The development challenges of an increasingly connected world demand ever more comprehensive answers – and forests are no exception. The risks to forests stem from multiple sources, from the development of mining and road infrastructure, to expanding agricultural production, to growing demand for wood fuels. To address these challenges in a sustainable manner, leaders and stakeholders from other sectors must be engaged to develop solutions that both minimize damage to forests and optimize forests’ contribution to those sectors - in short, “forest-smart” solutions. What’s more, forest-smart solutions contribute to addressing development challenges like food security, poverty reduction, and climate mitigation and adaptation.

In several sectors, forest-smart solutions are already emerging because the make economic sense. For example, nature-based infrastructure such as mangroves is often more cost-effective for flood and coastal protection than traditional infrastructure, investment in forests upstream from hydropower dams pays off by reducing sedimentation and extending the life of the damn, and trees on farms improve crop yields by improving soil quality. This session will explain what a forest-smart approach is and showcase how the World Bank, PROFOR, governments, and civil society are advancing this approach through innovative partnerships across sectors. Through opening remarks and an interactive panel conversation, the session will provide examples of how forest-smart mining, disaster risk management, energy and governance are improving development outcomes. 

Speakers will include Karin Kemper, Senior Director, Environment and Natural Resources Global Practice, World Bank; Pippa Howard, Director of Business & Biodiversity, Fauna and Flora International (FFI); Anthony McKenzie, Director for the Environmental Management and Conservation Division at the National Environment and Planning Agency, Jamaica; Stefan Schmitz, Head, Food, Agriculture and Rural Development Directorate, German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ); and Mohammad Rafi Qazizada, Director General of Natural Resources Management at Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock (MAIL) of Afghanistan.