The Asian Development Bank's Policy on Forestry

This Policy Paper acknowledges the need to balance the three imperatives of production, protection and participation. It also underscores the involvement of beneficiaries at an early stage of project development through to implementation and management to ensure that investments in the forestry sector are sustainable. The Paper makes explicit statements on (i) conditions for Bank involvement in forestry sector investments; (ii) the potential role of NGOs in the entire process of the project cycle from design to implementation and monitoring; (iii) the treatment of old-growth forests; and (iv) areas of Bank involvement, taking into consideration emerging priorities.