How does the sustainable use and conservation of forests benefit poor people? And to what extent are such benefits reflected in national poverty reduction strategies and economic planning processes? So far, reference to forests in Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers has been more rhetorical than operational. In reality, foresters and conservationists have failed to make a compelling case to policy makers in government finance ministries and development agencies on the contribution that forest conservation makes towards poverty reduction.

IUCN, PROFOR-World Bank, ODI, CIFOR and Winrock International are now forming a partnership to build a body of knowledge, based on real examples, to show how locally and sustainably managed forests can help in enhancing rural livelihoods, conserving biodiversity and achieving the Millennium Development Goals. From 31 May - 5 June 2004, experts from this partnership met in Shinyanga, Tanzania to agree on a practical and robust methodology that can enable a more systematic integration of forests in future poverty reduction efforts. The team intends to apply the methodology to six case study sites and, from those results, develop a resource kit for use by development and conservation decision-makers and practioners.