There are 5 other country discussion papers in this series. . For the set, quote order code, 9546IIED.
Forest enterprise in China has been dominated over the recent past by the State. But the 1990s movement towards a market-based economy saw a rapid growth in non-state enterprise, particularly in the secondary and tertiary processing industries. Small and Medium Forest Enterprises (SMFEs) have an important role to play in support of rural livelihoods. They have proved adept at absorbing labour within the mountainous 'poverty' counties in China where forestry is an attractive alternative to agricultural land use. The evolving policy environment for SMFEs, has included major new ecological reforms (e.g. the National Forest Protection Program or the Sloping Farming Lands Conversion Program). The imposition of ecologically orientated logging quotas has opened up a vast gap of 150 million m/yr between domestic timber supply and demand. This has squeezed domestic production companies, while opening up many opportunities for SMFEs able to access international trade. This study recommends the need to review the impact of such policies on sustainability and livelihoods. |
