1 TEACHER 2 PUBLIC RELATION OFFICER 3 PUBLIC RELATIONS IN FOREST MANAGEMENT: EXPERIENCE FROM SRI...
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Transcript of 1 TEACHER 2 PUBLIC RELATION OFFICER 3 PUBLIC RELATIONS IN FOREST MANAGEMENT: EXPERIENCE FROM SRI...
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PUBLIC RELATIONS IN FOREST MANAGEMENT:EXPERIENCE FROM SRI LANKA
By
MANGALA DE ZOYSADepartment of Agricultural Economics
Faculty of AgricultureUniversity of Ruhuna
SRI LANKA
The Kik-Off-Meeting: "PR Professional for Forest Sciences"
SWITZERLAND
May 12th ~ 15th, 2002
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INTRODUCTION Forest resources:
85% before 1881 - depleted ~ 44% in 1950 and 24% presently Due to land use, population, settlements, socio-economic change and
illicit felling
60% of forestland (895,000 ha.) degraded land
PR has gained recognition in Forest Management
PR consider as tool for: Damage Control Crisis Management
PR gives professional status to professional practice
Con…...
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Forest Authority in Sri Lanka is still:
Consider PR less important
Less understand PR functions
Little understand PR scope and skills of Forester
And, there is no PR division
Important to discuss need for strategy concepts for effective PR
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THE PUBLIC
A group has actual or potential interest in or impact on FA
Facilitate or impede FA to achieve goals
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A. Media Public
Newspapers, magazines, radio, television station
Facilitate better media coverage for forest related news
Favorable news features on new management strategies
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B. CITIZEN - ACTION PUBLIC
Citizen's organization, Environmental groups, NGOs etc.
Control unforeseeable practices and conditions
Eg: Intensive logging of natural forest according to Forest
Master Plan in 1986 was criticized
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C. LOCAL PUBLIC
Forest neighborhood residents and Community
organizations
Very important to control encroachments and illicit
felling
Main actor in forest resource management
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D. GENERAL PUBLIC
Concern towards environment, forest products & services,
management practices etc.
Eg: Logging ban in natural rain forest in 1990
Need to have strong corporate citizen's image
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PUBLIC RELATIONS
A broad operation rather than a narrow communication
Establishes and maintains mutual beneficial relationships between FA and public Highly innovative to establish and manage forest plantations
Review and analysis FA goals, objectives, policies and procedures
Identifying harmony between FA and public & social environment
About truth that will have to be shared with its publics
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ENVIRONMENT FOR PR
A. POLICY ISSUES Should be part and parcel to implement strategies effectively
Give secure title for tenure rights and usufruct rights "Joint forest management" and "leasehold forestry" in Forestry Policy
in 1995
Forestry Master Plan in 1997 public in decision for policies, plans and processes
People-driven, people-centered, and based on "bottom-up" planning and decision making
Extension initiatives shows government commitment
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B. ECONOMIC SYSTEM
Opportunity cost of conserving 10,000 ha/yr. Rs. 45 million
Forest prevent environment degradation, promote economic
development and alleviation poverty
Management should change from tree management to
ecosystem management
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C. LEVEL OF ACTIVISM
"Taungya System" / "Co-operative Reforestation Scheme"
Scheme abandoned due to agitation by environmental groups
Modified system implemented by lease holding participants
Community and participatory forestry on a small scale
Incentives: employment in planting and sharing produces
Production capacity expanded with financial assistance
Participatory tree growing in environmentally sensitive areas
Planted trees in non-forest lands
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D. CULTURE Values expressed in people's relationship to themselves,
others, institutions, society, and nature
Sub-cultures shared values from special experiences or circumstances
Effective conservation is very difficult with pressure by people
Managed under common property regime with complex of norms and conventions to regulate individual rights
Forest management has to thrive on public opinion
Foresters have to broaden concept of forestry and address problems thrown up by a changing society
Integrating PR into forest management should consider: Existing rights to lands and resources; History of people's use Claims and counter-claims on current and future use
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E. MEDIA CULTURE
Forest extension envisage PR through media
Media culture discuss: Who own the media Who control the media The outreaches of media Access to media
Mass Media is equally owned by government and private sector
Government has the full control over the media on public issues
Reach public widely through infrastructure network in the small island
92% literacy and social status create high access to media
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Media to bring attention of the public towards
Forest products and services
Management organization and management ideas
Extension education programs utilized to reach public
Community forestry project in 1982 attempted to act as catalyst
in creating community awareness
MANAGEMENT OBJECTIVES OF PR
A. BUILD AWARENESS
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B. BUILD CREDIBILITY
Add credibility to Foresters by communicating messages
concerning forest management
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D. HOLD DOWN COST OF
EXTENSION SERVICES
Cost is less than direct-communication and media
advertising
Not only efficient but also an effective communication
strategy
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FUNCTIONS OF PR
A PR Division has to be established in Forest Authority
Deal with public-stockholders, legislators, community
leaders
All the employees have to involved in PR
The major functions of PR division are:
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B. PRODUCT OR SERVICE PUBLICITY
Publicize specific benefits and services
Various products and services to various publics
Education is imparted at every level School children and adults Villagers and town dwellers Bureaucrats and technocrats
Variety of environmental problems including deforestation
Extension attention on social repercussions of forest utilization
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C. CORPORATE COMMUNICATIONS
A two-way system, not just giving or disseminating information
Communication is the base of PR
Communication is influenced by the culture
Promote understanding among staff and publics
Communication for motivation, leadership and productivity National Forestry Extension Service established covering
administrative districts
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D. MANAGEMENT LOBBING
Legislators and officials to promote or defeat legislation and
regulation
Public Action Committee (PAC) lobby government and put
pressure on FA
Study and deal with public interest groups and issues
Focus on the social repercussions
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A. PROVIDE EXPERT PRESCRIPTIONS
Not merely silviculture but effective management
Collaboration with research organizations to: Develop strategy and institution to involve public Disseminating results and information effectively Establish mechanism for linking research and extension
Technologies for conservation and multiple production systems
Technologies economically feasible, technically sound and benefits of public
Concern agriculture, energy, environment and forestry
Increased awareness about seriousness of forest crisis
BASIC ELEMENTS REQUIRED FOR PR FUNCTIONS
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B. EVOLVE PROBLEM-SOLVING PROCESS
Monitor attitude of public and communicate to build goodwill
Act as a trouble-shooter with knowledge and goodwill
Play dynamic role encompassing broad spectrum of social, economical and political aspects
Understanding of land use management with local economy
Assess needs of people which earlier met with forest lands
Develop organizational structure and management mechanism to bring together other institutes and organizations to devise cooperate plan and policies
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C. FACILITATE COMMUNICATION Finding effective ways and means of communicating public
Established Forest Extension for community development Participatory Forestry Project to strengthen adaptive and on-farm
research, extension & education
People’s forestry based on effective communication through bottom-up planning and decision making
Non-personal communication carry important messages Media, Atmospheres, Events
Arrange news conference, exhibition etc. to convince the policy makers, interest groups, citizens groups and media
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Easiest measure of effectiveness of campaign
Number of exposures to information
Indicate how many people actually read, heard, or recall
the message and what they thought afterward
A. EXPOSURES
EVALUATING RESULTS OF PR
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B. AWARENESS / COMPREHENSION / ATTITUDE CHANGE
Change in awareness, comprehension and attitude resulting
from PR campaign
How many people recall hearing the news item?
How many people told others about it?
How many changed their mind after learning it?
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C. BENEFIT CONTRIBUTION
Public support in forest management to reap environmental,
social and economic benefits through PR campaign
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A. PR SKILLS
Possess scope of PR and PR skills in forest management
Have a planned and sustained effort to maintain goodwill and mutual understanding between FA and public
Acceptance of research evaluation and dialogue between FA and public
No longer concern of only technical forest specialist
Act as a Community Relation Officer
Become middle level manager, policy maker, community leader and rural folk
Expertise from other disciplines such as ecology, economics, law, community development etc
FORESTERS AS PR OFFICER
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B. PERSONAL QUALITIES
PR practice is discipline, which looks after reputation
Forester is known as a reputation manager
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C. POSITIVE ATTITUDE
Look at forest management and his service favorably
Attitude of Forester, FA and Public should react and
determine mutual relationships to implement strategies
Favorable attitude in terms of productivity, job tenure and
other criteria related to forestry
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MATTERS NEED ANALYSES
How much of the responsibilities in practice do actually fall
within the forest officer?
Whether we have foresters who are capable of performing
these tasks?
How much can a forester do within the prevailing
organizational culture in the FA?
Con…..
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The end results of all these activities are aimed at
maintaining and strengthening reputation of an
organization through utilizing to the maximum, a
carefully selected set of methods based on sound
research