Greater Mekong Subregion

Poverty Reduction in Upland Communities in the Mekong Through Improved Community and Industrial Forestry (TA No. 6115)

Overview

In the Mekong region, about a third of the population (80 out of 200 million) are classified as poor. Most of the poor live in rural areas, often in or near forests, and some of the poorest are ethnic minorities in remote upland areas. Forests function as safety nets and often supply a significant portion of rural peoples' incomes. Forest loss and degradation thus destroy livelihoods of the rural poor and make them vulnerable. If upland development and environmental protection challenges are not faced and managed, the planned poverty reduction gains will probably not be secured or sustained. A participatory multi-stakeholder evaluation of community and industrial forestry initiatives and investment to date is needed to enhance their poverty reduction impact. Equally important is to increase key Mekong region policymakers' involvement in determining, and committing, to country-specific community and industrial forestry policy reform agenda and action plans to promote sustainable forest resource management and enhance its poverty reduction function and impact on upland communities.

Objectives and Scope

The TA aims to review and assess poverty reduction performance and potential of community (subsistence and commercial) and industrial forestry in the Mekong region. Focusing on Cambodia, Lao PDR and Viet Nam, the TA will assess the likely impacts of changing forest industry and investment structure, and regional forest product trade patterns on the profitability and sustainability of community and industrial forestry. The TA will:

1. Identify forestry development strategies to increase the food and livelihood security of smallholder farm families near inaccessible forests;
2. Assess the potential of community forestry to reduce poverty in upland communities;
3. Compare the potential of industrial forestry to reduce poverty through indirect or multiplier effects;
4. Review and assess the effects of forest products trade on rural livelihoods;
5. Identify enabling policy frameworks and good practices to maximize the poverty reduction impact of community and industrial forestry.

Methodology and Key Activities Implementation

Methodology and Key Activities

The TA will focus on the following activities in poor upland communities in selected areas of CLV:

1. Poverty reduction through community forestry;
2. Poverty reduction through industrial forestry;
3. Integration of the forest sector in comprehensive poverty reduction and growth strategy papers (CPRGSPS) and poverty reduction partnership agreements (PPAs);
4. Poverty reduction impact of changes in forest industry and investment structures and the forest product trade in the GMS.

Implementation Arrangements

The TA will be executed by ADB, and implementation will involve a team of consultants with expertise in various fields such as, among others, community forestry management, ethnic minorities and forest economics. The TA will adopt a participatory approach to implementation, while CIFOR, FAO and IUCN will provide staff input and peer review expertise.

Project Cost and Financing ($ 000)

Status

Ongoing.

For detailed information on the project, write to the GMS Unit (ADB) at the following e-mail address:

gms@adb.org