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FORESTS FOR POVERTY REDUCTION: Opportunities in the Asia-Pacific Region The role of forests in reducing poverty
By Rowena Soriaga and Peter Walpole
State forest agencies have a critical responsibility to support efforts for national level progress towards the Millennium Development Goals. This is especially true given the extent of national land under their jurisdiction and the magnitude of extreme poverty found on these lands. In five countries in Southeast Asia, state forests cover between 33% and 60% of the country, while the proportion of the rural population living below the poverty line ranges from 12%-40%. In South Asia, 27%-53% of the rural population falls below the poverty line, and state forests cover 2%-37% of land resources.
The evolving definition of poverty, and improvements in monitoring criteria and indicators (e.g. the MDG indicators and the Human Development Index - HDI) enable poverty reduction strategies to be put at the forefront of solutions for sustainable forest management. In the future, refined statistics on forests and poverty may be more easily available as definitions for ‘forest dependency' and ‘poverty' are further elaborated and quantified.
Forests can make a significant contribution to poverty reduction in countries with relatively high forest resources (more than 50% forest cover) and a medium HDI score (e.g. Bhutan, Lao, Cambodia, Myanmar, Indonesia and Malaysia). However, in countries with lower HDI scores and fewer forest resources, the needs of the poor are harder to meet.
Impact of reduced poverty on forest sustainability
The first six MDGs are prerequisites for environmental sustainability. This factor enables the forestry sector to hold simultaneous discussions on how to meet basic needs and practice sustainable forest management. Over the past few years, such discussions have occurred more widely with a growing recognition of the importance of good governance.
Reducing poverty in rural areas can lead to a decreased pressure on forest resources and thus improve chances for sustainability. Other factors can also promote sustainability – for example, increased participation by women in managing household finances can lead to a more judicious use of forestderived income, and a keener respect for sustainable harvesting techniques.
Five of the nine indicators for MDG7 (forest: land ratio, coverage of protected areas, access to safe drinking water, access to sanitation, use of solid fuel) relate directly to forest-people dynamics and as such, reaffirm the importance of addressing poverty through forest management.
Forest-dependent populations and the poor
An estimated 1.2 billion of the world's extreme poor are dependent on forests in one way or another. Under current circumstances, however, forest dependence can be a poverty trap. Raw forest products fetch low prices. Population growth and inward migration lead to a further division and sharing of the resource base. Conflict with governments or ther external parties regarding access and tenure are common.
External pressures are now reaching even the most far-flung forests to such an extent that these areas are now rarely able to provide security of tenure to the estimated 60 million indigenous people or the further 350 million living in or near forests (World Bank 2002). Inappropriate corporate investments in resource extraction, insurgency, and illegal logging activities may be fuelling this insecurity. The chronic poverty that forest-based communities often experience ranges from a depravation of assets through to social exclusion and lack of rights.
Opportunities for moving from poverty to sustainability
Many groups are working to reduce poverty in forest areas in ways that protect, enlarge, and ensure an equitable distribution of the ‘forest pie'. Some groups are working towards social equity in resource access/tenure and in the market value chain. Others focus on adding value to forest products and services, improving market transparency, or the quality of governance. Many are facilitating joint actions for tackling poverty and ensuring sustainable development.
The Millennium Development Goals can help societies focus their efforts on poverty reduction. In this sense, the MDGs have provided some windows for forest-based communities to claim their rights to basic services.
Opportunities abound, but these are still poorly charted. While questions and criticisms have been raised regarding the success and replicability of many established forest management models, attention is yet to be given to the diversity of social programs and actions that have created an improved security of tenure for local communities. Although these actions often go un-acknowledged, they have become part of the future for sustainable forest management.
Note:
This article has been adapted from a paper that was first presented at the FAO Workshop on Forests and Poverty Reduction in preparation for the 21 st Session of the Asia-Pacific Forestry Commission, April 2006, India. For a copy of the original paper, please contact the authors.
Contact Information:
Rowena Soriaga and Peter Walpole
Asia Forest Network
Rizal Street, Sacred Heart Village, Cogon
District
Tagbilaran City 6300, Bohol, Philippines
Phone:+ 63-38-5018947
Fax: +63-38-2355800
Emai:. afn@asiaforestnetwork.org
Website: http://www.asiaforestnetwork.org