INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY FOR FOREST LAW ENFORCEMENT AND GOVERNANCE

This PROFOR/World Bank study shows how ICT can strengthen forest law enforcement and governance—but only when paired with realistic incentives, user-centered design, and institutional change. As Troy Etulain describes in the report’s lessons, the Lao PDR and Moldova pilots moved beyond gadgets to a process: start with e-readiness, identify organizational bottlenecks, build fit-for-purpose tools (mobile data, mapping, dashboards), and measure adoption—not just deployment.

The guidance stresses a long-term e-government strategy, strategic communication, knowing the actual users (inspectors, communities), careful sequencing & scale-up, partnerships, and M&E to avoid “pilotitis.”

The broader takeaway matches Etulain’s pragmatism: treat ICT as a means to transparency, accountability and efficiency, not an end—so forest agencies can move from one-off pilots to repeatable, scalable governance improvements.