The World Bank published a story highlighting the importance of investing in forests in order to alleviate poverty, secure livelihoods and safeguard the environment.
The story recalls the shift in strategy for forest investments which occurred with the adoption of the Forest Strategy in 2002 which set three objectives, mobilizing forests to: reduce poverty, strengthen economies, and protect and strengthen the environment.
29 January 2013: The World Bank has published a story highlighting the importance of investing in forests in order to alleviate poverty, secure livelihoods and safeguard the environment. The story recalls the shift in strategy for forest investments that occurred with the adoption of the Forest Strategy in 2002, which set the three objectives of mobilizing forests to reduce poverty, strengthen economies, and protect and strengthen the environment.
The story highlights the role of forests in providing ecosystem services such as food, shelter, raw materials, clean water and carbon sequestration and storage. However, the piece also considers threats to forests, including land pressures from agriculture, mining, energy, and an improved transportation network, noting that 14.5 million hectares of forests are lost per year in some regions.
The World Bank reports that between 2002 and 2011, it approved 289 forest-related projects in 75 countries. The story highlights a research project on deforestation in the Congo Basin, a programme to increase forest cover in China, support for the landscape approach in Albania and the creation of forest cooperatives in Ethiopia. Outcomes from the projects contribute to increased community control of forests, reduced greenhouse gas emissions, reduced soil erosion and improved incomes.
With regard to the advancement of Forest Law Enforcement and Governance (FLEG), the story profiles partnerships with the European Union as well as the Program on Forests (PROFOR). In-country examples include legal and regulatory review and reform in Cameron and the Democratic Republic of Congo, improved sustainable forest management in Gabon and Liberia and stronger support for community forestry in Mexico.
Finally, the story highlights investments in protected areas, as well as climate change mitigation investments through the Forest Carbon Partnership Facility (FCPF), the Forest Investment Program (FIP) and the Biocarbon Fund. [Publication: Sustaining Forests and Livelihoods in a Changing World]