PART II SELECTED CURRENT ISSUES IN THE FOREST SECTOR 103 demonstrates that the corporate research agenda considered"modern"often results in systemic is narrowly focused on technology that increases rejection and unsustainability productivity, especially breeding, pe. management and processing. Even large Impact of developments in science and concession holders operating in tropical forests technology in other sectors for decades have not invested sufficiently in A substantial proportion of developments in research on sustainable forest management, and science and technology is generic, and has been the situation is compounded by the adapted to forestry as appropriate. For example, preoccupation of many companies with short- advances in the following areas have had term profits impacts in the forest sector molecular biology and biotechnology; Neglect of the informal sector chemical and process engineering, including In many developing countries, the forest sector new materials technology is characterized by small-scale enterprises, of transport technology which a significant proportion operates ir space technology, including remote sensing informal markets. A study by the International techniques Labour Organization(ILO)indicated that 63 information and communications percent of total global employment in the forest technology and wood industries is in the"invisible forest Transport technology, for instance, has sector", comprising informal sector small revolutionized forestry, permitting greater access enterprises(34 percent)and fuelwood collection to distant markets and increased flexibility to (29 percent)(ILO, 2001). Despite a number of shift the production site. Techniques such deficiencies, rural enterprises based on the helicopter logging have opened up areas collection, processing and trade of forest previously considered inaccessible, while tree products are a major source of employment and improvement techniques have led to substantial cash income in some places( Kowero, Spilsbury increases in the productivity of plantations,an and Chipeta, 2002). Many of these enterprises more precise remote sensing could make it are small, consisting of little more than one possible to assess and monitor resources on a family working on a part-time basis. Investment real-time basis. However, the inadequacy of is low, most technology is simple, and the failure technological capacities poses certain constraints rate is high. Notwithstanding the importance of and raises two key issues: access to generic the informal sector, few efforts have been made technology and the adaptation of such technology to improve its technological capacity, and there to the specific needs of a place or sector. is a real need to gain a clear understanding of its Patent regimes are increasingly acting as potential and to develop technology that is barriers, because some countries are not in a relevant to small-scale producers. position to pay royalties for access to Although attention is now paid to indigenous knowledge. Where the potential exists for hnology and local technical knowledge, technology transfer, large enterprises with well- efforts to improve these through modern science developed research and development capacity have been limited Two trends seem to be capture a significant proportion of benefits emerging: total acceptance of traditional or local Countries that fail to develop indigenous science knowledge, based on the assumption that it is and technology capacity thus become marke the best available; or its outright rejection as for capital and consumer goods or, at best, unscientific and inappropriate. Neither stance producers of goods for global markets largely has helped to improve capacity at the using cheap labour and natural resources. In community level. While there is an urgent need most cases, even the capacity to assess the to give greater consideration to traditional appropriateness of technology in the global knowledge, out-of-hand replacement of what is marketplace is lacking103 SECTOR FOREST THE IN ISSUES CURRENT SELECTED II PART agenda research corporate the that demonstrates increases that technology on focused narrowly is pest, breeding especially, productivity large Even. processing and management forests tropical in operating holders concession in sufficiently invested not have decades for and, management forest sustainable on research the by compounded is situation the .profits term￾short with companies many of preoccupation sector informal the of Neglect sector forest the, countries developing many In of, enterprises scale-small by characterized is in operates proportion significant a which International the by study A. markets informal 63 that indicated) ILO (Organization Labour forest the in employment global total of percent forest invisible “the in is industries wood and small sector informal comprising”, sector collection fuelwood and) percent 34 (enterprises of number a Despite). 2001, ILO) (percent 29( the on based enterprises rural, deficiencies forest of trade and processing, collection and employment of source major a are products Spilsbury, Kowero (places some in income cash enterprises these of Many). 2002, Chipeta and one than more little of consisting, small are Investment. basis time-part a on working family failure the and, simple is technology most, low is of importance the Notwithstanding. high is rate made been have efforts few, sector informal the there and, capacity technological its improve to its of understanding clear a gain to need real a is is that technology develop to and potential .producers scale-small to relevant indigenous to paid now is attention Although ,knowledge technical local and technology science modern through these improve to efforts be to seem trends Two. limited been have local or traditional of acceptance total: emerging is it that assumption the on based, knowledge as rejection outright its or; available best the stance Neither. inappropriate and unscientific the at capacity improve to helped has need urgent an is there While. level community traditional to consideration greater give to is what of replacement hand-of-out, knowledge systemic in results often” modern “considered .unsustainability and rejection and science in developments of Impact sectors other in technology in developments of proportion substantial A been has and, generic is technology and science ,example For. appropriate as forestry to adapted had have areas following the in advances :sector forest the in impacts ;biotechnology and biology molecular• including, engineering process and chemical• ;technology materials new ;technology transport• sensing remote including, technology space• ;techniques communications and information• .technology has, instance for, technology Transport access greater permitting, forestry revolutionized to flexibility increased and markets distant to as such Techniques. site production the shift areas up opened have logging helicopter tree while, inaccessible considered previously substantial to led have techniques improvement and, plantations of productivity the in increases it make could sensing remote precise more a on resources monitor and assess to possible of inadequacy the, However. basis time-real constraints certain poses capacities technological generic to access: issues key two raises and technology such of adaptation the and technology .sector or place a of needs specific the to as acting increasingly are regimes Patent a in not are countries some because, barriers to access for royalties pay to position for exists potential the Where. knowledge capacity development and research developed￾well with enterprises large, transfer technology .benefits of proportion significant a capture science indigenous develop to fail that Countries markets become thus capacity technology and ,best at, or goods consumer and capital for largely markets global for goods of producers In. resources natural and labour cheap using the assess to capacity the even, cases most global the in technology of appropriateness .lacking is marketplace