Neil Bird’s research interests lie in tropical forest management, and much of his work over the last ten years, based in Belize and Guyana, has dealt with the issue of sustainability: how it is defined, how it can be put into practice and equity issues arising from this process. He has been involved in the development of forest resource assessment methods, the definition of forest management standards, and the establishment of institutional procedures that promote good forest management.

Governance has been a long-standing theme in much of Neil’s work. He has been involved in a number of studies that have examined transparency and accountability in decision-making within the forest sector. He has also contributed to improvements in regulatory systems, having worked on forest law and regulations, the rationalisation of timber licensing and the development of forest certification.

Neil trained as a forester and has almost twenty years of experience as a development professional. Prior to joining ODI, Neil worked as a long-term adviser within several forest departments, most recently in Guyana (1999 to 2002) and prior to that in Belize (1992 to 1998) and Ghana (1988 to 1991).

BSc (Forestry), MSc (Forestry and its Relation to Land Use).

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Opinion Papers
The REDD road to Copenhagen: Readiness for what? ODI Opinion 118
This Opinion points out that REDD is attractive in three ways: the potential for mitigation of climate change, the conservation of  biodiversity and from a development perspective. However,  the Opinion concludes that REDD readiness requires an understanding first the social, institutional and political conditions that drive land use change and that often operate beyond the forest sector at local, national and international scales. Efforts to deliver an abatement mechanism should wait until there is increased confidence that these drivers can be countered in ways that are both developmentally sound and socially just.
Neil Bird and David Brown		November 2008
Recent bilateral initiatives for climate financing: Are they moving in the right direction? ODI Opinion 112
Governments worldwide are debating how best to respond to the many challenges set by climate change. Within this debate there is growing recognition that national funding efforts need to be complemented by additional finance at the international level.
Neil Bird		September 2008
MDGs and the environment: Are environmental institutions 'fit for purpose'? ODI Opinion 110
Millennium Development Goal 7 is, simply put: ‘to ensure environmental sustainability’. Local efforts on environmental sustainability are linked intimately to global commitments. Achieving this goal, therefore, depends heavily on action at both the national and international level. The role of the national government administration, in particular, is critical to the delivery of environmental results. The question to be asked is whether these government institutions are ‘fit for purpose’?
Neil Bird		September 2008
Briefing Papers and Natural Resource Perspectives
Changing aid delivery and the environment ODI Briefing Paper 17
This paper examines how environmental objectives are pursued by donors in a context where aid delivery mechanisms are changing, asking how donor support can best be delivered to meet environmental objectives.
Neil Bird and Lidia Cabral		March 2007
New Technologies in support of Forest Governance: factors influencing success VERIFOR Briefing Paper 7
This paper examines how new technologies are being introduced as a means to strengthen national forest governance systems, taking the example of Brazil where their uptake is advancing rapidly. Some key elements to consider when contemplating the introduction of new technologies are described.
Neil Bird and Hans Thiel		Feb 2007
Convergence between Certification and Verification in the drive to Legality Assurance: assessing the pros and cons VERIFOR Briefing Paper 6
This paper examines how new technologies are being introduced as a means to strengthen national forest governance systems, taking the example of Brazil where their uptake is advancing rapidly. Some key elements to consider when contemplating the introduction of new technologies are described.
David Brown and Neil Bird		Feb 2007
Developmental Impacts of Verification Systems in the Forest Sector VERIFOR Briefing Paper 3
Briefing Paper from the VERIFOR Project: Institutional Options for Forest Verification.
Neil Bird and Kate Schreckenberg		2006
Public Goods and Private Rights: the Illegal Logging Debate and the Rights of the Poor ODI Forestry Briefing 9
This briefing paper applies a rights perspective to understanding legal and institutional reform of the tropical forest sector. The sector is characterised by strongly competing interests, and massive differences in the power of stakeholders to influence the application of the law. The regulatory regime governing the sector often discriminates against the poor. This is of particular concern in the context of donor- and industry-led initiatives to combat illegal logging. Upholding legal frameworks which already fail to accommodate local rights could compound injustices. A rights perspective focuses attention on the channels by which the poor can contest and uphold their claims in the face of national and international interests in the forest sector.
David Brown, Adrian Wells, Cecilia Luttrell and Neil Bird		February 2006
Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers: making the case for forestry ODI Forestry Briefing 7
This paper argues that forestry coverage is limited within most Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers. There is also little exploration of the links between poverty reduction strategies and sector processes, such as national forest programmes. It is therefore unlikely that forestry issues will appear high on the national political agenda, which is now much influenced by the poverty reduction debate. This may affect budgetary allocations to the sector, and reduce the opportunities for cross-sectoral coordination. The contribution that forestry can make to poverty reduction has to be better understood and then communicated effectively in national policy circles. Sustainable forest management can probably play only a minor role in a growth-orientated, nationally accountable poverty reduction strategy. Yet through tenurial reform forests have the potential to provide significant, long lasting benefits for the rural poor.
Neil Bird and and Chris Dickson		March 2005
Background Notes
Recent international trade patterns in timber products for the Verifor case study countries VERIFOR Information Note
A major driver behind the development of national verification systems is the expectation that exported timber may soon have to demonstrate that it has been produced in compliance with the laws of the producer country. For example, this is a key element of the Voluntary Partnership Agreements (VPAs) being developed under the EU’s FLEGT Action Plan. The nature of timber product exports is therefore likely to be a key determinant of how different producer countries move forward this reform agenda. The twelve Verifor country case studies encompass a wide range of situations, with different levels of exports, different key markets and differing recent trends evident. This note examines trade across these countries, to help understand the different stages of legal verification to be found in each country.
Neil Bird		December 2007
Human Rights and Poverty Reduction. Public goods and private rights: The illegal logging debate and the rights of the poor Rights in Action Background Paper
Public goods and private rights: The illegal logging debate and the rights of the poor
David Brown, Adrian Wells, Cecilia Luttrell and Neil Bird		March 2005
Ghana's Experience in Timber Verification System Design VERIFOR case study
Case study from the VERIFOR Project: Institutional Options for Forest Verification
Neil Bird, Timothée Fometé and Gene Birikorang		2006
Policy Planning and Implementation Series. No. 17: 'National Forest Programmes' Key Sheet No. 17
National forest programmes (nfps) are a globally adopted framework for forest policy, planning and implementation at the country level.
Neil Bird		November 2002
Others
New Global Environmental Funds Report
This paper begins by describing the existing architecture with regard to international funding for environmental actions, focusing on two pre-eminent institutions within this architecture: the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and the World Bank. The desire to achieve more immediate impacts is a major driving force behind the donor countries’ interest in creating new funding mechanisms, as first signaled at the 2005 G-8 Summit meeting in Gleneagles – and likely to be repeated at the 2008 G-8 meeting in Hokkaido Toyako. The document reviews eight new bilateral funds and six multilateral funds established to address the challenges related to climate change. Each of these new funding initiatives is described, focusing on three characteristics: (i) stated objectives; (ii) means of financing and disbursement; and (iii) aspects of fund governance. This latter aspect is a key concern, taking into account the considerable sensitivity associated with the way funds will be controlled and disbursed.
Gareth Porter, Neil Bird, Nanki Kaur and Leo Peskett		July 2008
Goverment institutions, public expenditure and the role of development partners: meeting the new environmental challenges of the developing world Report
Final report from the 'Budget support, aid instruments and the environment - The country context' study, which examines the linkages between environmental policies and outcomes, public expenditure on the environment and the influence of different modalities of development cooperation.
Andrew Lawson and Neil Bird		March 2008
Papua New Guinea Forest Studies Reports
History of the Forestry Sector Examines the development of the forest sector from Independence (in 1975) to the present. It explores the way the sector has evolved, and identifies a tension between the customary ownership of forests and the State's view of forests as a national resource. The current legal and institutional framework of the sector Reviews the current legal and institutional framework governing the administration of the forest sector in Papua New Guinea. From the evidence examined, the review concludes that the main requirements for reform at this stage concern fulfilment by the state of its responsibilities. Issues and opportunities for the Forestry Sector Looks at the economic case for forestry in Papua New Guinea. In broad societal terms the importance of the sector lies in its development potential of bringing incomes, jobs, infrastructure and services to remote rural areas.
Neil Bird, Adrian Wells, Flip van Helden, Ruth Turia		January 2007
Addressing Environmental Objectives in the Context of Budget Support Report
A report from Neil's recent project, asking which aid instruments are best suited to promote environmental management that contributes to poverty reduction and development, and under which circumstances?
Neil Bird		2006

Current projects
Environmental sustainability within the new development agenda: opportunities and challenges for the civil society
The purpose of this study is to identify the tools that environmental civil society organisations can deploy and the policy positions they can promote in the post-Paris development agenda to ensure that long-term environmental impacts in developing countries benefit both poor people and the environment.
Neil Bird		July - October 2008
Development co-operation and climate change adaptation
Guidelines on how to incorporate climate change adaptation into development co-operation are currently being prepared and will provide guidance to both development partners and national governments in developing countries on how to incorporate climate change adaptation concerns into policy and development operations.
Neil Bird and Lidia Cabral		February - May 2008
New Global Environmental Funds
The purpose of this study is to obtain all pertinent information and to present an analysis of recent developments and trends in global environmental finance.
Neil Bird and Leo Peskett		February - June 2008
Public environmental expenditure within multi-year budgetary frameworks
This study, undertaken with the OECD Environment Directorate, examines how multi-year budgetary processes work in practice in both high income OECD countries ( Australia and the Netherlands) and in aid-receiving countries (Armenia, South Africa and Uganda). A main objective of the study is to identify the opportunities for, and limits to, financing environmental management through general budget support.
Neil Bird, Geoff Handley and Edward Hedger		November 2007 – March 2008
VERIFOR: Institutional Options for Verifying Legality in the Forest Sector
VERIFOR is concerned with the policy, institutional and legal challenges around the issue of illegal logging. It seeks to help tropical producer countries verify that their timber has been legally harvested.
David Brown, Cecilia Luttrell, Adrian Wells, Neil Bird, Kate Schreckenberg		February 2005 - January 2009
Budget Support, Aid Instruments and the Environment - The country context
Neil Bird and Cecilia Luttrell, together with ODI researchers Lidia Cabral and Andrew Lawson, will examine country experience of public expenditure on the environment and how this is influenced by development partners. Four country case studies, in Ghana, Mali, Mozambique and Tanzania, will be undertaken and a synthesis report prepared.
Neil Bird, Cecilia Luttrell, Lidia Cabral and Andrew Lawson		July 2007 -February 2008
The Poverty-Forests Toolkit: showing what forests mean to the poor
Forestry often has a low profile within national policies and strategies for poverty reduction because the contribution of forest products and services to rural livelihoods is not sufficiently understood. The Poverty-Forests Toolkit aims to address this gap.
Neil Bird		February 2007-June 2008

Completed projects
Forest Sector Studies, Papua New Guinea
ODI prepared three papers, to be presented at the "Seminar on Trees and Tree Products for the Future of Papua New Guinea" in December 2006: History of the Forest Sector; Audit of the Forest Sector; and Potential of the Forest Sector. The studies form part of a programme aiming to ‘provide a forum for a participatory approach to drawing up a plan for the future of the forestry industry in Papua New Guinea'.
Neil Bird, Adrian Wells , Flip van Helden and David Brown		December 2006
Addressing Environmental Objectives in the Context of Budget Support
The question that lies at the heart of this study is which aid instruments are best suited to promote environmental management that contributes to poverty reduction and development, and under which circumstances? General Budget Support (GBS) was a response to the dissatisfaction over the effectiveness of earlier aid delivery mechanisms, particularly concern over limited national ownership and resource allocation under project and programme support. Its origins are closely associated with the introduction of Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers (PRSPs) as a focus for collaboration between donors and partner countries.
Neil Bird, Lidia Cabral, Andrew Lawson and David Brown		May - December 2006