Forest Conflict in Asia
Incidents of violent conflict over forest resources and forest land are widespread in the developing countries of Asia and are reported in the news media daily. Forest conflict undermines attempts to improve governance, retards economic development, impoverishes rural people, and impairs key environmental functions. Governments and rebel groups in several Asian countries have used tropical timber to bankroll armed conflict, while lower-level conflict over forests occurs in most of the tropical developing countries of the region. In many of these countries, politicians and security forces harvest timber to get cash to buy political support and fund operations, often using intimidation and violence to overcome resistance from communities that depend on forests for their livelihoods. Unable to protect their forests, these already poor people become further impoverished when they lose access to resources and land.
How does forest conflict happen?
Forest
conflict results from poor governance, specifically the lack of accountability
and corruption of government and military officials and the failure to establish
and enforce laws that grant access to forest resources and forest land in a
way that is transparent and seen as legitimate by all stakeholders.
Most developing countries in Asia have failed to equitably allocate and sustainably manage their forests, leading to steep declines in the quantity and quality of this valuable resource. Expanding road networks, increasing populations, and exposure to global trade networks have made Asia’s forests vulnerable and more attractive to those wishing to liquidate them for their own ends. The decline of forests, coupled with greater demand for forest products in growing economies, is driving a rush to claim remaining timber, and after that, the land itself.
What is USAID's role?
