Trees, poverty and targets: forests and the MDGs
As delegates gather in New York City for the UN Forum of Forests, the International Institute for Environment and Development has published a guide to ways forestry can contribute to poverty reduction and sustainable development.
"Human wellbeing depends on ecosystem services such as those provide by forests," writes the head of IIED's Natural Resources Group, James Mayers. "These services are the foundation for the Millennium Development Goals – but they are not treated as such."
The six-page report highlights forestry projects in Africa, Asia and Latin America that are contributing to the achievement of the UN Millennium Development Goals. Mayers writes that such evidence points to the need for greater recognition of the value of sustainably managed forests.
The guide shows that there are plenty of good news stories about forestry in developing nations but that there are many recycled assumptions and missing facts about the importance of forests to human wellbeing.