Scoping Dialogue on Forests and Poverty Reduction
June 19-21, 2006 - Richards Bay, South Africa

The Forests Dialogue (TFD) convened a "scoping" dialogue to present numerous questions regarding forests and poverty reduction to a group of experts. The topics of discussion included the forest sector's role in poverty reduction, how can timber, pulp and paper reduce poverty, and how can poor communities contribute to sustainable forestry. The dialogue attempted to identify areas of potential collaboration amongst diverse stakeholders to increase forestry's potential to create poverty reduction initiatives.

Dialogue Information

Mini Dialogue on Pro-Poor Commercial Forestry
4 March 2007 - Pekanbaru, Indonesia

TFD convened its second dialogue on poverty reduction and forestry in Indonesia. It was termed a mini dialoge because it was one full day spent half in the field and half in the dialoguee. The dialogue preceded TFD's full IMPF dialogue and was open to those IMPF dialogue participants particularly interested in the poverty reduction issue.

Dialogue Summary

Dialogue on Pro-Poor Commercial Forestry in Bolivia
September 18-21, 2007 - Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia

The Forests Dialogue (TFD) convened a dialogue with associated site visits in Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia in September 2007 to continue its exploration of pro-poor commercial forestry. This group of experts came together to learn from each other and identify the conditions under which commercial forestry can play a significant role in the reduction of poverty, both locally and globally. The Bolivia dialogue was a follow-up from a scoping dialogue in South Africa in 2006 and a mini dialogue in Indonesia in 2007. It was the third in a series of dialogues and field visits by this working group to countries that offer the best opportunities to explore the potential of pro-poor commercial forestry in alleviating poverty and to expand the working group's knowledge of these initiatives. The group will continue to contribute to ongoing national policy discussions on the role of commercial forestry in poverty reduction. A priority of this dialogue was to involve key Bolivian stakeholders in this ongoing international dialogue process.

Dialogue Information