Welcome to FORVAC
Forest-Based Value Chains
Forestry and Value Chains Development programme (FORVAC) increases economic, social and environmental benefits from forests and woodlands whilst tackling deforestation. By working closely with local enterprises and communities, FORVAC will develop forest-based value chains thereby inducing growth in local economies, while at the same time fostering local ownership of the forests. It also supports government institutions in developing their legal and policy framework to improve forest governance and promote sustainable forest resources management. The 330,000 beneficiaries range from individuals, communities, and traders to private companies in the vast regions Tanga, Lindi and Ruvuma and beyond.
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THE FOREST THAT PAYS IS THE FOREST THAT STAYS 5/5:![]()
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As well as for supporting forest managing and protection by financing community forest guards etc., the villages use the profit from the timber sales to develop community services such as health care and education. During the past year, 40 FORVAC-supported villages sold 10,344 m3 of sustainably harvested standing timber and earned approximately TZS 1,7 million / EUR 687,000 for community development purposes. ![]()
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In the final year FORVAC will look at the impact of the approach on avoided deforestation – early signs appear to show that the approach is a highly effective and socially acceptable way to protect and maintain the Miombo forest resources, whilst providing a source of sustainably harvested wood. The majority of the benefits go direct to the forest guardians, the forest communities themselves. Having the communities motivated to protect the natural forest removes the burden from government, so a win, win, win for natural forests, communities and government as well as for consumers who receive responsibly and sustainably produced hardwoods.
THE FOREST THAT PAYS IS THE FOREST THAT STAYS 4/5:![]()
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The communities that FORVAC cooperates with harvest timber sustainably according to approved and valid forest management plans. Before timber is transported out of the village, it is marked with a hammer, indicating that the timber is legally harvested from the forest of a particular community. In the picture, a District Forest Officer, who is responsible for supervising harvesting processes, is hammering timber. If a legal sustainable source of these valuable natural hardwoods is not provided and tracked, the danger is valuable hardwoods are then sourced from illegal unsustainable sources to satisfy market demand.
THE FOREST THAT PAYS IS THE FOREST THAT STAYS 3/5:![]()
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FORVAC supports villages in sustainable timber harvesting. The sustainability is secured, for example, by measuring and marking the trees that will be harvested based on the approved forest management plan that normally allows only one three per hectare to be cut annually, and only trees that are above the legal minimum diameter. If the communities start clearing the forest or use unsustainably, they risk having the forest transferred back to the government and losing all the legal benefits.![]()
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In Miombo forests, where FORVAC operates, the regeneration of trees happens naturally. After one mature big tree has been cut, new tree seedlings shoot up quickly to fill the gap in the canopy. Miombo woodland has evolved over many millennia to not only cope with moderate disturbance but actually thrives on it. ![]()
Note that naturally Miombo woodland is disturbed by elephants who knock over a lot more trees than this light sustainable harvesting.
THE FOREST THAT PAYS IS THE FOREST THAT STAYS 2/5:![]()
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So far, FORVAC has supported 71 villages to prepare and obtain approval for their forest management plans. This means that a total of 451,322 ha of natural miombo forest is sustainably managed by local communities. The sustainable management of forests and forest protection from illegal activities cause costs for communities. These costs communities cover through sustainable timber harvesting that is implemented as a selective cutting, which in the FORVAC-supported villages means that around one tree per hectare is allowed to be harvested annually. This is a very conservative off-take, way below what the natural growth of the forest replenishes.
THE FOREST THAT PAYS IS THE FOREST THAT STAYS 1/5:![]()
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Based on the Global Forests Resources Assessment from the year 2020, Tanzania had average annual net losses of forest area between 2010 and 2020 the 5th highest in the world, largely due to the immediate cause of conversion of forest to unsustainable agriculture. Underlying causes were lack of legal control and legal user rights for forest communities. This emphasizes the importance of FORVAC, whose goal is to reduce deforestation and increase economic, social and environmental benefits from forests and woodlands by strengthening rights and responsibilities of communities over the forests and developing sustainable practices to utilize timber and non-timber forest products and related value chains. ![]()
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The FORVAC approach is based on the idea that ‘the forest that pays is the forest that stays’, meaning that after the communities have legal control and agree to manage the forest sustainably, the communities are capable and motivated to not convert the forest to other land uses and protect their forest reserves from illegal activities if the benefits they receive from forests are enough to compensate their efforts. The local communities, working in partnership with the government, become the best guardians of the forest and will not ‘bite the hand that feeds them’.
Publications
Technical Reports
FORVAC aims to provide you with detailed Technical Reports that will help you to explore more about Forest Programme in Tanzania.
Administration documents
FORVAC adminstration documents will help you understand more on how the programme works to empower the local forest community.
Posters
FORVAC posters will help you understand more about the activities carried out in various clusters in Tanzania.
