Bioenergy Development : Issues and
Impacts for Poverty and Natural Resource Management

These report overviews recent
developments in the consumption and production of bioenergy.
It examines the main issues and possible economic
implications of these developments and assesses their
potential impact on land use and the environment, especially
with respect to forests. The report examines both solid
biomass and liquid biofuels, identifying opportunities and
challenges at the regional and country levels. The
development of bioenergy presents both opportunities and
challenges for economic development and the environment. It
is likely to have significant impacts on the forest sector,
directly, through the use of wood for energy production, and
indirectly, as a result of changes in land use. The impact
of bioenergy on poverty alleviation in developing countries
will depend on the opportunities for agricultural
development, including income and employment generation, the
potential to increase poor peoples' access to improved
types of bioenergy; and the effects on energy and food
prices. Five main messages emerge from this report: solid
biomass will continue to be a principal source of energy;
developments in bioenergy will have major implications for
land use; tradeoffs, including those related to poverty,
equity, and the environment, must be evaluated when choosing
a bioenergy system; there is considerable potential for
making greater use of forestry and timber waste as a
bioenergy feedstock; and the climate benefits of bioenergy
development are uncertain and highly location and feedstock specific.