Strengthening Forest Governance Frameworks: Progress in Nine Major Tropical Forest Countries

This briefing, produced by the NYDF Assessment Partners, Chatham House, and Climate Focus, evaluates progress in forest governance across nine tropical forest countries. It examines twelve indicators across five governance areas—legal and institutional frameworks, tenure and resource allocation, demand-side measures, transparency, and the rule of law—to assess how these nations are working toward Goal 10 of the New York Declaration on Forests (NYDF). While some countries have improved their legal frameworks and transparency through international partnerships, the report highlights systemic weaknesses in the rule of law, a lack of cross-sectoral policy coherence, and persistent challenges in securing land tenure for local communities.

• Legal and institutional frameworks have improved in several countries, often facilitated by international engagement through REDD+ and voluntary partnership agreements (VPAs). For instance, Ghana and Indonesia implemented national timber licensing systems under the EU's FLEGT program, and Lao PDR prioritized illegal logging and improved cross-government coordination. However, progress is uneven; Papua New Guinea has seen no progress, and Brazil has experienced a decline in political commitment to action plans for the Amazon and Cerrado.
• A critical barrier to meeting avoided deforestation commitments is the lack of cross-sectoral policy coherence. While most assessed countries include the forest sector as a priority in national climate strategies or Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), few provide detailed considerations for illegal logging and forest governance. Coordination is hindered by agencies competing for resources and influence.
• Land tenure and resource allocation remain problematic, with local communities often lacking secure rights to customary lands. While Indonesia launched the One Map Policy Geoportal in 2018 to integrate 83 land-use maps, it was criticized for omitting indigenous territories. Land dispute resolution is slow; for example, Indonesia had addressed only 15 percent of its 555 cases by the end of 2018, and Sarawak, Malaysia, had over 70 native court cases pending from 1995-2010.
• Demand-side measures to reduce illegal timber are underutilized, particularly regarding domestic markets and public procurement. While Cameroon and Ghana have drafted public procurement policies, they remain pending approval. In Malaysia, green procurement targets are limited to paper and furniture, excluding other timber products.
• Transparency has improved in timber tracking and information management, largely due to VPA investments, but this has not consistently led to better accountability. Ghana rolled out a wood-tracking system in 2017, and Indonesia issued FLEGT licenses in 2016. However, information on enforcement remains the least transparent, and much of the available data is online and inaccessible to rural populations.
• The rule of law is weak across all assessed countries, characterized by high corruption, limited enforcement resources, and poor financial management of forest revenues. Brazil possesses the most advanced enforcement machinery via IBAMA and remote sensing, but budget cuts in 2017 and political signals from President Jair Bolsonaro have raised concerns. In Papua New Guinea, there are no internal systems to monitor government corruption.

APA

Hoare, A., & Conway, D. (2019). Strengthening Forest Governance Frameworks: Progress in Nine Major Tropical Forest Countries. Forest Declaration Assessment. https://forestdeclaration.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/NYDFStrengthening-Forest-Governance-Frameworks.pdf

Chicago

Hoare, Alison, and Darragh Conway. Strengthening Forest Governance Frameworks: Progress in Nine Major Tropical Forest Countries. Forest Declaration Assessment, 2019. https://forestdeclaration.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/NYDFStrengthening-Forest-Governance-Frameworks.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Hoare |first1=Alison |last2=Conway |first2=Darragh |title=Strengthening Forest Governance Frameworks: Progress in Nine Major Tropical Forest Countries |publisher=Forest Declaration Assessment |date=June 2019 |url=https://forestdeclaration.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/NYDFStrengthening-Forest-Governance-Frameworks.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{hoare2019strengthening, author = {Hoare, Alison and Conway, Darragh}, title = {{Strengthening Forest Governance Frameworks: Progress in Nine Major Tropical Forest Countries}}, institution = {Forest Declaration Assessment}, year = {2019}, month = jun, url = {https://forestdeclaration.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/NYDFStrengthening-Forest-Governance-Frameworks.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }