Included in this working paper is a discussion of the history of deforestation and forest degradation in Latin America and policy recommendations towards conserving natural forests. The author argues that the main opportunity to conserve natural forests may be in the recognition of and payment...

This paper analyzes the role of particular social and economic actors in the forest sector, and the impact of existing policies in the region. The aim is to visualize the options that are available to improve forest policies and practices that will in turn generate income and ensure...

contribute to success in the forest business. These include sound macroeconomic and long-term forest policies, secure land tenure, support from related education and technology programs, and cooperation among the various industries involved in producing and marketing forest products and...

This study includes an overview of financing and financial instruments for sustainable forestry and in particular the roles of the public and private sectors in financing. The study also discusses the role of the IDB financing in forestry, their mandate and comparative advantages and measures to...

This study analyzes present-day and historical demographic, socioeconomic, and cultural changes in traditional native groups and in their environment, which have led to a growing loss of ethnic and ecological diversity in the main tropical rainforests of Latin America. The study summarizes...

This report discusses the opportunities and challenges for Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) projects in Latin America. CDM is an important tool to improve the viability of many clean technology investments as it offers a number of important opportunities including increasing a project's...

This study challenges the current design of forest resource use contracts in Latin America. Radical rethinking of forest resource contracts is imperative, due to the constraints that now face the successful achievement of forest policy objectives of economic development and conservation of...

While the occurrence of natural events can not be prevented, there is a possibility to reduce the vulnerability of populations through risk management. The IDB Action Plan for natural disaster risk reduction of 2000 included recommendations in two important areas: (i) planning with the purpose...

This paper focuses on the Strategy for Accelerated Growth and Sustainable Development (SCADD) for Burkina Faso. It provides an overview of a decade of development, takes stock of the recent performance of Burkina Faso in various areas, and identifies the main challenges. The paper spells out a...

The Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper II (PRSP-II) examines the major development challenges faced by Burundi. The paper identifies achievements in areas such as security and governance, but draws attention to the below-par performance in overall economic growth and development. The primary...