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 The
human misery caused by poverty is unacceptable to IUCN's vision
of a just world that values and conserves nature. We believe that
the Millennium Development Goal of halving extreme poverty in the
world by 2015 is one of the most urgent milestones in achieving
sustainable development and that forests can play an important role
in this regard. Conservationists, especially those who are committed
to promoting an equitable world, cannot simply walk away from the
issue of poverty and advocate preserving species and ecosystems
disregarding the wider social and economic context within which
they exist.
According to an estimate by the World Bank, forest resources directly
contribute to the livelihoods of 90 percent of the 1.2 billion people
living in extreme poverty and indirectly support the natural environment
that nourishes agriculture and the food supplies of nearly half
the population of the developing world. However, this poverty reduction
and mitigation potential of forests is often less appreciated than
it should be. There is a need to document projects that clearly
demonstrate the links that exist between forest conservation and
poverty reduction and bring it to the attention of key policy makers
and economic planners, both within and outside the forest sector,
so that forest conservation activities can be integrated into mainstream
national-level poverty reduction processes.
In recent years, the IUCN Forest Conservation Programme has intensified
its effort in this direction and has begun to address questions
of poverty and human livelihoods in its work. Some of its key experiences
from the field and the lessons learnt are presented in this section.
Making Conservation Work for the Poor
The Challenge of Scaling Up Pro-Poor Conservation
Our work in:
Poverty and Conservation
Allanblackia: a public-private partnership
Non-Timber Forest Products
Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers (PRSPs)
Valuation and Incentives
Rainforest Challenge Partnership
Contribution to International Processes
Experience
from Lao PDR
This case study focuses on sustainable harvesting regimes for
bitter bamboo shoots and wild cardamom in one village in the
northern mountainous province of Oudomxay in Lao PDR. Between
1996, when IUCN first initiated its Non-Timber Forest Product
(NTFP) project in Nam Pheng village, and 2002, considerable
advancement has been made in reducing poverty and improving
livelihoods. Poverty rates have reduced by about 50 percent;
food security has been attained; child mortality of children
under 5 was eliminated; school enrolment doubled (over half
of whom are girls); and domestic savings increased. The village
acquired new infrastructure and new services, while villagers'
range of expenditures widened, improving quality of life and
productivity. Although there were many different factors at
play that led to these achievements, improved NTFP management
and marketing clearly played a key role, as illustrated by their
predominant position in households' economies and the villagers'
own testimonies. Currently, collection of bitter bamboo, cardamom
and other NTFPs continues to be a main source of income for
the majority of households in Nam Pheng.
The case study showed that sustainable NTFP harvesting
regimes can play a key role in reducing poverty and sustaining
local livelihoods, while providing villagers with enduring
incentives and adequate capacities to manage their forests.
The achievements were also remarkable for their ability to
foster equitable distribution of benefits among the villagers,
their capacity to reach the poorest households, and the interest
that they raised about sustainable NTFP use among development
and conservation organisations.
Lessons Learned
Economic values of NTFPs have provided incentives for villagers
to manage forests, including the 515 ha that they have as
bamboo forest. Villagers in Nam Pheng said that the project
"opened their eyes" to NTFPs, which has meant greater
appreciation of forests as an economic asset as opposed to
the more commonly assumed economic hindrance. Forest allocation
gave Nam Pheng village legal authority over a defined natural
resource area, which helped them to resist incursions from
outside and resolve internal conflicts. But perhaps the most
important lesson learnt from the success of the sustainable
harvesting regimes was the importance of creating effective
institutions that can help empower local communities. A village
marketing group enabled villagers to co-ordinate sustainable
harvesting regimes, achieve economies of scale, and negotiate
better prices with traders. In addition, local level empowerment
was promoted through skills-building for individuals (e.g.
using scales, ongoing technical support by project officers,
etc.) and by creating a supportive political and legal framework
(e.g. forestland allocation).
The current study has shown how conservation and sustainable
use of NTFPs can enable a remote mountainous community to
step out of poverty and secure improved livelihoods.
Download the DRAFT document Bitter
bamboo and sweet living: Impacts of NTFP conservation activities
on poverty alleviation and sustainable livelihoods - A case
study for Lao PDR (824kb).
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