State of the World's Forests 2012.pdf - D'Dline 2020

■■Intermediary who links producers and processersof shea nut (Butyrospermum parkii), Central AfricanRepublic. Investing in non-wood forest products providesan opportunity to strengthen the livelihoods of forestdependentpeople, contribute to their nutrition and foodsecurity, and help conserve their resource baseIn Burkina Faso, exports of shea butter and unprocessedshea kernels generated USD 7 million in 2000, makingthese products the country’s third most importantexport, after cotton and livestock (Ferris et al., 2001).Forest-based tourism is another increasingly importantsource of revenue for many developing countries.Increased investments in sustainable forest-basedenterprises will result in economic growth and higheremployment while meeting the demand for forestproducts of an expanding global population. It will alsocontribute to the achievement of social developmentobjectives by building capacities, particularly of ruralwomen, through increased income opportunities, astronger voice in communities, and the reinvestment ofprofits in communal infrastructure and services.Investments in small and medium forest enterprisesshould take into account the entire value chain, byincluding the suppliers, producers, processors andbuyers of a product, and the technical, businessand financial service providers that support them.Such a system will create sustainable self-dynamism andindependence from external support mechanisms.FAO/J. Masuch/ FO-7233decision-makers; and providing policy and institutionalsupport to ensure clear commercial use and/or tenurerights, a fair and simple regulatory environment, costreductions, and the promotion of collective action andpartnerships among NWFP entrepreneurs.Forest-based enterprisesThe livelihoods of millions of rural people, includinga high percentage of rural women, can be enhancedthrough investments in small and medium forest-basedenterprises that use wood and NWFPs to meet demandfrom local and non-local markets. For example, the valueof woodcraft exports (primarily from developing countries)increased from an estimated USD 500 million in 2002 toUSD 1.5 billion in 2010.As another example, in recent decades shea butterand argan oil – both derived from tree nuts grown inthe arid regions of northern and western Africa – havedemonstrated the economic potential of NWFPs and theirintegration into global as well as lucrative niche markets.Green buildings and infrastructureWood is an important material for ensuring a sustainablefuture; it has a neutral carbon footprint, it is renewable,and the manufacture of wood products has a smallerenvironmental impact than that of competing buildingmaterials. Wood is versatile and can be used both innew housing and in upgrading old buildings.Although wooden buildings have traditionally been limitedto only one or two storeys, innovative and engineeredwood products are increasingly recognized as havingpotential for buildings of up to 20 or 30 storeys.It is very difficult to produce evidence of the directenvironmental and GHG-mitigation benefits of usingwood in building and construction. However, focusingon specific building products enables comparisonsof the environmental impacts of wood and competingmaterials. This “material life cycle” approach measuresthe environmental impacts of building products atfour stages:1. extraction, refining and transportation of theraw material;2. manufacture of the product;3. utilization and maintenance of the finished productthroughout its service life;4. recycling, reuse and disposal of the product after use.36 | Chapter 3