They propose to improve the forest norm and its regulations to empower communities

The Forest Resources Supervision Agency (Osinfor), in cooperation with the USAID Pro-Bosques Project, proposed to improve the forest norm and its regulations to empower communities to negotiate with third parties and reverse the scenario of informality and ignorance that the hurts.

The proposal also includes procedures for the approval of forest permits and verification of third-party participation. In addition, it proposes a public registry of the people or companies that participate in the use of communal forests.

This occurs after a study, carried out jointly by both organizations, revealed that only 50% of the forest permits granted to native communities (CCNN) in the Amazonian regions show that there is a third party formally participating in the business linked to the use of wood from the respective communal forest.

The research suggests that in the rest of the cases there is a third party, as a company or manager, that finances and develops the communal forest management plans without leaving formal evidence of their participation. This is protected by the figure of joint and several liability determined in the Forestry and Wildlife Law.

The study called “Analysis on the participation of third parties in forestry activities of the CCNN supervised by Osinfor and its relationship with effective joint liability”, was carried out with the information obtained in Osinfor supervision reports to 623 enabling titles of forest permits of native communities throughout the Amazon. Supervisions were carried out between the years 2015 and 2019 and were obtained through the entity’s Management Information System.

What is the forest permit that is granted to native communities?

The forest permit is an authorization granted by the State to native communities so that they can take advantage of forest resources (such as wood, non-timber products and / or ecosystem services) from natural forests within their territory for commercial purposes.

However, the communities, due to lack of funding and ignorance of the procedures required by forest legislation to obtain permits, often transfer responsibility to a third party who in practice takes advantage of forest resources.