A pattern of forest area loss followed by a period of reforestation is representative of the forest transition process. Forest transition has been observed in many countries and is a feature of the development process. China reached its inflection point earlier and faster than most other...

The overall context for the study is partly provided by the three pillars of the World Bank's new forest strategy (Sustaining Forests: A Development Strategy, 2002), which focuses on how the Bank can most effectively contribute to harnessing the potential of forests to reduce poverty, to...