National Seminar for Forest & Pasture Extension Services in Albania .

For some years the Ministry of Environment Forest and Water Administration has been reviewing the need for the creation of a Forest &Pasture Extension Service. The recent transfer of communal forest and pasture lands to Communes and Municipalities, changes in a fundamental manner the management arrangements for these areas. The new situation presents a number of organisational and capacity issues both in terms of advisory and regulatory support to the new owners and in turn their capacity to manage these resources in a sustainable manner to meet the needs of local people and society in general. The Ministry through the NRDP have commissioned a participatory needs assessment of both local government structures and central government capacity in order to support the establishment of a new Forest and Pasture Extension Service by hiring SNV, Swedish School of Forest Engineers, & the UK Centre for International Development and Training. The assessment is split into 2 phases:

Phase one: Consultation & Participatory Analysis with key stakeholders;

Phase two: Planning for the capacity development of the new service;

This first phase covered identifying and assisting key stakeholders in communal forest and pasture areas review, reflect and clarify their roles and responsibilities in the management of these resources, which are presented and discussed in a national seminar held in Tirana on 18 December 2009.Objectives of the Seminar:

1. To consider the preliminary findings from the first phase stakeholder consultation conducted by the Team of experts

2. To consider the outline recommendations on the Organisation for Forest and Pasture Extension services based on the consultation process;

3.To provide an opportunity for wider stakeholder comment, debate and feedback on the proposed arrangements for forest and pasture extension services based on the consultation.

 

Members day
18th November 2009

Climate change is upon us. How is this affecting the European forests? And what decisions are taken about forests and forestry at a European level? To let you know more about what happens in Brussels we invite all staff and board members of our member organisations to participate in our Members day 18th November 2009.
The day will give you a short introduction about a number of questions important for the forests and forest owners of Europe. There will be interesting lectures that all are followed by discussions around the subject.
We hope that you as staff and board of our member organisations will decide to participate, give your opinions and share your knowledge.
The Members Day will take place in the European Forestry House in Brussels.
Registrations for the event are to be sent to Caroline at trainee1@cepf-eu.org. More

 

 

 

 

The first “Carbon Neutral” Congress

The XIIIº  World Forestry Congress, to be held as of next 18th to 23rd of October, in the city of Buenos Aires, Argentina, will be the first World Forestry Congress which shall achieve “Carbon Neutral” ranking.
With this initiative, and in addition to holding the “Forestry and Climate Change – To Copenhagen and Beyond” forum, the organization of the WFC 2009 hopes to reflect the importance which such problematic holds for the international forestry community.  
In order to achieve said goal, the WFC has entered an agreement with EcoSecurities, a leading company in the carbon market, by which the latter will render its vast experience in calculating the WFC Carbon footprints, and will exchange said footprints for carbon credits in compensation. More...

 

 

 

13th World Forestry Congress

18- 25 October 2009. Buenos Aires - Argentina

The 13th World Forestry Congress, which will be held in Buenos Aires, Argentina, from 18-25 October 2009, is being organized by the Government of Argentina in collaboration with the FAO Forestry Department.

The main objective of the Congress is to provide a forum for the exchange of personal experiences and for discussions on topics related to forestry activities, involving professionals and other interested people from all over the world. Approximately 6,000 participants from more than 160 countries are expected. Activities at the congress will include conferences, round-table discussions, poster presentations, parallel events, exhibits, study and technical tours. All will focus on subjects related to the main subject theme of the WFC: “Forests in development – a vital balance”.

Both the Congress and the related International Forestry Exhibition will take place in “La Rural” exhibition centre, one of the most important of its kind in all of Latin America.

In the fortnight following the Congress, a wide range of tourist and technical tours will be offered in order to allow participants to visit the fascinating landscapes and natural environments of Argentina.

The first call for voluntary papers and posters will be carried out in October 2007. More...

 

 

Private forest in the Western Balkan Region

The final report of the PRIFORT project: Research into the Organisation of Private Forest Owners’ Interest Associations in the Western Balkan Region has been published. The findings provide characteristics of private ownership in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Macedonia and Serbia. Forests are significant resources for the development of market economy and private ownership in all these countries. However, private forest owners are almost not represented in national forest policy formulation and their interests are mainly in the hands of the public forest administration. The current
situation is unsatisfactory. It influences the accessibility of extension services but also management activities including advice in silviculture. CEPF assists in the formation of private forest owners’ associations in this part of Europe. The outcome of the project was presented during the PROFOR concluding conference in Fruska Gora.

 

Full report can be downloaded from: www.prifort.com

 

ILC Conference 2009: Securing Rights to Land for Peace and Food Security

 

REPORT ON STUDY: IMPLEMENTATION OF SOME THINNING MODELS IN RESTORED OAK FORESTS.

By Haki Kola and Janaq Male

 

During the transfer process of the forests and pastures in use to the communes, oak forests compose the majority of the forest areas.

The data resulting from the management plans it is observed that 80% of the oak forests transferred to the communes belong to the first age class (1-10 years) and to coppices regime. This situation is coming of the massive damage of oak forests at the beginning of the years ‘90.

After the completion of the transfer process that started in 1996, due to the forestry project support, one of the main achievements is the rehabilitation of the greatest part of degraded oak forests as a consequence of their protection by the users themselves as well as the interventions done with the forestry project investments. Read More...

 

Family forests owners in combating climate change
18.12.2008

In Europe, like nowhere else, 16 million private individuals and families are taking care of more than half of the forest area. This is done with a long standing commitment to sustainable forest management, which is recognized by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) as a key to climate change mitigation. Read More »

© CEPF 2008

Working together in Albanian Communal Forestry

By Kuenda Laze and  Haki Kola

Albania Forestry Project, founded by Albania Government, World Bank, Italian Government and other donors has three principal objectives:  

·       restore degraded State-owned forest and pasture areas and promote their sustainable use;

·       promote the conservation of natural forest ecosystems; and

·       take the initial steps in the transition of the forestry/pasture sector to a market economy, separating commercial from regulatory functions and establishing mechanisms for self-financing of the commercial activities. 

The project has supported institutional and policy reforms of Albania 's forest and pasture sector and provide resources for investments in the five components described below.

More | Comments

REPORT OF THE FOREST REVENUE SPECIALIST
ON
KOMUNA INCOME GENERATION AND MANAGEMENT

Robert B. Forster

About 36 percent of the total land area of Albania (1,026,000 Hectares) is designated as forest while about 16 percent of the total land area (445,000 hectares) is designated as pasture. Albania is currently in a transition from a centrally directed to a market economy. The Government has announced plans to transfer 40 percent of the forest land and 60 percent of the pasture land back to local control over the next 3-5 years.
The Albania Private Forest Development Program (APFDP) has assisted the Government of Albania in this effort by developing a draft strategy for forest transfer and a community manual and training methodology to help villages and Komunas implement the process. The World Bank has supported the Albania Forestry Project (AFP) and has collaborated with the APFDP on forest transfer through joint planning, programming and workshops. The AFP also provides financial and technical support to the Komunas for implementing their management plans. To receive financial support the Komunas are required to form Komuna-level Forest and Pasture User Associations. More | Comments

The needs and rights of local communities for forest product & services and
sustainable forest management in Albania

Haki Kola

Abstract:

Key challenges faced by Albania in moving toward sustainable resource management and use and repairing some of the enormous environmental damage done over the past 5-6 decades have had to do with property rights issues. Environmental degradation and impoverishment have been most profound where rights are vaguely defined and where neither the State nor local community are in positions to uphold rights, whether based on custom or through formal legal assignment. Since 1995, in line with the nation’s move toward more decentralized government and devolution of power, a process of divestment of communal forests and pastures has been unfolding. Beginning with the transfer to communes of only administrative and contractuallybased re-assignment rights to local users associations, preparations are now underway to have communes, the lowest rung of local government assume ownership of these areas, ultimately amounting to some 500,000 ha. More | Comments

THE FARMER FOREST

 

The farmer named Hasan Alia is permanent resident in Petkaj village of Malzi commune and nearby his house; he has got some forest areas. One of these areas is that one situated in sub parcel 86/a of Dukagjin forest economy in Kukes district. More

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