PART II SELECTED CURRENT ISSUES IN THE FOREST SECTOR 113 autonomy for forest administrations, forest charges to be applied across the experiments with cost and benefit sharing with stakeholders, increased use of forest funds and Centralized administration with revenue privatization of forest resources e central a maintains control over forest management Fiscal decentralization and financial autonomy and revenue collection but shares some of In terms of fiscal decentralization, most African the revenue with local authorities. This countries have followed one of three models model has been applied in Uganda and Complete decentralization. In a few Zambia, and to a lesser extent in Ghana. It countries, notably Ethiopia and Nigeria, seems to have few benefits, except that t forestry has been almost entirely might create a stronger link between forest decentralized to the state government level. protection and the collection and use of Both countries report some disadvantages, revenue for local services and facilities such as wide variations among states in At a recent workshop on forest finance in forest charges and revenue collection Abuja, Nigeria(FAO, 2002a), countries reported However some states in these countries have that the current trend towards decentralization implemented effective models of forest was generating some concern about the future financing for forest financing. In brief, it was felt that if Decentralization within a common national local and regional governments collected framework. Many of the Sahelian countries revenue and had authority for spending it, even (e.g. Mali and the Niger)have partly less attention would be paid to the need for decentralized fiscal policy in the forest sector. public expenditure on forestry Thus, for example, local communes are involved in the development of areas for forest harvesting and revenue collection and keep a share of the revenue collected. At Most African countries levy charges on several types of forest the national level, the government determines the rules and regulations for forest harvesting and sets the level of is sometimes a deliberate policy113 SECTOR FOREST THE IN ISSUES CURRENT SELECTED II PART ,administrations forest for autonomy with sharing benefit and cost with experiments and funds forest of use increased, stakeholders .resources forest of privatization autonomy financial and decentralization Fiscal African most, decentralization fiscal of terms In .models three of one followed have countries few a In. decentralization Complete• ,Nigeria and Ethiopia notably, countries entirely almost been has forestry .level government state the to decentralized ,disadvantages some report countries Both in states among variations wide as such .collection revenue and charges forest have countries these in states some, However forest of models effective implemented .financing national common a within Decentralization• countries Sahelian the of Many. framework partly have) Niger the and Mali. g.e( .sector forest the in policy fiscal decentralized are communes local, example for, Thus for areas of development the in involved collection revenue and harvesting forest At. collected revenue the of share a keep and government the, level national the for regulations and rules the determines of level the sets and harvesting forest the across applied be to charges forest .country revenue with administration Centralized• administration central The. sharing management forest over control maintains of some shares but collection revenue and This. authorities local with revenue the and Uganda in applied been has model It. Ghana in extent lesser a to and, Zambia it that except, benefits few have to seems forest between link stronger a create might of use and collection the and protection .facilities and services local for revenue in finance forest on workshop recent a At reported countries), 2002a, FAO (Nigeria, Abuja decentralization towards trend current the that future the about concern some generating was if that felt was it, brief In. financing forest for collected governments regional and local even, it spending for authority had and revenue for need the to paid be would attention less .forestry on expenditure public levy countries African Most forest of types several on charges ,woodfuel including output collection revenue low although policy deliberate a sometimes is fuelwood subsidize to reasons social for consumption 19344/FAO