Scoop has an Ethical Paywall
License needed for work use Register

World Video | Defence | Foreign Affairs | Natural Events | Trade | NZ in World News | NZ National News Video | NZ Regional News | Search

 

Restoring world’s forests


Restoring world’s forests proven to boost local economies and reduce poverty - IUCN

Jeju Island, Republic of Korea, 8 September 2012 (IUCN) – A 5-year programme to restore forest landscapes in 23 countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America has demonstrated their crucial role in creating jobs and boosting incomes for local residents.

Implemented between 2007 to 2011 by the IUCN (International Union for the Conservation of Nature) with the support of the Netherlands government, the Livelihoods and Landscapes strategy was designed to strengthen the resilience of forest landscapes and produce income-generating resources that would have a lasting impact on people’s lives.

The Livelihoods and Landscapes strategy has made a real difference to forest-dependent households across different landscapes,” says Chris Buss, Senior Programme Officer of IUCN’s Global Forest and Climate Change Programme. “In doing so, the programme has exploded the myth that forests serve only as an economic safety net for the poor. On the contrary, they can be crucial in boosting livelihoods for all social classes and their value should be given serious consideration during national and local policy-making.”

In Miyun, China, local incomes increased by an estimated 50% thanks to an influx of tourists following extensive forest restoration, while the number of residents living in poverty halved to under 15%. In addition to helping improve cash incomes, the programme also succeeded in boosting food and fuel supplies in the area. As a result, the Beijing government has now recommended forest landscape restoration to be implemented across the Miyun Watershed, which delivers 80% of Beijing’s water. Similar successes were seen across many other countries where the LLS programme was active.

Advertisement - scroll to continue reading

Are you getting our free newsletter?

Subscribe to Scoop’s 'The Catch Up' our free weekly newsletter sent to your inbox every Monday with stories from across our network.

“A tailor-made set of initiatives was developed for each landscape according to conditions on the ground,” says José-Arturo Santos, IUCN Rights and Environmental Governance Regional Coordinator, Mesoamerica and Caribbean Initiative. “Common approaches, however, included the negotiation of local access rights, support for locally-controlled forest management and the development of income generating activities.”

The programme also achieved some important policy successes by fostering increased support for healthier landscapes: in Rwanda, for example, the government has announced its commitment to border-to-border ecosystem restoration by 2035.

Through this work IUCN has estimated that locally-controlled forestry provides developing country households with livelihood benefits worth around $130 billion a year, greater than the value of the gold reserves of France and Switzerland combined and approximately equivalent to total annual Overseas Development Aid (ODA).

“Countries need to recognize the true value of forests, placing it at the heart of development policies and not as just an afterthought,” says Buss.

# # #

About IUCN
IUCN, International Union for Conservation of Nature, helps the world find pragmatic solutions to our most pressing environment and development challenges. IUCN is the world’s oldest and largest global environmental organization, with more than 1,200 government and NGO members and almost 11,000 volunteer experts in some 160 countries.
IUCN’s work is supported by over 1,000 staff in 45 offices and hundreds of partners in public, NGO and private sectors around the world. www.iucn.org, www.facebook.com/iucn.org, www.twitter.com/iucn,
Official Congress hashtag: #IUCN2012


© Scoop Media

Advertisement - scroll to continue reading
 
 
 
World Headlines

 
UN News: Aid Access Is Key Priority

Among the key issues facing diplomats is securing the release of a reported 199 Israeli hostages, seized during the Hamas raid. “History is watching,” says Emergency Relief Coordinator Martin Griffiths. “This war was started by taking those hostages. Of course, there's a history between Palestinian people and the Israeli people, and I'm not denying any of that. But that act alone lit a fire, which can only be put out with the release of those hostages.” More


Save The Children: Four Earthquakes In a Week Leave Thousands Homeless

Families in western Afghanistan are reeling after a fourth earthquake hit Herat Province, crumbling buildings and forcing people to flee once again, with thousands now living in tents exposed to fierce winds and dust storms. The latest 6.3 magnitude earthquake hit 30 km outside of Herat on Sunday, shattering communities still reeling from strong and shallow aftershocks. More

UN News: Nowhere To Go In Gaza

UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said some 1.1M people would be expected to leave northern Gaza and that such a movement would be “impossible” without devastating humanitarian consequences and appeals for the order to be rescinded. The WHO joined the call for Israel to rescind the relocation order, which amounted to a “death sentence” for many. More


Access Now: Telecom Blackout In Gaza An Attack On Human Rights

By October 10, reports indicated that fixed-line internet, mobile data, SMS, telephone, and TV networks are all seriously compromised. With significant and increasing damage to the electrical grid, orders by the Israeli Ministry of Energy to stop supplying electricity and the last remaining power station now out of fuel, many are no longer able to charge devices that are essential to communicate and access information. More

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Join Our Free Newsletter

Subscribe to Scoop’s 'The Catch Up' our free weekly newsletter sent to your inbox every Monday with stories from across our network.