Sustaining Forests: A Development Strategy

by World Bank

Overview

The World Bank's Forests Strategy, adopted in October 2002, charts a path for the Bank's proactive engagement in the sector to help attain the goal of poverty reduction without jeopardizing the environmental values intrinsic to sustainability. This strategy replaces the Bank's 1991 Forestry Strategy, and was developed on the basis of the findings of an independent review of the 1991 strategy and a two-year consultative process with development partners and stakeholders around the world.The revised strategy, Sustaining Forests, is built on three guiding pillars: harnessing the potential of forests to reduce poverty, integrating forests into sustainable economic development, and protecting global forest values. Recognizing the key role forests play in contributing to the livelihoods of people living in extreme poverty, government and local ownership of forest policies and interventions are emphasized along with the development of appropriate institutions to ensure good governance and the mainstreaming of forests into national development planning. The strategy also aims to support ecologically, socially and economically sound management of production forests by ensuring good management practices through application of safeguard procedures and independent monitoring and certification.Implementation of the strategy will center on building and strengthening partnerships with the private sector, non-governmental organizations, and other donor agencies to promote better forest conservation and management at country and global levels.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780821383469
Publisher:	World Bank Publications
Publication date:	05/01/2004
Sold by:	INDEPENDENT PUB GROUP - EPUB - EBKS
Format:	eBook
Pages:	88
File size:	418 KB

Table of Contents

	List of Appendixes	ix
	Preface	xiii
	Acronyms and Abbreviations	xv
	Executive Summary	I
	The Challenges	1
	World Bank's Performance in the Forest Sector	1
	Elements of the Strategy	2
	Harnessing the Potential of Forests to Reduce Poverty	3
	Integrating Forests in Sustainable Economic Development	4
	Protecting Vital Local and Global Environmental Services and Values	5
	The Importance of Country Ownership	6
	Implementing the Strategy: Large Objectives, Modest Beginnings	6
	Modifying the Forest Policy	7
	Developing Demand: The Global Commons and Economic and Sector Work	8
	Catalyzing Engagement and Investment	9
	Partnerships	9
	Selectivity and Sequencing	10
	Expectations, Risks, and Realities	11
	Large Tasks and Institutional Constraints	11
	Outcomes	11
	Risks	12
	Monitoring	14
	External Advisory Group	14
1.	Challenges and Realities in Forests	15
	Importance of Forests	15
	International Context: Global Conventions and Agreements	16
	Global Challenges and Opportunities	17
	World Bank Forest Performance, Strategies, and Policies	18
	OED Review of the 1991 Strategy and Policy	18
	Additional Indicators of Performance	19
	New Directions in Bank Priorities	20
	Links to Other Bank Strategies and Policies	21
	Bank Safeguard and Operational Policies	21
	Integrating Forest Issues in Poverty, Environment, Rural Development, Gender, and Water Strategies	21
	Developing and Implementing the New Bank Approach to Forests	22
	The Importance of Country Ownership	22
	Developing the Approach	23
	Implementing the Strategy	23
2.	The Forest Strategy: Proposed Bank Action	25
	Principles of Engagement and Comparative Advantage and the Pillars of the Strategy	25
	Lessons for Engagement in Forests	25
	Comparative Advantage	25
	Three Pillars of the Forest Strategy	26
	Harnessing Forests' Potential to Reduce Poverty	26
	Integrating Forests in Sustainable Economic Development	29
	Cross-Sectoral and Macroeconomic Linkages	29
	Expanding Nonfarm Rural Activities: Role of Small-Scale Forest Product Enterprises	31
	Governance in the Forest Sector: Forest Crime, Corruption, and Regulation	31
	Building a Role for Civil Society in Sustainable Forest Management	32
	Approach to World Bank's Forest Policy and Sustainable Forest Management	34
	Protecting Vital Local and Global Forest Values	37
	Evolving Perception of Protected Area Strategies	37
	Fostering Markets for Ecological Public Goods	37
	Fostering the Linkage between Forests and Climate Change	38
	Fostering Linkages between Poverty Reduction and Forest Conservation Strategy	39
	Aligning Regional Programs with Corporate Objectives	40
	Africa	40
	East Asia and Pacific	41
	Europe and Central Asia	42
	Latin America and the Caribbean	42
	Middle East and North Africa	43
	South Asia	43
3.	Implementing the Strategy: Building Effective Partnerships	45
	Issues in Implementation	45
	Building Effectiveness	45
	Developing the Partnerships Necessary to Implement the Strategy	46
	Donor and National Stakeholder Partnerships	46
	Nongovernmental Organization Partnerships	49
	Improving Links to the Private Sector	51
	Improving Internal Bank Working Relationships and Accountabilities	53
	International Finance Corporation and Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency	53
	World Bank Institute	53
	Role of the ESSD Forests Team	53
4.	Implementing the Strategy: Incentives, Selectivity, and Deliverables	55
	Building the Internal Bank Commitment to Forests	56
	Increasing Economic and Sector Work	56
	Using Partnerships to Leverage Impact	56
	Seeking Blended Financing to Address Local and Global Forest Issues	57
	Supporting and Strengthening the World Bank/WWF Alliance	57
	Increasing Involvement with Private Sector Partners	57
	Selectivity	58
	Alignment and Selecting Countries for Focus	58
	Developing the Focus on More Flexible Lending	58
	Expectations and Realities: Risks and Monitoring Progress	59
	Institutional Realities	60
	Some Potential Broad Outcomes, in Perspective	60
	Risks	61
	Monitoring the Bank's Role	64
	External Advisory Group	65
	Notes	66
	Bibliography	68
	Index	74
	Boxes
1.1	Why Forests Are Important	16
1.2	World Bank and Forests	19
1.3	Staff Survey: Effectiveness of 1991 World Bank Forest Policy and Strategy	20
3.1	Functions of the United Nations Forum on Forests	46
3.2	Principles of National Forest Programs	46
3.3	World Bank/WWF Alliance Targets for Forest Conservation and Improved Management	50
	Figure
2.1	The "Pyramid"--A Diagnostic and Planning Tool for Good Forest Governance	35
	Table
4.1	Appropriate Forest Investments	59