Forests & the Rural Poor

Roughly 350 million people around the world depend directly on forests for their livelihoods. Forests provide numerous ecosystem goods and services to those that live within and around them, and are of particular importance to the poor. People rely on forests and forest products for food, shelter, income, and medicine. Yet much of the world's original forest cover has been lost, and the quality of much of what remains is in decline. Our succesess or failure to preserve and sustainably manage these forests will have significant consequences for millions of people who are dependent on them.

Non-Timber Forest Products (NTFPs) have shown great promise in both providing income to the poor and in alleviating poverty. NTFPs are any and every product derived from a forest besides timber. Most often, these resources are managed collectively, if they are managed at all. This presents communities with challenges regarding the equity and sustainability of the use of NTFP'S. However, if harvested correctly, NTFP's can make both a substantial and sustainable contribution towards livelihoods. The uses of NTFPs are quite varied. These products often serve subsistence needs, provide cash income and function as safety nets. Although harvesting timber has traditionally not been pro-poor, NTFPs have been used in successful poverty reduction strategies.

Forests also serve as the employer of last resort. Many forest activities have a low cost of entry; they require few inputs, skills, or capital to participate in. However, they often give low-value returns. When families have better options in terms of wage employment, they look elsewhere and tend not to rely as heavily on forests. Forests, as an option of last resort, can provide necessary income for families with no other economic opportunities. The policy challenge is to make forests a means towards a better life and not a trap which confines families to subsistence livelihoods.