Implementing Agency:
Department For International Development (LACAD)

Contractor:
MIRENEM

CODEFORSA

Project Code: 093-502-004	Start Date: 01/05/1993	End Date: 30/11/1997
Commitment: £822,800	Status: Completed	Type of Funding: Bilateral - TC

Project Background:
Costa Rica's cover of natural forest available for exploitation and management has been reduced to some 265 000 ha, all of it on private land outside the extensive protected areas of the country. The supply of timber from natural forests is therefore much reduced and continues to decline due to deforestation, which demand rises. A serious timber deficit is forthcoming and cannot be filled from plantation sources as only a limited proportion of plantations will reach harvestable age within the coming years. In any case, no plantation can fulfil the numerous conservation and protection functions which are potentially fulfilled by managed natural forests, especially in the buffer zones of protected areas. GOCR, through its national Tropical Forestry Action Plan and other statements, has identified the sustainable management of the country's remaining productive natural forests as a priority land-use objective. At a general level, GOCR objectives are to promote industrial development based on raw material from sustainable managed forests, and simultaneously assure the conservation of natural forests outside the formally protected areas. These objectives are now being sought with the assistance of incentives in the form of government bonds. DFID has been promoting applied research in natural forest management in Costa Rica for many years, through its support to CATIE. In his back-to-office report on the TFAP meeting in San Jose in May 1990, Mr Jenkin, the then Senior Forestry Advisor for Latin America, recommended that this support be extended to technical assistance and demonstration. The mission recommends the input of a TCO specialist in natural forest management with broad experience of inventory, harvesting and small-scale processing activities. This specialist's contribution should be coupled with that of a TCO economist. Experience should be coupled with that of a TCO economist. Experience of participatory technology development would be an advantage for both specialists.

Project Objectives:
The project has changed its emphasis from the original objective of promoting sustainable forest management by way of forest-industry integration to one of providing institutional support to its counterparts, especially in the development of forest management plans, research in forest growth and yield, and forest control.

Intended Outputs:
Validated natural forest management technologies adopted by professional forestry bodies.

Professional advice available to forest owners on small scale forest industries.

Professional advice available on financial analysis to forest owners.

Provision of information.

National forestry research capacity to meet forest owners' needs strengthened.

Better monitoring and control of logging in Atlantic Zone.