WBCSD-SNV Alliance: Creating inclusive business opportunities by linking local communities with big business

What prospects for pro-poor commercial forestry?

Why don't more of the economic benefits of the forestry industry reach poor people in forest rich countries? Last week we featured a report analyzing this question. Today, we highlight a recent interview by the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) with Gary Dunning, Executive Director of The Forests Dialogue (TFD) at Yale University, and James Mayers, Head of Natural Resources at the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED).

Advancing poverty reduction and rural livelihoods through sustainable commercial forestry

International companies investing in developing countries need to purposely plan for social equity and community participation in their commercial operations, right from the start - in addition to the usual profitability and environmental impact considerations. This is the main conclusion from the recent review of The Forests Dialogue's Forests & Poverty Reduction Initiative.

Called Advancing Poverty Reduction & Rural Livelihoods Through Sustainable Commercial Forestry (pdf, 29 pages), the review notes that: "The complex connection between forests and human livelihoods has led some to view forests as poverty traps, providing sufficient resources to maintain forest-dependent populations but not generating enough wealth to enable these populations to escape poverty."

Forestry industry creates economic opportunity, but also needs to take a lead role in addressing conflicts with local communities

In earlier posts on this blog, we highlighted the role of the forest sector in offering a route out of poverty, with wood production for timber, pulp and paper offering economic opportunities for low-income communities. We also highlighted how The Forests Dialogue (TFD) convened seminars in South Africa, Indonesia, Bolivia, and Russia and to address not only the forest sector’s role in poverty reduction, but also the special advantages that poor communities bring to sustainable forest management, in terms of outgrowing, processing and selling timber and supplying associated environmental services such as biodiversity, carbon storage or fresh water supplies.

The latest TFD report, released in early July, addresses conflict in the forest sector, which can range from wars of words to serious acts of violence. It most often follows disputes over rights to land and resources but can also arise over conservation priorities, pollution, and access to benefits from the sector. The report says that conflict between companies that profit from forests and local people who depend on them could be tackled by industry-led approaches but too few companies use them.

3 casos de negocios inclusivos en Bolivia – video

En el marco de la Alianza WBCSD-SNV para los Negocios Inclusivos, el Consejo Empresarial para el Desarrollo Sostenible (CEDES) Bolivia, como miembro de la red regional del WBCSD, y la oficina local del SNV, han asumido en Bolivia el desafío de desarrollar y difundir el concepto de negocios inclusivos como una solución sostenible que contribuya a la reducción de la pobreza, con la participación y el liderazgo del sector privado. En este video de 13 minutos se presentan 3 casos bolivianos de negocios inclusivos que contribuyen a la superación de la pobreza a través de la incorporación de ciudadanos de menores recursos en la cadena de valor de las empresas.

Negocios Inclusivos en Bolivia @ Yahoo! Video

Commercial forestry as a tool to reduce poverty in Bolivia

In an earlier article we began to discuss the forest sector’s role in poverty reduction. To continue its exploration of pro-poor commercial forestry, in late September of this year the Forests Dialogue (TFD) convened a regional dialogue in Santa Cruz, Bolivia (background paper, agenda, presentations, etc. are available via this link). This group of experts came together to learn from each other and identify the conditions under which commercial forestry can play a significant role in the reduction of poverty, both locally and globally. In addition to several key steering committee member organizations, TFD partnered with CEDES (BCSD Bolivia) and The Nature Conservancy / Bolfor II Group to organize this event.

The Bolivia dialogue was a follow-up from a scoping dialogue in South Africa in 2006 and a mini dialogue in Indonesia in 2007. It was the third in a series of dialogues and field visits by this working group to countries that offer the best opportunities to explore the potential of pro-poor commercial forestry in alleviating poverty and to expand the working group's knowledge of these initiatives.

The potential of commercial forestry to reduce poverty

What is the forest sector’s role in poverty reduction? While non-timber forest products have dominated initiatives to reduce income poverty in the forest sector, what is the potential for the ‘big deal’ – wood production for timber, pulp and paper – to offer a route out of poverty? And what might be the special advantages that poor communities bring to sustainable forest management, in terms of outgrowing, processing and selling timber and supplying associated environmental services such as biodiversity, carbon storage or fresh water supplies?

The Forests Dialogue (TFD) is convening a regional dialogue in Santa Cruz, Bolivia, from 18 to 21 September 2007, to put these questions to an assembled group of experts. The intent is to identify the key areas for potential collaboration among a diverse group of stakeholders in an effort to catalyze progress towards maximizing forestry’s potential to reduce poverty and develop truly sustainable pro-poor initiatives. In the process this dialogue will bring together representatives from development agencies, corporations, NGOs, and community groups all interested in working toward this common purpose in the region and beyond.