Forests cover nearly one-third of the world’s land mass and serve as an economic lifeline for impoverished and Indigenous communities in developing countries, many of whom live directly in forests. Yet mass deforestation threatens both these communities and the economic sustainability of the land. Recognizing the link between forest sustainability and poverty reduction, the United Nations (U.N.), the World Bank and other organizations have launched revitalization efforts using a “one health” approach.

Forest Dependency

Approximately 40% of the world’s rural poor in developing nations, about 3.27 billion people, live in or within one kilometer of a forest. When the range is expanded to five kilometers, the number rises to 4.17 billion, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). With 80% of the world’s most impoverished people living in rural areas, mostly concentrated in the Global South, the importance of forests to their subsistence is clear, further underscoring the connection between forest sustainability and poverty reduction.

Those who rely on forests in whole or in part to survive via employment or source of income, but most importantly as a food source, are classified as Forest Dependent People (FDP). The majority of FDP live within forests and derive their entire livelihood from them alone, but FDP also includes those that tangentially rely on forests, such as foraging for medicinal plants, harvesting wood or even supplying labor to logging and forestry businesses. 

Indigenous groups often make up FDP communities and their extremely rural proximity limits access to goods and services. This makes them vulnerable to economic, social and health care shocks. Discrimination and marginalization, such as in India and Kenya, or poor infrastructure, as in the Brazilian Amazon, further compound their struggles. 

Forest resources help mitigate these shocks for FDP, however, rampant deforestation and land degradation have only exacerbated their poverty and vulnerability. Because of this, FDPs are a focal point for anti-poverty initiatives, but this has been a double-edged sword. 

Damaging Effects of Standard Poverty Reduction Efforts

There is no question that poverty-reduction initiatives have been successful. According to World Bank figures, poverty has declined in developing countries by more than 65% since 1990. Yet many of these tried-and-true methods end up causing further deforestation, which leaves FDP vulnerable in the long term. 

Many goodwill efforts to alleviate poverty overlook the ingrained benefits of forest sustainability and poverty reduction, instead focusing on agricultural and infrastructural development, which can compound environmental destruction and damage aid efforts long-term. When forests are cleared, the health of the land erodes and water scarcity increases. This harms FDP communities and sets back any potential gains realized through intervention. Crops die without water and disease spreads worsens. Standard practices appear sufficient for the long-term prosperity of FDP. 

The “One Health” Approach

In recent years, the FAO, World Bank and researchers from institutions such as the Notre Dame Poverty Initiative have increasingly observed the connection between forest sustainability and poverty reduction. In this collaborative approach, poverty alleviation must go hand in hand with forest conservation strategies. 

Protected Area Projects make up one facet of sustainability efforts. In Brazil, the World Bank successfully lobbied the government to give protected status to 24 million hectares of forest land, safeguarding access for FDP communities. Furthermore, in Ghana, efforts resulted in the planting of sustainable woodlots to serve as sources of firewood and fuel instead of naturally occurring forests. In Kenya, the Plantation Establishment and Livelihood Improvement Scheme allocates degraded plots of forest land to FDP to revitalize through new plantings. 

Research into further symbiotic strategies between forest sustainability and poverty reduction is ongoing. In countries such as India and Peru, researchers from the Pulte Institute for Global Development are evaluating nascent anti-poverty initiatives that also prioritize forest sustainability to isolate those most effective for rollout in other developing nations.

Looking Ahead

Evidence suggests that forest sustainability and poverty reduction are two sides of the same coin. Sustainable forests combat poverty among FDP by providing replenishing food sources, fuel and construction materials and improved community health. With such a large percentage of the world’s extreme poor being FDP or FDP-adjacent, efforts to support the prosperity of the world’s forests are also direct contributions to eventually lifting FDP out of poverty. 

– Nikola Stojkovic

Nikola is based in Villa Park, IL, USA and focuses on Global Health for The Borgen Project.

Photo: Flickr