Resource information
The World Bank's revised forest
policy came into being in 2002 and covers all types of
forests. It has the following key objectives: (i) harnessing
the potential of forests to reduce poverty in a sustainable
manner; (ii) integrating forests effectively into
sustainable development; and (iii) protecting vital local
and global environmental services and values. The policy
enables the bank to fully engage in forestry throughout the
developing world, while ensuring that it complies with such
safe guard policies such as OP 4.01 (Environmental
Assessment), OP 4.04 (Natural Habitats) and OD 4.20
(Indigenous Peoples). On the other hand, the policy provides
only a general framework for its lending operations in
forestry and cannot take account of the individual
socio-economic and environmental needs of regions and sub
regions. To carry out the work, experienced local
consultants were recruited to prepare country level reports
following guidelines provided by the FAO Investment Centre,
the aim being to gain a strong local perspective on the main
issues and potential for sustainable and equitable growth in
the sector. These reports were complimented by reference to
an extensive literature base to produce individual country
reports and the summary which follows. Given the complexity
of forestry in the region, the need to involve large numbers
of stakeholders, and the need to accommodate change, the
findings of this report should not be regarded as
definitive, but rather as a first step to shaping the
Bank's interventions in the sector in individual
countries over the medium term. It should also be noted that
data have been obtained from a variety of sources, and that
inconsistencies and gaps were common; they should
consequently be regarded as orders of magnitude.
