Corporate responsibility is a constantly evolving concept that implies a necessary process of adaptation for businesses. This study investigated this evolution, and in particular, the changes in responsible practices by top forest companies over a five year period (2000 to 2005). The results of this study indicate that the global forestry sector seems to be moving towards a greater balance among environmental, social, and economic responsibilities. In general, the forest companies that were included in this study have been moving away from purely environmental issues to include economic and social issues in their corporate responsibility practices.

Gum arabic, a natural exudate produced by Acacia Senegal trees, is available in abundance in Kenya, mainly in the northern part of the country, but its exploitation is marginal. This study, conducted among harvesters, traders and other actors involved in the development and business of the gum arabic industry in Kenya has shown and confirmed the results of other researches, that the supply chain is currently under-developed. Harvesters do not collect sufficient quantities of gum arabic because they are not linked to buyers, and when they are the low prices they receive discourage them from developing that income generating activity. Pastoralists currently only collect gum when they see it, and do not use modern harvesting techniques. They stand to benefit from that activity if they are more organized and if that business was more developed in the country.

Recognizing the unmet international demand for gum arabic and the largely untapped reserves growing in the wild and in abundance in the northern part of the country suggests that improvements can be made to harvesting and marketing. Through training, with specific attention to quality issues and international requirements, the constitution of stocks in collection areas and the development of direct links with traders, Kenya can penetrate the international market of gum arabic and improve its market share. Various activities have been undertaken and have already shown good results.

Malaysia, a major producer and exporter of wood products has been slow to embrace wood products certification. A study was carried out with the intention of assessing the status of chain of custody certification among wooden furniture manufacturers. A structured questionnaire was used to interview firms who participated at the annual Malaysian International Furniture Fair in 2007. Results indicate that the readiness to adopt chain of custody certification among wooden furniture manufacturers was low. The lack of price premiums, limited market potential and high cost were cited as the primary reasons deterring furniture manufacturers from adopting chain of custody certification. Furthermore, the use of plantation wood resources, such as Rubberwood (Hevea brasiliensis Müll. Arg.), were perceived by many respondents to be certified wood resources, reflecting a lack of understanding among manufacturers. It was concluded that the promotion of chain of custody certification in Malaysia must focus on increasing awareness as well as highlighting the tangible and intangible benefits to be gained from such a scheme.

Sal (Shorea robusta) forest is a threatened ecosystem in Bangladesh. Until the beginning of the 20th century Sal forests existed as a large continuous belt with rich biological resources, but increasing pressure has been placed on them since then due to the ever-increasing population. Most of the forest area at present is under occupation by encroachers and the remaining stands are stocked poorly. Biodiversity has declined rapidly and many animal species have become locally extinct. The Forest Department has established agroforestry and woodlot plantations as sustainable production system in the encroached and degraded forest area using a participatory approach. Some protected areas have also been established for conservation. Nevertheless, it is predicted that the present trend of management is inadequate and an intensive management policy is essential to restore the forest ecosystem. This paper explores trends of forest degradation, and past and present management initiatives, and recommends future management priorities.

Mangroves in South Asian countries, such as Bangladesh, India and Sri Lanka are unique in terms of their extent, variability and biodiversity. The world's single largest mangrove ecosystem, the Sundarbans, is present in this region. These countries are also exposed to catastrophic events such as tsunami and tropical cyclones against which mangroves can act as a barrier depending on their location and condition. The countries also share a common forest management history and face similar socio-economic challenges of protecting the remaining natural mangroves. Perhaps due to these factors the countries have some common elements in mangrove management, such as choice of silvicultural system, protection of existing natural forests, people's participation, ICZM approach, biodiversity conservation, zoning, promotion of non-exploiting uses, plantation for land reclamation and water infrastructure protection. In this paper, an overview of these management strategies has been provided in order to identify the main legal and management challenges. Changes in the silviculture system, adoption of ecosystem management approaches, revision of forest laws, and regional cooperation have been advocated to improve mangrove management.

This paper highlights the importance of careful selection of tree species for use in buffer zone agroforestry, as a conservation strategy for threatened forest resources. A case study from the Budongo Forest buffer zone in Uganda is used to elaborate the process, where local communities applied a pair-wise ranking system to establish priority tree species and technologies for agroforestry. Maesopsis eminii, Vernonia amygdalina and Lasiodiscus mildbraedii were the top three species selected for integration into the buffer zone farms. Their selection reflects the many good attributes experienced by farmers in the area, such as provision of timber, construction poles, and firewood. The most popular technologies were woodlots, boundary planting and shade trees (multistrata tree planting), in that order of priority. Areas for further research include an evaluation of the economic aspects of the species and technologies, on farm propagation and management protocols and markets for the tree products.

This paper analyses the impact of colonialism on the economic exploitation of the forest resources of south India and its consequences for the environment and hill inhabitants of the region during the pre-Forest Act colonial era, 1793–1882. It argues that the focus of the colonial forest policy was predominantly on the extraction of forest resources for commercial purposes and resulted in a negative impact on both the environment and tribal populace. Further, it argues that the colonial government policies were aimed at commercialising rather than conserving forest resources. In addition, colonial forest policy has led to the disintegration of the traditional tribal system as well as of their forest-oriented economy.

Three studies of the global economic implications of eliminating illegal logging are summarized. Processors of illegally sourced wood would lose from the elimination of illegal logging through high prices for logs and decreased production of wood products. Associated with these changes could be losses in employment and income. Beyond these losses to the processing industry, eliminating illegal logging has positive effects on sustainable forestry practices, and economic, environmental and social values in countries with illegal logging. The effects of illegal logging also extend beyond the countries in which illegal logging occurs. In almost all countries without illegal harvests the elimination of illegal logging is predicted to lead to significant increases in the price and production of wood products. This suggests that an economic incentive exists for legitimate producers in all countries to support measures to reduce illegal logging.

The growth of the bio-fuels sector and its effects on the convergence of markets for fuel, food and fibre are examined. The emergence of the bio-energy sector will create pressure on the price of lower quality wood, with the European Commission's binding renewable energy target in 2020 predicted to have the greatest impact on wood markets. A significant projected gap in the supply and demand for wood in Europe by 2020 will increase meaningfully the price of wood and create a shift in land use as the bio-energy sector develops away from forestry and towards the production of other crops which are even more attractive for the production of bioenergy.

Winners in this scenario are predicted to be tropical countries (which generally enjoy higher crop yields and have lower land and labor costs), owners of the land, owners of the key technologies, and solid wood processors (who would have an alternative outlet for their residual fibre). Losers would include existing users of residual wood fibre (who view the emerging bio-energy sector as a threat because of the upward pressure on fibre prices), forest dwellers without property rights, non-market goods and services, and biodiversity.