Forests, Trees and the Eradication of Poverty: Potential and Limitations
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IUFRO World Series Vol. 39 IUFRO Series Vol. World Forests, Trees and the Eradication of Poverty: Potential and Limitations A Global Assessment Report Editors: Daniel C. Miller, Stephanie Mansourian and Christoph Wildburger IUFRO World Series Vol. 39 Forests, Trees and the Eradication of Poverty: Potential and Limitations A Global Assessment Report Editors: Daniel C. Miller, Stephanie Mansourian and Christoph Wildburger Funding support for this publication was provided by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland, the United States Forest Service and the Austrian Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Regions and Tourism. The views expressed within this publication do not necessarily reflect the official policy of the governments represented by these institutions/agencies or the institutions to whom the authors are affiliated. Publisher: International Union of Forest Research Organizations (IUFRO) Recommended catalogue entry: Daniel C. Miller, Stephanie Mansourian & Christoph Wildburger (eds.), 2020. Forests, Trees and the Eradication of Poverty: Potential and Limitations. A Global Assessment Report. IUFRO World Series Volume 39. Vienna. 240 p. ISBN 978-3-903345-06-5 ISSN 1016-3263 Published by: International Union of Forest Research Organizations (IUFRO) Available from: IUFRO Headquarters Secretariat Marxergasse 2 1030 Vienna Austria Tel +43 (0)1 877 01 51-0 E-mail [email protected] www.iufro.org Language editor: Stephanie Mansourian Layout: Eugénie Hadinoto Cover photographs: Jennifer Zavaleta Cheek, Nelson Grima, Reem Hajjar Printed in Austria by Eigner Druck, Tullner Straße 311, 3040 Neulengbach, Austria Preface Since its establishment in the year 2007, the Global Forest Expert Panels (GFEP) initiative of the Collaborative Partnership on Forests (CPF) has been effectively linking scientific knowledge with politi- cal decision-making on forests. GFEP responds directly to key forest-related policy questions by consoli- dating available scientific knowledge and expertise on these questions at a global level. It provides de- cision-makers with the most relevant, objective and accurate information, and thus makes an essential contribution to increasing the quality and effectiveness of international forest governance. This report, titled “Forests, Trees and the Eradication of Poverty: Potential and Limitations”, presents the results of the seventh global scientific assessment undertaken so far within the framework of GFEP. All assessment reports are prepared by internationally recognised scientists from a variety of biophysical and social science disciplines. The publications are presented to stakeholders across relevant interna- tional policy fora. In this way, GFEP supports a more coherent policy dialogue about the role of forests in addressing the broader environmental, social and economic challenges reflected in the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Poverty is one of the greatest challenges facing humanity. Globally, one out of every 10 people lives in extreme poverty. Poverty eradication has therefore found a place at the top of the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. “End poverty in all its forms everywhere” is the first Goal of this Agenda, which is supported by all 193 UN member states. The international community is now stepping up efforts to achieve this goal, especially in response to the severe setback caused by the Covid-19 pan- demic. The zoonotic nature of the Covid-19 virus has also illustrated the urgency to reduce human pres- sure on nature. One way to relieve this pressure and alleviate poverty is to recognize and further optimize the critical role of forests and trees as allies in the fight against poverty. This report consolidates available scientific evidence on the wide range of contributions which forests and trees outside forests make to curbing pover- ty, and on the effectiveness of diverse forest management policies, programs, technologies and strategies. It does so based on an understanding of poverty not only in terms of monetary values, but also as an obstacle that keeps people from attaining a certain level of well-being and participating fully in society. Poor and vulnerable people often depend on the use of natural resources and, in many regions, they are able to harness forest goods and services to manage and mitigate risk, especially in the face of crises. It is therefore essential to take into account the role that forests play in development in general, and in achieving poverty eradication, in particular. Scientific reports like the one in hand are important tools for supporting policy-makers and stakeholders in their ambition to ensure sustainable development and to advance the implementation of the United Nations 2030 Agenda. I would like to thank the Chair of the Global Forest Expert Panel on Forests and Poverty, Daniel C. Miller, GFEP Coordinator Christoph Wildburger, GFEP Editor Stephanie Mansourian, and the GFEP Team for their excellent work in guiding the assessment process and in leading the development of this publication. It is my sincere hope that those with a responsibility for implementing the SDGs at all levels will find this report, and its accompanying policy brief, a useful source of information and inspiration. Alexander Buck IUFRO Executive Director 5 Acknowledgements This publication is the product of the collaborative work of scientific experts within the framework of the Global Forest Expert Panel (GFEP) assessment on Forests and Poverty, who served in different capaci- ties as panel members and authors. We express our sincere gratitude to all of them: Arun Agrawal, Jennifer Alix-Garcia, Maria Brockhaus, Sarah E. Brown, James T. Erbaugh, Dikshya Devkota, Mónica Gabay, Reem Hajjar, Karl Hughes, David Humphreys, Markus Ihalainen, Pamela A. Jagger, Gillian Kabwe, Judith Kamoto, P.P. Krishnapriya, Patricia M. Kristjanson, Patrice Bigombe Logo, Samuel Mawutor, Blaise-Pascal Ntirumenyerwa Mihigo, Doris N. Mutta, Peter Newton, Johan A. Oldekop, Symphorien Ongolo, Pablo Pacheco, Nitin D. Rai, Laura Vang Rasmussen, Onja H. Razafindratsima, Casey Ryan, Laura Aileen Sauls, George Schoneveld, Priya Shyamsundar, Erin O. Sills, Conghe Song, Dietmar Stoian, Kira A. Sullivan- Wiley, Terry Sunderland, Joleen Timko, Jianmin Xiao. Jennifer Zavaleta Cheek and Yue Zhao. Without their efforts and commitments, the preparation of this publication would not have been pos- sible. We are also grateful to the institutions and organisations to which the authors are affiliated for enabling them to contribute their expertise to this assessment. At the same time, we wish to note that the views expressed within this publication do not necessarily reflect the official policy of these institutions and organisations. We acknowledge, and also sincerely thank, the reviewers of the report, whose comments have greatly improved the quality of this publication: Sofia Ahlroth, William L. Ascher, David Conte, Julia P. G. Jones, Thais Linhares-Juvenal, Adrian Martin, Alexandre Meybeck, Sheona Shackleton, Carsten Smith-Hall, Andrew Taber and Bhaskar Vira. We furthermore thank Anneli Cers, Carly Hopkings and Katia Nakamura for their support in preparation of the report. We also gratefully acknowledge the generous financial and in-kind support provided by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland, the United States Forest Service and the Austrian Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Regions and Tourism. Our special thanks go to the IUFRO Secretariat for providing indispensable administrative and techni- cal support. Furthermore, we would like to thank the member organisations of the Collaborative Partner- ship on Forests (CPF) for providing their in-kind contributions and overall guidance to the assessment. We are particularly grateful to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (Rome, Italy), the University of Michigan (Ann Arbor, USA) and the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) and World Agroforestry (ICRAF) (Nairobi, Kenya) for hosting expert meetings. Daniel C. Miller Chair Stephanie Mansourian Christoph Wildburger Content Editor GFEP Coordinator 7 Contents Preface .................................................................................................................................... 5 Acknowledgements ................................................................................................................ 7 List of Acronyms and Abbreviations ................................................................................... 10 1. Introduction: Forests, Trees and Poverty ........................................................................ 13 Coordinating lead author: Daniel C. Miller Lead authors: Jennifer Zavaleta Cheek, Peter Newton, Christoph Wildburger, Terry Sunderland and Pamela A. Jagger 2. Key Concepts for Understanding Forest-Poverty Dynamics .......................................... 33 Coordinating lead authors: Pamela A. Jagger and Jennifer Zavaleta Cheek Lead authors: Daniel C. Miller, Casey Ryan, Onja H. Razafindratsima, Priya Shyamsundar and Erin O. Sills 3. Forest-Poverty Dynamics: Current State of Knowledge ................................................. 55 Coordinating lead authors: Onja H. Razafindratsima and Judith Kamoto Lead authors: Erin O. Sills, Doris N. Mutta, Conghe Song, Terry Sunderland, Gillian Kabwe and Casey Ryan Contributing authors: Sarah E. Brown,