Vienna, Virginia, USA – 12 March, 2015 – USAID Peru and Chemonics International have engaged Synergy to implement the Control Module of the National Information System for Forestry and Wildlife (MC-SNIFFS) for the National Forest and Wildlife Service of Peru (SERFOR), which is intended to become the country’s primary source of forest information management. This project is part of the larger USAID-funded Peru Bosques project implemented by Chemonics, a major international development company.
The envisioned online system will streamline national forestry management and reduce the trade of illegal species by effectively tracking the full chain of custody of forest products. This includes forest zoning and planning, concession management, annual harvest planning, and the issuance of transportation permits to verify the legal origin of timber exports.
To effectively develop the envisioned system and improve tracking of timber products, the Peruvian government, with support from USAID and the US Forest Service, first convened all 18 institutions and regional governments involved in the timber chain-of-custody. These stakeholders collaboratively mapped out each institution’s business processes and documentation requirements, identifying overlaps between the institutions and improving the efficiency and consistency of information across ministries. The MC-SNIFFS will build on this foundation to consolidate and automate the execution of annual operating plans, timber harvest, transport and export, and finally the inspection and export of products.