Forest ethics
Development does not always advance human wellbeing and the global ecosystem on which that wellbeing depends. This project interrogated some of the value assumptions behind development. Due to the cross-sectoral benefits and challenges of forests, the forest sector is often used as a testing ground for broader development solutions. Nowhere is this more true than in the arena of development ethics.
Principal researcher and leader (forests), Natural Resources
The aim of this project was to investigate the role of forest ethics in advancing sustainable development in the forest sector.
The essential task of forest ethics is to ensure that actions launched under the banner of ‘forest development’ do not diminish human wellbeing.
What IIED did
Through analysis and the publication of reports, we drew attention to the mismatch between the driving forces behind expressions of human aspiration and the driving forces that shape outcomes in the forest sector.
A preliminary framework was developed to consider key problem areas in practice and to identify which national and international policies and agreements might be most useful in addressing them.
Additional resources
Hearing a different drummer: A new paradigm for the 'keepers of the forest'
Governance towards responsible forest business - Guidance on different types of forest business and the ethics to which they gravitate
Laws for forests: An introductory guide to international forest and forest related legal materials that shape forest ethics and practice
The utility of forest ethics: A proposed approach based on field work in Vietnam
Time and temperance: How perceptions about time shape forest ethics and practice
The utility of ethical dialogue for marginalised voices in Africa
