are fostering or else hampering forest
cover growth? A Latinamerican perspective
Daniella Schweizer, Paula Meli, Pedro H.S. Brancalion and Manuel R
Guariguata
Laboratory of Tropical Forestry

2. INTRODUCTION
Several international commitments and funding for restoration in place:
Bonn Challenge, Aichi Biodiversity targets, New York Declaration on Forests,
20 x 20 Initiative.
Image source: WRI website

3. RESEARCH QUESTIONS
International
commitments
Domestic policies and
institutions
- How are current policy instruments according to predetermined ecological,
social and financial indicators?
- What are key diferences in stakeholders perceptions on the efficacy,
efficiency and accountability of reforestation frameworks and institutions?
- What does stakeholders perceive as key issues hampering or else promoting
forest cover growth?

4. “....one of the interesting things for me would be to gather these
experiences but looking at understanding not only restoration practices
but also what is their governance framework which is where restoration
concepts are validated and legitimized” (ONG, Ecuador).

5. METHODS FOR POLICY ASSESSMENT
- We assessed plans, programs, policies and regulations related to
forest growth based on four indicators:
Motivation
Links with other regulatory instruments
Supporting instruments
Government institution
GENERAL
Main reforestation activities
Concepts mentioned
Target landscape and extent
Origin of species
ECOLOGICAL
Stakeholder group
Instruments of social empowermentSOCIAL
Incentives
Penalties
FINANCIAL

6. ARGENTINA
BRAZILBOLIVIA
CHILE
COLOMBIA
COSTA RICA
ECUADOR
GUATEMALA
HONDURAS
MEXICO
NICARAGUA PANAMA
PARAGUAYPERU
EL SALVADOR
URUGUAY
VENEZUELA
CLASSES
Forest blue
Forestry orange
Environment green
Diversity red
Agrarian brown
Support yellow
Climate grey
Other purple
- Colombia, El Salvador,
Guatemala, and
Ecuador have
Restoration Plans
- Costa Rica and
Guatemala have long
term payment
programs
- Brazil has command
and control policies for
native forest growth
In Brazil, Argentina and
Colombia there is great
decentralization in policy
implementation

7. 0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
Frequency
Reforestation actions
Ecological
indicators
Restoration is one of
the actions
mentioned the most

8. 0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
not
specified
mixed native exotic
Frequency
Species
Ecological
indicators
Species type mostly
not specified

9. 0
5
10
15
20
25
Incentives
Financial
indicators
Frequency
Subsidies is the
most commong
incentive

10. 0
10
20
30
40
50
Penalties
Financial
indicators
Frequency
Fines is the most
common penalty

11. METHODS FOR STAKEHOLDER PERCEPTION
Government Research NGOs Local
1.Analyze perceptions on reforestation frameworks
2. Analyze potential synergies and tradeoffs among stakeholder
perceptions on the efficiency, efficacy, accountability and
transparency of legal frameworks
Semi-structured
interview
Ranking
questionnaire

12. Examples of ranking
statements
There is an official institutional structure supporting reforestation
(1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (7)
Mechanisms regulating economic fluxes are transparent and equitable
(1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (7)
1: Strongly Disagree 7: Strongly sagree

13. 10
30
50
70
90
Frequency9%)
10
30
50
70
90
Frequency(%)
10
30
50
70
90
Frequency(%)
Government
Research
NGO
Positive
Negative

14. RULES OF
LAW
ACCOUNTABILITY
AND
TRANSPARENCY
EFFECTIVENES
S AND
EFFICIENCY

15. Some key quotes: aspects fostering forest cover
growth
“The institutions have started to articulate....now they are more clear on what are
their functions...” (ONG, Peru)
“I would say there have been significative changes in the last ten years .... We have a
more interesting regulatory framework to what we had before” (Govt, Chile)
“There are more Agronomists knowing about natives....seems like since last year all of
a sudden there are more knowledge and nurseries...” (Local, Argentina)

16. Some key quotes: aspects hampering forest
growth
“This is always a bottle neck...effective technical capacity....doing restoration is not
only about the ecology but also about the people in the area” (ONG, Ecuador)
“...a forestry economy based on native species does not exist” (ONG, Brazil)
“there are important bottle necks in the aspects of land use zoning and
incentives”(ONG, Ecuador)
“ ...so you have an idea, last year the government reduced by half the staff at the
environmental secretariat...” (Research, Mexico)

17. Interesting cross-sectorial quotes
“...the Bonn Challenge gives us hope....Mexico committed to 8.5 million hectares of
which 7.5 were committed by the Ministry of Agriculture....this is a great challenge
and a great opportunity...” (NGO, Mexico)
“....but the degree of difficulty in implementation of the Planaveg shows the difficulty
in recognizing these cooperation platforms” (Govt, Brazil)

18. PRELIMINARY CONCLUSIONS
- Stakeholders mostly agree there are good, clear and “enough”
regulatory frameworks
- There is increased cross sectorial work
- Weak institutions hinder implementation and monitoring
- Need for increased financial incentives

19. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Special thanks to all the people who agreed to contribute their time
and knowledge to this work
Thanks to our funding agency