PROFOR remained relevant, technically strong and innovative over its 18 years at the World Bank. From 2002 to 2020, it received $52 million from its donors and implemented over 270 activities across its four themes of livelihoods, governance, finance and cross-sectoral collaboration. These activities in turn leveraged approximately $1.6 billion of World Bank lending, a significant achievement in influence for a knowledge program. This PROFOR closing report assesses the...
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John Spears, known to many readers of this journal, passed away in September 2018. John’s long career and his influence on much of the international discourse in many areas of forest policy are well known and widely appreciated. The International Forestry Review acknowledged this by publishing a remembrance of Spears and his life’s work in the March 2019 issue (Lele et al. 2019). As that article noted, Spears’ contributions to thinking about forests, trees and sustainable development were extensive and influential. They resulted in significant actions taken both by the institution with which...
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This blog by Amanda Robbinse and Mily Kallaur was originally published on Governance for Development Since 1990, the area of primary forest in the world has shrunk by 81 million ha. The erasing of forests compromises essential ecosystems, biodiversity, water regulation and carbon sequestration, and threatens the well-being of people who rely directly or indirectly on forests for their livelihoods, food security and fuel, about...
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Photo: Shutterstock / Nico Jacobs This blog by Karin Erika Kemper was originally published on Development and a Changing Climate  Across the globe, wildfire seasons are becoming longer and harsher, and the frequency, intensity and magnitude of extreme wildfires is increasing . The 2020 wildfire season is now on the horizon, and, given the driest summer in Latin America in 14 years, promises to be devastating. In addition, wildfires will be another burden for...
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In recent years, wildfire seasons have become longer and harsher, causing significant ecological, economic and social damage. In 2019 and into 2020, fires burned across the globe—in the Amazon, Alaska, Australia, California, Europe, Indonesia and Russia—ravaging ecosystems, communities and economies.  For the most part, such extreme wildfires are the result of policy, planning and governance decisions related to land use, coupled with increasingly adverse weather conditions due to climate change. When combined, these factors create the conditions for wildfires to grow into extreme wildfires...
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This blog by Karin Erika Kemper was originally published on Voices. Planes are grounded, streets are eerily empty, while schools, factories and businesses deemed non-essential are closed. With more than a third of the planet’s population locked down because of the deadly coronavirus, there is a disquieting hush across the world.  Over 2.4 million cases of the virus have been recorded worldwide, and the death toll so far is at least 165,000. The economic fallout is unfathomable, and much of...
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68% of Liberia’s land surface is covered by forests, making it the most forested country in West Africa; and the forests have a high biodiversity and commercial value. Liberia’s forest sector contributes 10% to the national economy and serves as an important source of livelihoods and employment for more than a third of Liberia’s population that lives in forested areas.    Despite these important contributions, Liberia`s forests are under threat and need to be better managed; net forest depletion increased from 0.5% in 2005 to 32% in 2015 and the deforestation rate is estimated at 0.46% per...
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This piece by Meerim Shakirova and Nalin Kishor was originally published by the Climate Investment Funds. Improving governance is key to addressing the drivers of deforestation and forest degradation, and ensuring overall sustainable forest management. This is especially true in Côte d’Ivoire, where forest governance is complex and includes processes and institutions—formal and otherwise—through which government agencies, citizens, and other groups articulate their interests, exercise their legal rights, meet obligations, and mediate differences.   The Climate Investment Funds (CIF) and the...
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  Geothermal resource is one of Indonesia’s largest potential sources of renewable energy with an estimated capacity of 29 gigawatts (GW) per year. The development of the geothermal power sector provides a significant opportunity to address Indonesia’s power shortages and extend access to electricity, especially in remote parts of the country, while supporting Indonesia’s target of producing 23% of its energy through new and renewable energy resources by 2025.    Unlocking Indonesia’s geothermal power potential, however, has been constrained by policy restrictions, implementation challenges,...
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Forest-dwelling communities and people who live in forests and depend on them for their livelihoods are often among the poorest and politically most marginalized population in their countries. About 22% of the income for the rural poor living near forests comes from timber and non-timber forest resources. This economic contribution of forest resources is larger than wage labour, livestock or self-owned businesses. The tenure systems of such forest-...
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