Peru: Recommendations

The study allows us to put forward the following recommendations in the case of Peru with the aim of arguing that genuine participation by civil society and transparency in the forest sector can improve the quality of the decision-making process, increase the legitimacy of the decisions taken in the public eye and improve public perception of government action, and, generally speaking, lead towards good forest governance.

For the forest authorities:

The processes of participation in defining issues for forest policy and legislation should be institutionalised in basic, stable and permanent provisions for the sector. These provisions should exist both nationally and regionally.

Forest legislation must be developed which sets up concrete, specific and effective provisions for participation and transparency in the monitoring of processes of granting rights to the use of forest resources, the exploitation of forest resources, and other wood products, and environmental and cultural services.

Some of these provisions should also cover the fiscal accountability of national and regional forest authorities, as well as the establishment of independent systems of monitoring, citizen oversight and vigilance with full participation of the actors in the sector.

A clear and transparent procedure should be set up for strategic decision-making among those different sectors whose policies, plans and programmes have impacts on forest resources and ecosystems, such as, for example, the Strategic Environmental Assessment contained in the Peruvian environmental legislation.

The Ministry of Agriculture should urgently restore and update the key information that INRENA provided on line on the forest sector, including the full legal framework, information on concessions granted, statistics for the sector, etc.

For the Peruvian civil society working on forest issues:

Take advantage of and participate actively in the round tables, discussion groups, forums and other spaces for participation which have been set up in order to draw up the Forest Policy and update the Forest Law, and ensure that basic, stable and permanent provisions are institutionalised to guarantee participation in the forest sector.

Understand and use the general legal framework that recognises and guarantees rights to participation, transparency and access to public information; exercising these rights fully, and where necessary, making use of to those provisions which guarantee the exercise of these rights.

Organize at local level to promote independent monitoring of the forests, citizen oversight and vigilance in all processes and operations affecting the forest sector, in order to increase transparency.

For the international community:

Collaborate with the Peruvian State and civil society on those initiatives designed to increase participation, transparency and access to information in the Peruvian forest sector; particularly in those areas where the study has drawn attention to the need for improvements.

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