This is the presentation of James Mayers, director of the Natural Resources Group at the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED), on how innovative local organisations working with forests, together with the Paris climate agreement, the Sustainable Development Goals and global financial crisis, could help deliver us into a post-capitalist era. He gave the presentation at the 22nd Annual International Society of Tropical Foresters Conference at the Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies in late January 2016. The conference on tropical forests and sustainable development explored how different local initiatives to grow and look after forests, and improve the lives of those connected them, might be boosted by the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Paris climate agreement. More details: http://www.iied.org/seeds-post-capitalist-forest

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James Mayers
James Mayers - IIED
January 2016
Forests, SDGs, climate
action, governance and
postcapitalism
January 2016

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January 2016
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Multiple forest goods and
services - multiple headaches
• Forests lose attention or get trashed…
or eaten
• Widespread inequality is lethal
• Land grabs and green grabs - investment
frameworks and treaties trample on rights
• Organisation and partnerships for
integration – from delusion to real prospect?

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Growing
trees with
the SDGs

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January 2016
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Forests for SDGs, SDGs for forests
- much potential, where to start?
• SDGs – universal, transformative and
integrated
• Factors enabling forests to contribute to SD
outcomes
• Social justice and good governance
• Fair and responsible market systems
• Well managed, multi-functional landscapes
• Metrics and means of implementation

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Poverty Food Health Educ Gender Water Energy Growth Indust Equality Cities C&P Climate Seas Land Gov Impl
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14 Outcomes
15 Enablers
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Proposed Goals
ProposedTargets
A package of SDGs showing
how forests can best contribute

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Paris climate agreement
– a much-needed boost
• 4 big hits
• 1.5 degrees as a target
• Ambition mechanism
• Loss and damage
• Legally binding
• Many caveats
• ‘Strong signal to the markets’ - but beware
state-backed corporate capitalism
• New dynamics in accountability

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Paris and forests
• REDD+ boost
• Results based payments – worth
persevering but need non-market
approaches too
• Plantations or restoration to remove
carbon?
• Degradation of offsets?

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Governance – levelling the playing field

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Forest governance for local
organisation and enterprise
• Well-organised communities and producer
groups manage forests best – but need rights
• Informal economy – dominant and innovative
• Small forest enterprises are a good thing…
• …but not always, and they may be
demonised
• Recognise local, enabling and asset investors
– and put them together

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Changing patterns of investment
in forest areas - China in Africa
• Fast growing investments - challenges
to sustainability
• So - apply convening power, better
evidence, innovative methods and
bridge-building
• Beyond voluntary guidelines to
regulation and investment frameworks

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Summing up and looking ahead
To play our part in decarbonising economies,
optimising the potential of SDGs, and achieving
good local governance we need:
• Rights installed in the frameworks and practices of
investment, including REDD+
• A major shift in policy focus to jobs and economies
with small forest enterprise
• Organisation and partnership for integration and
shaping patterns of investment, including China in
Africa
And maybe it is time to start growing the post-
capitalist forest

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