Forestry

Forest resources are critical capital for poor people in a number of countries supported by the EfD initiative. Villagers sell timber, work in forest-based tourism, and rely on forests for products like fuelwood, fodder, grazing and fruits that they consume themselves. Furthermore, forests provide benefits not directly used by farmers. For example, in mountainous areas forests protect watersheds from excessive erosion and flooding and provide worldwide values by sequestering carbon that would otherwise remain in the atmosphere. Creating mechanisms and incentives to improve the use of forest resources in the developing world is therefore of critical policy interest.

The EfD initiative is supporting work on the linkages between livelihoods, poverty, and forest quality in China, Costa Rica, Ethiopia, and Tanzania. While the issues across these countries differ dramatically, most of the EfD work focuses on better property rights that help societies recognize the value of forests. In China this is in the context of ongoing forest reforms that devolve forest control to local areas, allow flexibility in the formation of local institutions and hopefully increase forest values. In Ethiopia pilots and in Tanzania major reforms are underway to create community-based alternatives to open access, which has likely undermined rural livelihoods. In Costa Rica tourism is a major industry and forest resources are critical natural resources supporting tourism. EfD is responding by investigating policies for park establishment and investment, as well as payments for the environmental services private landowners generate.