Sustainable landscapes key to sustainable livelihoods

1 December 2016 Driving innovation

"Forestry is not only about forests but about livelihoods. We need to stop complicating things and focus more on helping poor people to grow trees and produce wood," said Dr. Sadanandan Nambiar (formerly CSIRO) during his keynote address at the 2016 PEFC Stakeholder Dialogue in Bali on Sustainable Landscapes for Sustainable Livelihoods.

"Wood is our best tool for creating rural economic growth and mitigating climate change, two of the most wicked and persistent problems of our time."

Convening the Dialogue on the topic of landscapes and livelihoods offered a unique opportunity to explore the ways forestry and certification interact with different land uses, development priorities and environmental issues.

With recognition that forests and trees are embedded in complex landscapes where human and biophysical systems are tightly interconnected, the event navigated a wide range of topics in pursuit of opportunities for the forestry sector and forest certification to do more to contribute to sustainable development. 

Forests are significant for food security

"Going beyond the more well-known contributions of forests to the planet, our research is unveiling the role of forests as repositories of food and integral to food security and people’s health in rural communities,” highlighted Dr. Terry Sunderland, CIFOR, during his keynote address.

"When you combine this with growing evidence on how forests are contributing services that actually sustain and promote agricultural systems, a larger and clearer picture emerges about just how important forests are within complex landscapes."

Over 200 people converged in Bali, Indonesia on the 17-18 November 2016, as part of the PEFC Forest Certification Week, to explore the forest sector’s role within the context of Sustainable Landscapes for Sustainable Livelihoods.

The event wove together three overarching themes of equitable, productive and healthy landscapes and looked to build clarity around how the forest sector and certification could do more to contribute to sustainable development. 

Innovation and co-operation are key to the future

Closing the event Ben Gunneberg, CEO of PEFC International, said “PEFC’s federated structure makes it possible to embrace innovative approaches and the curiosity to learn from others, so that we can continue seeking inclusive solutions to regional and landscape challenges."

"We look forward to working with partners to achieve lasting solutions which will ensure sustainable livelihoods are maintained and enhanced in sustainable landscapes for the benefit of society as a whole. This alchemy can only be achieved by us all working together in a spirit of co-operation.”