Interpretation of 2009 and 2010 indicators

There were a number of changes in the way in which indicators have been interpreted locally between 2009 and 2010, most notably in Ghana and Peru. Several changes reflect a greater level of consciousness and/or evidence of legislation and regulations.

One such example, regarding increased value of field-level understanding, is in the 2009 survey in Cameroon. The indicator Fiscal regime: is information on social obligations published? was recorded as 'yes', as the law states social obligations (Cahier des Charges) are annexed to the concession contract and forest management plan, but deeper community-level assessments in 2010 reveal that since local populations do not have access to these documents, their rights are often violated by logging companies who simply ignore their legal social duties.

Another important example relates to the publication of permit documents (Allocation of permits: are the final permit / contract documents made public?). In Peru, the 2009 the indicator recorded 'yes' because a template of forest concession contracts is available on request, but this was revised in 2010 because no actual signed copies are available.

Thus a tendency towards more negative indicators can be observed in some issues and countries. This is a reflection of the experience gained from of conducting the data gathering exercise a second time, as well as developing a more critical perspective. In other words, in place of a positive indicator, with greater information there is potential for finding reservations. In line with the programme objective to strengthen demand for good governance, there is also an interesting tendency, once some information is made available, for civil society to seek greater quality of this information in future - this is discussed in greater detail in the Analysis pages.