The World Bank Forest Strategy

'The World Bank Forest Strategy: Striking the Right Balance' identifies seven factors that would make the World Bank forest strategy more pertinent as well as strengthen the World Bank's ability to achieve its strategic objectives in the forest sector. The report recommends that the World Bank use its global reach to address both mechanisms and finances for international resource mobilization on concessional terms outside its normal lending activities. It also advises the World Bank to be proactive in establishing partnerships with all relevant stakeholders, governments, the private sector, and civil society to meet both its country and global roles. The focus on primary tropical moist forests should be broadened to include all types of natural forests of national and global value. The book suggests that illegal logging needs to be reduced through the promotion of improved governance and enforcement. Other recommendations are to give consideration to forest issues in all relevant sector activity and macroeconomic work, address the employment needs of all poor people while continuing to protect the rights of indigenous people, and to realign the World Bank resources with their objectives in the forest sector. This report assesses progress since the World Bank first issued its comprehensive Forest Strategy in 1991. The earlier document sent a strong message about changed objectives in the forest sector and provided a new focus on conservation. In examining implementation over the past decade, the new report finds that the effectiveness of the strategy has been modest, and the sustainability of its impact is uncertain.