Partnerships
In addition to FAO, several other institutions have been working on the subject of forest finance for a number of years now. Below are links to the websites of some of these institutions and links to some other websites containing information about financial aspects of forest management at the national and local level.
United Nations Forum on Forests (UNFF)
The United Nations Forum on Forests (UNFF) is an intergovernmental body established on 18th October 2000. The work of the UNFF follows-on from that of the Intergovernmental Panel on Forests (IPF) and Intergovernmental Forum on Forests (IFF). The UNFF provides a forum for forestry policy development and dialogue at the international level. One of the many functions of the UNFF is to facilitate and promote the generation of financial resources to support sustainable forest management. Information about the discussions on forest finance at UNFF can be downloaded from the UNFF website. (Note: much of this information describes the intergovernmental discussions on this subject rather than technical discussions about forest finance).
UNFF Clearing House on Forest Financing
UN Forum on Forests established the Global Forest Financing Facilitation Network in 2015 to facilitate access to and effective use of funding for forests.
Workshops on financing sustainable forest management
In support of the United Nations Forum on Forests (UNFF) and its preceding intergovernmental fora, three international workshops have been held to take forward the international dialogue on how to improve funding for sustainable forest management.
- The 1996 Pretoria Workshop: "Financial Mechanisms and Sources of Finance for Sustainable Forestry", helped to prepare the way for the discussions on forest finance at the Intergovernmental Panel on Forests (IPF). The Pretoria Declaration and other papers related to this workshop can be found in Unasylva No 188.
- In October 1999, the Croydon Workshop: "Financing of Sustainable Forest Management", aimed to develop a common understanding of strategies and mechanisms for financing sustainable forest management and to contribute to the work on forest finance at the Intergovernmental Forum on Forests (IFF). The UNDP's Programme on Forests (PROFOR) has published the proceedings of the workshop.
- The Oslo Workshop: "Financing Sustainable Forest Management" was held in January 2001. The objectives of this workshop were: to identify ways of implementing the IPF/IFF decisions on financial resources; to identify and better understand the broader issues that constrain or promote flows of finance in the forest sector; and to contribute to the UNFF by advising on its programme of work on finance. Papers prepared for the workshop can be downloaded from the workshop's webpages.
UNDP Programme on Forests (PROFOR)
The UNDP Programme on Forests (PROFOR) supports the drive for sustainable development and an improvement in poor people's livelihoods by promoting the adoption of effective strategies for improved forest management at national and international levels. One of PROFOR's areas of work is on defining and strengthening financing mechanisms. This element seeks to identify, study, and test effective financing instruments and mechanisms for sustainable forest management. Particular attention is given to the role of public-private sector partnerships - partnerships that aim to use public funds to leverage private investments. PROFOR's publications on financing sustainable forest management can be downloaded from their publications webpage.
International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED)
The Forestry and Land Use Programme of the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) aims to improve people's livelihoods from forest and land use on the basis of equity, efficiency and sustainability. The programme works in a number of areas related to the subject of forest finance. In particular, the IIED project on Instruments for Sustainable Private Sector Forestry has produced a number of reports on this subject that can be purchased or downloaded from their publications webpage.
Overseas Development Institute (ODI)
The Forest Policy and Environment Group within the Overseas Development Institute (ODI) focuses on institutional, policy and socio-economic aspects of sustainable forest management and conservation as well as on the interface between forests and other land-uses. A number of their publications have examined forest finance issues and can be purchased or downloaded from their publications webpage.
Other relevant websites
Biodiversity Economics Library
The Biodiversity Economics Library is dedicated to IUCN's mission: "to influence, encourage and assist societies throughout the world to conserve the integrity and diversity of nature and to ensure that any use of natural resources is equitable and ecologically sustainable". Although focused on biodiversity, the library has sections on financing and incentives that are relevant to the topic of forest financing.
British Columbia Ministry of Forests
In British Columbia, Canada, unreserved public forestland (Crown Forests) covers about 59 million hectares or approximately two-thirds of the province. The British Columbia Ministry of Forests controls roundwood harvesting on this land through several different types of agreements with forestry companies. The Revenue Branch of the Ministry is responsible for the management of the forest revenue system and the collection of forest revenues in the province. Their webpages include a number of interesting publications, including manuals and guides and reports on timber pricing.
National Timber Tax Website
Forest taxation can be a very complex subject. The National Timber Tax Website is a comprehensive source of information about all aspects of forestry taxation in the United States of America. The website provides a database (searchable by state) of all of the relevant rules and regulations related to forestry taxation. It also provides a number of other features such as downloadable copies of tax forms, publications and information about workshops and other events related to the subject of forestry taxation.