Exploring demand-side measures for the reduction of deforestation in Kenya and Tanzania

International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED)

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Abstract: Healthy and productive forests are a foundation for sustainable development, with their goods and services supporting economies and livelihoods of forest-dependent people. Indeed, the long-term sustainability of forestry, agriculture and other land-based enterprises depends upon maintaining sufficient forest cover and quality. Productive forests provide numerous goods essential for urban energy (wood biomass), construction (timber and poles), food (for humans and livestock) and healthcare (traditional medicines). Forests also provide valuable ecosystem services, helping to stabilise environmental systems including water and carbon cycles, increase resilience to natural disasters and the effects of climate change, and provide a home to biodiversity and nature-based benefits. The loss of forest cover through deforestation and the degradation of forests and woodlands therefore present a range of economic, social and environmental threats to sustainable development and climate change. In driving the conversion of forests to other land uses, the demand for wood, food and energy affects the food security and livelihoods of forest-dependent people as forest ecosystem services are impacted, including soil erosion and degradation of water resources. Furthermore, climate change resulting from deforestation and forest degradation affects underlying climate risks such as drought, intense rainfall and floods, and also triggers secondary stresses such as the inability to sustain trade in forest and agricultural commodities, the spread of diseases and pests, increased competition for resources, human and species migration and biodiversity losses. Increasing demand for and trade in some agricultural, timber and energy commodities places considerable pressure on forests and frequently acts against national ‘supply-side’ efforts (e.g. sustainable forest management) to curb deforestation and promote sustainable land-based enterprises. The importance of trade in these commodities to national economies and rural development suggest a need to address the ‘demand’ or consumer end while also addressing supply side interventions to reduce deforestation driven by the expansion of commodity production. Interventions targeting demand could include regulations, public procurement policies, and industry-led standards and guidelines, certification schemes and campaigns. Too often these measures are delivered in isolation, and there is a need for more coordinated approaches that adopt a holistic view of the problem and enable the creation of partnerships between stakeholders operating in forest-risk commodity supply chains (Walker et al., 2013).