The challenge of improving forest conservation and the expansion of SFM as stated in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development demands that due consideration begiven to forest production. Sustainable forest production can contribute to enhanced rural livelihoods, rural development and low-carbon economies.The proposed Voluntary Guidelines focus on promoting sustainable forest management (SFM) in concessions of public natural production forests in tropical regions.They build on the ITTO Voluntary Principles and Guidelines for the Sustainable Management of Natural Tropical Forests, as well as...
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The Options Assessment Framework tool is provided on an "open source" basis to help policy makers assess their country's readiness for REDD+ benefit sharing mechanisms. Please enable macros in Excel. Be patient while it downloads -- it is a heavy file. The content in this tool was developed by PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP (the UK firm of PwC). The programming and interactive features within this tool were developed by Sean Delehunt. This tool is part of a volume of work supported by PROFOR on Making Benefit Sharing Arrangements Work for Forest-Dependent Communities: Insights for REDD+...
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The toolkit provides a framework, fieldwork mthods and analytic tools to understand and communicate the contribution of forests to the incomes of rural households. It is  presented in two parts: Part 1: The National Level guides the research needed at the natinoal level to understand and communicate the contriution of forest products to rural livelihoods; and Part 2: The Field Manual provides detailed guidance on carrying out fieldwork at the village level to assess the contribution of forest products to rural livelihoods. The Toolkit was created in partnership with CIFOR, IUCN, ODI, and...
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By: Priya Shyamsundar, Stefanie Onder, Sofia Ahlroth and Patti Kristjanson Five broad pathways can help launch the forest-dependent poor onto a sustainable path toward prosperity.  These pathways, referred to as PRIME, identify economic development strategies and build on the premise that forests themselves will remain intact.       PRODUCTIVITY: Growth in labor and resource productivity (P) is integral to economic development. In forested landscapes, labor productivity can be improved by enhancing individual and community skills in sustainable forest management.  Resource productivity can be...
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This guide describes a range of tools and approaches applicable to project designers, researchers, development practitioners and others with an interest in understanding the issues related to, and links between, forests, poverty and gender. It was developed through discussions with key forest experts, WBG staff and CGIAR researchers and government and non-governmental partners and a review of literature and web-based resources. In many cases, descriptions were taken directly from open access secondary sources such as WB, FAO, ICRAF, IUCN, CIFOR, etc. websites; and these collaborators are...
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CHALLENGE Forests and trees in rural landscapes contribute to human wellbeing in a variety of ways.  They provide a range of goods—from fruit to timber, fodder to firewood—and services such as pollination, hydrological regulation, and carbon sequestration that support the livelihoods of millions of people. Despite these contributions and growing recognition of the importance of landscape approaches, forests and trees often remain peripheral in wider development policy discussions. Part of the reason for this marginalization is that developing country decision-makers and planners lack the most...
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CHALLENGE In many African countries, native forests are under pressure from rapidly-spreading roads, dams and other infrastructure, as well as the allocation of large forest areas to mining, commercial agriculture, and other non-forest uses. Biodiversity offsets are one of the tools available to address such pressures. Offsets can be used to strengthen protected areas of similar or greater conservation value than the area lost to specific projects. The driving impetus for such offset schemes is usually biodiversity protection, although the associated conservation areas provide additional...
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CHALLENGE Forest governance reforms create “winners” and “losers.” Losers oppose the reforms and will likely sabotage the reform process. Would-be reformers must offset the resistance of losers. This is not easy since the losers are, typically, a small, well-entrenched and politically powerful group that can organize and act forcefully, while potential winners are part of a much larger and more scattered group, and less capable of organizing themselves for collective action, even when they stand to be directly affected directly. The success of reform often hinges on being able to overcome the...
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CHALLENGE Good forest governance has a central role in achieving sustainable forest management. It is also critical to ensure the effectiveness of plans to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from deforestation and forest degradation in developing countries (REDD), as well as to ensure the effectiveness of efforts to reduce illegal activities in the forest sector. Assessment and monitoring of governance are essential tools in promoting reforms to achieve better forest governance. Making available a compendium of evidence-based approaches to forest governance data collection could help countries...
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CHALLENGE About one-third of Mexico’s land area is covered by biodiversity-rich native forests, two-thirds of which are considered to have commercial potential.  Despite the biological riches and commercial potential, almost 55% of forest-dependent communities are extremely poor.  Particular to Mexico, some 80% of forests are owned by indigenous and other communities, giving forest land ownership a strong social nature.  Yet Mexico’s forest resources are far from meeting their potential for alleviating poverty and contributing to local development and the national economy.  While the...
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