WASHINGTON, DC, November 2, 2004 (ENS) – Sustainable forestry in the Western Hemisphere just received a boost with a newly announced partnership between WWF and the International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group headquartered in Washington, DC.
The IFC and WWF will launch pilot projects linking manufacturers, traders, and forest managers committed to the business of sustainable forestry to develop environmentally responsible wood trade in Latin America, with a special focus on Bolivia, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Peru.
The pilots have been designed in accordance with the World Bank's Revised Forestry Strategy, which emphasizes integrating forests into sustainable economic development, harnessing the potential of forests to reduce poverty, and protecting vital environmental services and values.
The pilot projects are intended to strengthen indigenous communities and private landowners' abilities to engage in sustainable forest management as an alternative to illegal logging.
Other goals are to improve business management and production of project participants, and to promote financing and investment opportunities within supply chains.
The supply of responsibly produced wood and wood products will be increased, and demand for such wood products is expected to rise as a result of the partnership.
Atul Mehta, director of Latin America and the Caribbean at the IFC, said, "Forging strategic local partnerships is a pivotal part of the facility's technical assistance strategy. By collaborating with key local stakeholders, the facility is able to carry out its work program more efficiently and effectively while building local capacity and increase the sustainability of its projects."
Steve Gretzinger is the Latin American coordinator for WWF's Global Forest and Trade Network (GFTN). "We welcome the opportunity to deepen our collaboration with the IFC by taking advantage of the complementary strengths of our respective organizations," he said. "The IFC's expertise in finance and business development, coupled with the GFTN's ability to assist companies throughout Latin America in producing quality products from well managed forests for the discerning global marketplace should prove a powerful combination for the pilot project countries, and in the future, other Latin American countries."
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