Forestry key to economic growth

Forests are a lifeline to the ecological health and well-being of humanity, but their ability to provide these benefits is waning due to population pressure, rapid urbanisation and widespread poverty.

However, it is possible to increase the economic use of forests and the forest cover simultaneously.

Such sustainable approaches require greater investment in more diverse offerings that use the full breadth of forest resources.

This includes expanding the demand, production and use of sustainable forest products.

In Canada and Colombia, some programmes protect biodiversity, support regeneration and discourage the cultivation of a single crop in broad swaths of land.

Canada’s protected forests have been under sustainable management for decades. Comprehensive laws, regulations and policies require all publicly owned forests harvested to be replanted or allowed to naturally regenerate. This has reduced deforestation rates in the country over the past three decades.

Currently, Colombia is investing in sustainable forest concessions that allow previously illegal timber businesses to go beyond exploitative practices and invest in sustainable land use management.

These programmes show that with sustainable forest stocks, the supply of forest produce is well-regulated for a viable forest economy.

The latest Nature Economy Report II indicates that by 2030, sustainable management has the potential to curb the effects of deforestation while creating $230 billion in business opportunities and 16 million jobs globally. 

To unlock this opportunity, we need to realise the significant opportunities for the development and nurturing of forest-based economies that place biological resources at the centre of their production cycle.

Bio-economies take into account the well-being and protection of natural resources alongside the potential economic uses of forest resources. This includes pathways to tackle industrial waste, overexploitation and carbon emissions that fuel global warming.

With significant biodiversity loss of terrestrial or land assets looming, understanding opportunities opened by sustainable forestry and targeted investments in the area will be critical to maintaining biodiversity, combatting climate change and meeting human needs.

The following actions can nourish forest-based circular bio-economies in Malawi.

It is crucial to understand global trends, opportunities and gaps in forest-based economies.

We must develop the investment case for sustainable forest products. This involves conducting in-depth analyses, classification and prioritisation of forest products across wood and non-wood offerings.

Understanding the current and future forest products’ market size, growth, consumption and production trends is also crucial.

This will give the nation a better appreciation of the current and future socio-economic impacts of a sustainable forest economy while also highlighting best practices in developing a forest-based circular economy.

The forest economy comprises several stakeholders with contrasting interests such as indigenous communities that seek to protect a way of life and large, profit-driven companies looking to maximize profits from forest resources.

The country’s forestry industry is largely informal, with uncurbed illegal logging and poaching. The government should create regulated markets that discourage illicit logging, contribute to the country’s climate commitments and decrease poaching.

Formal markets are central to a transparent and regulated future.

Also crucial are just and equitable solutions that address land rights and economic interests while addressing environmental degradation.

Significant effort must be made to map the stakeholders involved in the country’s forest economy and their specific interests.

Such detailed information is the first and foremost step to creating space for consensus-building.

It is crucial to increase financial investments for pilot projects in the sector that can help build demonstrable projects to further catalyse investments.

Addressing the demand for food systems, the built environment and employment cannot continue at the current pace. Otherwise, it will exacerbate Malawi’s existing vulnerability to the effects of climate change.