According to the World Bank, 736 million people lived below the international poverty line of US $ 1.90 a day in 2015. Around 75% of the poor inhabit rural areas, in many cases regions of high forest cover. A number of studies conclude that poor and vulnerable populations tend to concentrate in environmentally fragile areas and rely disproportionately on natural resources and ecosystem services. At the same time scientific evidence shows that forests can support rural livelihoods, have a buffer function in maintaining livelihoods and represent a natural insurance.

This report presents the findings of the Global Forest Expert Panel (GFEP) on the interactions between forests and poverty and contributes to the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development by highlighting the nexus between SDG 1 on ending poverty and SDG 15 on life on land, as well as relevant links to other SDGs.

More than 50 scientists and experts contributed to this major assessment on forests, trees and the eradication of poverty. The assessment report and the accompanying policy brief were launched at an online event in October 2020 in conjunction with the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty. You can watch the video of the event on our IUFRO YouTube channel.