Background and Introduction

It is often assumed that the potential for forests to contribute to poverty[1] reduction is much larger than presently realized. Different approaches to improve the governance and management of forests have been explored, including community forestry and other participatory arrangements for forest management. Although these efforts have contributed to better rural livelihoods, much rural poverty persists in forest areas[2]. Restrictions in access to forests and use and marketing of forest products limit the potential of forests to contribute to poverty reduction.

The wider issues and trends affecting the relationships between forests and poverty were explored in the conference, as well as major initiatives in policy and administration of forest lands and their impact on local people, especially the poor. Reforms in forest tenure, markets for forest products and services and forest policy and administration aimed at alleviating poverty were critically examined, and opportunities for enhancing forests’ contributions to poverty alleviation identified. This formed the basis for the discussion on the regional agenda for rights and resources in Asia.

Conference Purpose and Focus

The purpose of the conference was to

• Set an agenda for the next four to five years to insure that forest management is contributing to proverty alleviation and livelihoods of those who depend on forests

• Identify the role of forests, forest communities, enterprises and administration in advancing poverty alleviation and economic development

• Strengthen existing and build new strategic networks of key stakeholders to advance tenure, market and policy reforms.

The conference focused on the Asia-Pacific region, but experiences and lessons learned from other regions were also included.

Who Attended

The conference was attended by a range of people from 46 countries, including:

• Policy makers and administrators working in forest management and tenure related issues

• Leaders of community associations and federations 

• Leaders of development organizations working on issues of forest rights, trade and enterprise development

• Professionals working in research, forest administration and management, rural development, enterprise and market development, and poverty alleviation

• Staff working in related areas within the corporate and private sectors

Conference Organizers

The conference was organized by the Regional Community Forestry Training Center for Asia and the Pacific (RECOFTC) in collaboration with the Rights and Resources Initiative (RRI) and other regional partner organizations. The RRI is an informal coalition of organizations, including CIFOR, IUCN, RECOFTC, Forest Trends, Foundation for People and Community Development, ACICAFOC, ICRAF, and Intercooperation. RRI is supported by the Ford Foundation, DFID, IDRC, USAID and the US Forest Service. The RRI mission is to promote greater global commitment to pro-poor forest policy and market reforms to increase local household and community ownership, control, and benefits from forests and trees. Other regional organizations contributing to the organization of the conference included the Asia Forest Network, FAO-RAP, Finland Embassy, JICA, and the World Bank.

Conference Structure

After the opening session, five thematic sessions formed the basic structure of the conference.

In the opening session the main issues related to forests and poverty were raised by invited speakers representing different perspectives. Participants had an opportunity to comment on the issues raised and add questions they felt the conference should answer.

The conferenace program was designed so that the issues and questions from the opening session were addressed through a progression of five thematic sessions.

• Session I: Enhanced understanding of key concepts and issues

• Session II: Drawing lessons from planned interventions (policies, programs and projects)

• Session III: Identification of emerging opportunities

• Session IV: Assessment of arrangements for collective action

• Session V: Priorities for future action, in the form of a shared agenda for rights and resources in Asia.

The process for discussion in each of these sessions (with the exception of Session V) consisted of four different activities:

[1] Poverty can be defined either in the narrow sense of  “absolute poverty” in which a person who falls below a defined poverty line (such as commonly used US$1 per day) or in the broader sense characterized by a lack of assets, powerlessness and vulnerability (the World Bank’s definition).

[2] According to WCFSD (1999), some 400 million people live in and around forests worldwide and many of them are among the poorest of the poor, depending solely on forests for livelihoods.