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in the Mekong delta, the mangroves return the favour by protect-
ing people when storms rage.
In Albania, a project that integrated forest, pasture and agri-
culture management (2005-2011) showed that with strong
involvement of local communities, forest resources and whole
landscapes can improve dramatically. Improved management
of Albania’s forest and pasture resources and watersheds in 240
communes, through participatory planning, institutional change
and small-scale investments in planting of forests and orchards
in degraded lands, thinning and cleaning of degraded forests
and pastures, as well as erosion and grazing control measures,
contributed to a 25 per cent increase in income earned from forest
activities in communal forest and pasture lands and a 50 per cent
increase in income earned from forest and agriculture activities in
micro-catchments – all while sequestering carbon.
Working with partners
Although the World Bank Group is the largest source of multilat-
eral finance for forests, its lending and grants are still a drop in
the bucket of funds necessary to achieve global forest goals – from
conservation of dense-canopy tropical forests (where defor-
estation and climate change could fuel a dangerous
process of dieback), to sustainable forest manage-
ment and landscape restoration schemes. We need
to find ways to leverage and blend different sources
of financing to tip the balance in favour of sustain-
able practices.
For example, the World Bank Group is exploring a
wide range of opportunities to help developing countries
reduce greenhouse gas emissions from deforestation
and forest degradation, and to conserve, sustainably
manage and enhance forest carbon stocks. This large-
scale ‘payments for environmental services’ approach
known as REDD+ will likely rest on a complex mix of
multilateral and bilateral assistance, civil society efforts,
private sector initiatives and carbon markets.
The World Bank’s approach has been to prepare
and pilot different REDD+ initiatives through partner-
ships. The World Bank serves as the Trustee and the
Secretariat of the Forest Carbon Partnership Facility,
a global partnership that is helping 37 countries
draft REDD+ readiness plans and will provide carbon
The planting or regeneration of trees on farms can help reduce deforestation while improving yields, climate resilience and carbon sequestration
Image: Flore de Préneuf/World Bank