Note: forwarded message attached.

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Dear all

The International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) has published two new opinion papers today.

A cut above: building the market for fair trade timber
Duncan Maqueen
Summary: Unlike coffee and cotton, timber has yet to become a fair trade commodity. But now its time has come. Rights over forest resources are increasingly ceded to small-scale community forest enterprises (CFEs), as large-scale industrial logging is now largely discredited in the sustainable development context. The fair trade emphasis on just pricing for poorer producers is exactly what CFEs need as incentive to invest in sustainable forest management — and secure environmental and poverty reduction benefits at one stroke. With fair trade timber, CFEs could boost their entrepreneurial capacity using democratic business models with in-built social and environmental responsibility. The Fair Trade Labelling Organizations International and Forest Stewardship Council are exploring the ways and means through a new partnership, but more is needed. Consumers must be made aware of why paying higher prices is key to creating CFE incentives for sustainable forest management and poverty reduction. Time and money are needed for consumer education and installing fair trade timber in producer country forest policies, market segregation and procurement policies at all levels.

To download the two-page paper in pdf format, visit: http://www.iied.org/pubs/pdfs/17033IIED.pdf
Duncan can be contacted at: duncan.maqueen@...

Biofuels: making tough choices  
Sonja Vermeulen, Annie Dufey and Bill Vorley
Summary: The jury is still out on biofuels. But one thing at least is certain: serious trade-offs are involved in the production and use of these biomass-derived alternatives to fossil fuels. This has not been lost on the European Union. The year kicked off with an announcement from the EU environment commissioner that it may be better for the EU to miss its target of reaching 10 per cent biofuel content in road fuels by 2020 than to compromise the environment and human wellbeing. The ‘decision tree’ outlined here can guide the interdependent processes of deliberation and analysis needed for making tough choices in national biofuels development.   

To download the two-page paper in pdf format, visit: http://www.iied.org/pubs/pdfs/17032IIED.pdf
Sonja can be contacted at sonja.vermeulen@...

Best wishes
Mike

Mike Shanahan
Press Officer
International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED)
3 Endsleigh Street, London WC1H 0DD, UK.

Tel: +44 (0)20 7388 2117
Fax: +44 (0)20 7388 2826
Email: mike.shanahan@...
http://www.iied.org

IIED is a company limited by a guarantee and incorporated in England. Reg. No 2188452. Registered office: 3 Endsleigh Street, London WC1H 0DD, UK. VAT Reg. No. GB 440 4948 50. Charity No. 800066

www.iied.org
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