Forests for People

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In many countries, forest ecosystems already present

a range of opportunities which can address self-reli-

ance and security of food and energy supply, as well

as respond to the raw material demands of growing

domestic markets and to poverty reduction.

The low-carbon development and green economy

strategies of Guyana and South Korea both strongly

feature forests as one of the pillars of their growth. In

these strategies, forest ecosystems contribute both serv-

ices (climate change mitigation and adaptation, water

and nutrient recycling) and goods (timber, biomass and

high quality food products) and are invested in as such.

Additionally, forest biodiversity has been proven to

be a key indicator of forest resilience towards external

stresses, such as climate variability, extreme weather

and up to 1.4 billion people depend to some extent on forests for

their livelihoods.

Furthermore, forest ecosystems contribute services and goods

to many other economic sectors, for example energy (biomass and

water flow for hydropower), tourism (landscape values and wildlife

habitat) and transportation (water flows for rivers).

It is estimated that the value of the ecosystem services and goods

lost annually due to deforestation and forest degradation is in the

range of US$3.7 trillion

– almost eight times the estimated value

of the trade in forest products of US$468 billion.

These numbers alone demonstrate the important contribution

of forest ecosystems to our economies. They also portray the gaps

between current management of these ecosystems and the magni-

tude of change needed to maintain their participation in sustainable

development and to realize their potential contributions to a green

economy.

Opportunities in forest-based capital

At a time when countries are seeking a low-carbon development

path, while sustaining and ensuring continued high growth, forests

can provide inspiration, key services and goods to help them reach

this goal. Furthermore, this is a development path that not only

delivers reduced usage of hydrocarbons but also results in improved

human well-being, social equity and socio-economic development,

while significantly reducing social and environmental risks and

ecological scarcities – a green economy paradigm.

Green economy

A green economy provides the economic vehicle for

sustainable development and increased human well-

being and social equity, while significantly reducing

environmental risks and ecological scarcities. In other

words, in a green economy, the creation of income growth

and increased employment is driven by investments that

reduce carbon emissions and pollution, enhance efficiency

and sustain biodiversity and ecosystem services.

Forests can help countries achieve their low-carbon development goals