Various perceived and identified impacts of the coronavirus crisis on the development aspect got interconnected with the forest sector. Today we are going to focus on the effects of pandemic on the trade and the production of forest products.
Although the environmental sector is considered more resilient, how the industry contributes to the development helps to decipher the role forest plays in economic and social recovery following the crisis.
Forest products, including wood and non-wood forest products, are a source of support for the lives of vulnerable sections. While it delivers essential items like sanitary and hygiene products, ethanol for sanitizer, paper for parcels, and biomass for heating, it’s time for people to think of the significance of nature. It is high time people have been using natural resources abruptly. Now is when people have to rethink their engagement with the environment to ensure sustainable development.
- Key messages
You must make a calculated decision if you are serious about achieving sustainable development and climate change targets. The global community must pay attention to the significance of sustainable management conservation and the use of forests in securing livelihood and ensuring the rights of the vulnerable sections of society. To ensure progress, you must include the marginalized sections.
The negative implication of the coronavirus crisis on trade and production of forest products will put significant industries and livelihoods at risk, particularly forest-based ones.
Maintaining momentum and halting deforestation are ways the damaged ecosystem can get remedied. It is fundamental to improve the ecosystem’s climate resilience, which reduces emissions and deforestation and thus enhances rural livelihood.
Reinforcing an effort for more sustainable trade and production of forest products is fundamental to building a better future. Moreover, people must focus on the vulnerable sections of society and make them a part of the production and distribution procedure. A combined effort of different departments is necessary to achieve sustainable development goals and ensure the effective use of natural resources. Natural resources can help people revive the economy.
- The implication of the coronavirus on the forest sector and related aspects
Social safety is typically weak in developing nations, often resulting in increased poverty, unemployment, and food insecurity. Various research findings revealed that around 80 to 90% of forest businesses are medium and small forest enterprises, while 75% of production from the forest sector is informal. As a result, most small and medium forest enterprises do not access economic incentives and social benefits. Producer association plays a fundamental role in providing financial services, social protection, micro-credit, and insurance. As per recent poll reports of MyBioSource, 41% of people in Hawaii consent to various covid measures.
The forest sector is associated with the issue of rural-to-urban migration that too among women and young men. However, the coronavirus reverses the migration rate. In the post-pandemic stage, there is a disruption in the value chain seen in cities, towns, and even villages. Today you will see various organizations rethinking their raw material procurement policies to ensure sustainable growth.
Formal and large producers will implement government guidelines, but the risk of informal processes and producers continues to rise. The enterprises involved in this sector have to face heavy monetary consequences because of the spread of the coronavirus. At the operation level, it is fundamental to offer simple and practical information for supervisors and workers on how to prevent and mitigate the further spread of the virus and thus contribute to overall development.
- Impact on forest-dependent livelihood
Although 40,000,000 individuals across the globe get employed in the informal and formal sectors, forest-related engagement must be noticed. Research findings revealed that small micro and medium enterprises make up 50% of forest-related employment. Medium and small enterprises now meet the demand for timber in tropical countries, and thus they contribute to the global GDP. Both developing and developed countries became vulnerable during economic crises with reduced spending capacity. Forest can help to revive this spending power.
- Disruption in supply chain and international trade
Various developing countries are dependent on commercial partners and international trade. Recent development in timber markets increased reliance on global demand. However, the pandemic hurt the consumption and production pattern. Notable impacts include a decline in timber export, limited demand in the market, an export market downturn, a decrease in income in developing countries, and so on. The need of the hour is an alliance between the public and private sectors to secure the proper functioning of the economic sector.
Forestry can revive the economy with reasonable efforts by the government and the people. Forests can give a kick to a failing economy. Forest has too much potential to help the world return to normal economic scenario. But it will require effort and time. Unless we take immediate action, things will go out of hand.
