IUCN, the International Union for Conservation of Nature

The Resources and Markets aspect of the Forest Programme focuses on generating knowledge, strengthening capacity and empowering rural people (as well as other stakeholders) to ensure that markets and incentives support more sustainable management of landscapes, while also increasing the incomes and livelihood security of the rural poor.

More specifically, the programme aims to:

• Promote the uptake by multinational companies of processes for more sustainable supplies of non-timber forest products
• Explore the market potential – within the agriculture sector – of alternative tree-based farming systems.  (For example: Allanblackia)
• Assist medicinal plant producers to achieve conservation and development objectives, building on recent guidelines developed through a partnership involving TRAFFIC and WHO
• Contribute to ongoing dialogue related to Voluntary Partnership Agreements, FORCOMS and similar approaches that enable legality and sustainable management in the forest sector, including support for ongoing dialogue between the private sector and civil society – notably with The Forest Dialogue (TFD) – that builds confidence and encourages and enables legality in the forest sector
• Apply research, policy analysis and capacity building for the development of markets for ecosystem services, with a focus on equity issues
• Carry out field-based feasibility studies and pilot projects – informed by the above research – including, but not limited to, payments for carbon sequestration, using the forest landscape restoration framework approach
• Review current awareness of biodiversity and other forest related environmental issues with the financial services industry
• Encourage the uptake of good practice biodiversity- related guidelines and policies, as well as tools for assessing investment and lending opportunities
• Encourage forestry investments to support and deliver poverty reduction outcomes, including those of the International Finance Corporation (IFC).