Role of Forestry Sector in Achieving Sustainable Development Goals

This assignment explores the direct and indirect contributions of the forestry sector in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) set by the United Nations. It delves into how forestry impacts goals like poverty eradication, zero hunger, gender equality, clean water, climate action, and more.

Assignment
Title: Role of Forestry Sector in Achieving Sustainable
Development Goals
Submitted By
Reg. No. - 2018631081
Session: 2018-19
Course No: FES-419
Submitted To
Prof. A. Z. M. Manzoor Rashid, PhD
Course Teacher
Department of Forestry and Environmental Science
Shahjalal University of Science and Technology
Sylhet-3114, Bangladesh.
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Contents
Introduction......................................................................................................................................3
SDGs: Sustainable Development Goals..........................................................................................3
SDG-1: No Poverty..........................................................................................................................4
SDG-2: Zero Hunger.......................................................................................................................4
SDG-3: Good Health and Wellbeing...............................................................................................5
SDG-4: Quality Education...............................................................................................................5
SDG-5: Gender Equality..................................................................................................................5
SDG-6: Clean Water and Sanitation................................................................................................6
SDG-7: Affordable and Clean Energy.............................................................................................6
SDG-8: Decent Work and Economic Growth.................................................................................6
SDG-9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure..............................................................................7
SDG-10: Reduce Inequalities..........................................................................................................7
SDG-11: Sustainable Cities and Communities................................................................................8
SDG-12: Responsible Consumption and Production......................................................................8
SDG-13: Climate Action.................................................................................................................8
SDG-14: Life Below Water.............................................................................................................9
SDG-15: Life on Land.....................................................................................................................9
SDG-16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions............................................................................10
SDG-17: Partnerships for the Goals..............................................................................................10
Conclusion.....................................................................................................................................11
References.................................................................................................................................................11
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Figure 1: Sustainable Development Goals
Role of Forestry Sector in Achieving Sustainable Development Goals
Introduction
The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), also known as “Global Goals”, were enacted by
the United Nations to achieve 17 globally accepted goals to eradicate hunger, poverty, gender-
inequalities, to safeguard the environment, climate and responsible use of natural resources, to
enhance socio-economic development and to promote affordable clean energy, global peace and
partnerships. The SDGs also ensure that social, economic and environmental development must
be balanced and interconnected. To achieve the sustainable development goals, every sector
worldwide must work together. The forestry sector is no exception, as it has a direct connection
with some of the SDGs and also indirectly contributes to achieving others.
SDGs: Sustainable Development Goals
The SDGs are a set of 17 goals, with 169 targets and 232 indicators taken in 2015 by the United
Nations with the aim to be achieved by 2030. The following figure is portraying the SDGs:
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SDG-1: No Poverty
Poverty is one of the greatest curses of humankind and so the very first goal of SDGs is set to
eradicate poverty in all its forms. Forestry sector could directly contribute to achieve the goal by
numerous ways,
 Employment generation: Forestry sector has a huge market of timber and non-
timber market products which could generate thousands of employments. Manpower
is needed for resource collection, transportation to conversion, marketing and
retailing.
 Income source: Forest could be the income source for the people who are stuck in
poverty. By abiding the forest department rules, with a very minimal skill they could
easily collect the forest resources e.g., fuel wood, honey, fish, crabs etc. and sell to
earn their livelihood and say goodbye to poverty.
 Securing the rights of life (e.g., food, medicines etc.): Forest provide peoples with
the basic rights of life like food, medicine, roofing materials for home which could
somewhat alleviate the poverty.
SDG-2: Zero Hunger
To remove extreme hunger and malnutrition, one of the biggest challenges to development, the
United Nations set the second goal of SDGs named, “Zero Hunger”. Forestry sector could
directly help to alleviate hunger and malnutrition from the earth,
 Supply of food and fodder from the forest: Forest is a rich source of food, fodder with
naturally growing tons of fruits which could not only alleviate hunger but also fix the
malnutrition problem.
 Source of non-conventional food items: Forest also provides many non-conventional
foods which are of great health benefits and source of nutrition, e.g., honey, nuts etc.
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SDG-3: Good Health and Wellbeing
The third goal of SDGs is focused on good health and wellbeing, and the forestry sector has a
definite impact on achieving this goal.
 Forest is the source of medicine: Forest is the source of medicinal plants which are used
directly as medicines like Azadirachta indica, Terminalia arjuna, Phyllanthus emblica
etc. along with that, forest provides the raw materials for the pharmaceuticals industry.
 Forest enhances the environment: Forest enhances the natural environment which has a
super refreshing and soothing value that has serious impact on good health and wellbeing.
 Forest has recreational value: Forest also has soothing and recreational value that helps
people to relied on stress and get mental refreshment.
SDG-4: Quality Education
In achieving the fourth goal of SDGs, “Quality Education”, the forestry sector may not have a
direct impact but obviously connected and indirectly helps to acquire the goal as well.
 Uplift the life standards: Forest uplifts the life standards of the people by creating
income sources and employment opportunities so that they provide their children with
better schooling, quality education.
SDG-5: Gender Equality
Gender equality is the fifth goal of SDGs. And the forestry sector has done extremely well in
achieving the goal.
 Woman participating in Social Forestry: In social forestry program thousands of
women are participating along with the men to take care and becoming a stakeholder.
And many women becoming self-contained working in this.
 Women in forestry sectors: Along with social forestry, women also participating in
other parts of forestry sector like fuel wood extraction, crab-fattening and many more
along with men.
Thus, the forestry sector is ensuring gender equality and helping to achieve SDG-5.
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SDG-6: Clean Water and Sanitation
Sustainable development goal six is focused on clean water and sanitation, a very serious and
important area to be engaged. The forestry sector has significant impact on achieving the goal.
 Forest purifies the water: Forest helps in purification of water; forest bed reduces the
runoff and infiltrates the water in water table. And forest purifies the water through this
process.
 Better watersheds in forest: Forest has the best watersheds like fountains, streams,
rivers etc. which provides cleanest water.
In this way, forestry helps in SDG’s Goal-6, clean water and sanitation.
SDG-7: Affordable and Clean Energy
Buring combustible energy has the significant impact on climate change in this modern era. So
the SDGs seventh goal is to promote affordable and clean energy, in which forestry may helps
by,
 Promoting alternative clean energy to reduce fuel wood combustion: Fuel wood
combustion means emitting Carbon in the climate, so by creating awareness forestry
sector could promote alternate clean energy, that will also help to reduce forest
degradation.
 Promote renewable energy: Promoting renewable energy is another way to achieve this
goal. By trapping sunlight to produce the cleanest energy, forestry sector could decrease
the pressure on fuel wood combustion.
SDG-8: Decent Work and Economic Growth
The motto of SDG’s goal no eight is to promote decent economic growth and sustained
productivity. And the forestry sector may help to achieve this goal by,
 Providing better income source and technology: Forestry sector could provide a better
income generation with updated technology so that people could ensure a decent work
economic growth.
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SDG-9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure
The nineth goal of SDGs is emphasized on investment in industry, innovation and infrastructure
development. The forestry sector could directly participate here through,
 Forest Based Industries: Forest based products had always a huge market share in the
past as well as now in the present. The timber industry, plywood, vinier, particle board,
paper mill, all are forest-based industries which have a huge market.
 Wooden button in garments industry: Wooden button has an unique and aesthetic
value in the fashion industry.
 Cricket bat industry: Cricket is a enormously played celebrated all over the world, and
the cricket bat industry is based on forestry raw materials.
 Green factory: Now the garment industry is moving to the green factory concept where
the plant trees in terrace to control the temperature and ambience to control the
temperature which also reduce the energy cost.
These are the industry, innovation and infrastructure goal achieving effort from the forestry
sector.
SDG-10: Reduce Inequalities
Income inequalities is one of the major concerns of modern world which need to be addressed.
And here is the SDGs goal no 10 is working, to reduce the inequalities from everywhere. The
forestry sector here contributing largely,
 Women in road strip plantation: Women are participating in road strip plantation,
along with all the household chores they are creating nursery, taking are of the plants
which providing them an extra income that reduces the inequalities of her with the male
member of the family.
 Women in homestead forestry: Women are practicing homestead forestry to create an
extra income source of the family.
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SDG-11: Sustainable Cities and Communities
The urbanization process is ongoing so alarmingly that, more than two third of the population
will live in the cities by next 30 years (UNDP). And the pressure of migrants and rapid
urbanization has a severe impact on communities as well as on the environment. That’s where
the SDGs goal 11 is working. The forestry sector has an important role in achieving the goal,
 Urban forestry: Rapid urbanization has severe impact on environment and livelihood,
urban forestry is the concept of enhancing the greenspace of urban area to mitigate this
effect and make cities sustainable.
 Store rainwater for use: Creating reservoir to preserve rain water, to reduce the pressure
on groundwater.
SDG-12: Responsible Consumption and Production
Achieving sustainable social, economic and environmental development needs responsible
consumption and production from the people. Without being responsible, no goal is meant to be
achieved. To achieve this goal, the forestry sector could participate in,
 Reduced Impact Logging: Harvesting forest timbers with proper prior planning so that
no other forest resources get destroyed.
 Responsible share of natural resources: Resource is limited, so we need to be
responsible using or utilizing it.
 Waste disposal: People must be responsible for his/her waste. And use proper waste
disposal methods that do not cause any harm to the forest or environment.
SDG-13: Climate Action
The biggest threat of the 21st century is climate change. The whole world is suffering from this.
SDGs thirteenth goal is for the climate action. How to mitigate and adapt to the adverse effects
of climate change. The forestry sector plays crucial role in this genre,
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 Climate change mitigation by forestry: Forestry could mitigate the adverse effects of
climate change. Trees could absorb the carbon that decreases the temperature, tree root
can reduce the soil erosion, forest could also mitigate many other natural calamities like
flood, cyclone, typhoon etc.
 Adaptation to climate change with forestry: Forestry also helps in adaptation to
climate change, for the betterment of the environment.
Thus, the forestry sector is playing an active role in achieving SDGs, goal no 13- climate action.
SDG-14: Life Below Water
Two thirds of the planet earth is the ocean. So, the importance of ocean and marine ecosystem is
very high. It is a matter of sorrow that people have severely damaged the marine ecosystem with
plastic and other pollutants. SDG’s goal no fourteen has emphasized this area, life below water,
the marine and aquatic ecosystem and its biodiversity. Forestry sector is connected with this
goal,
 Forest supports aquatic life: Forests support aquatic life, their ecosystem and
biodiversity.
 Fresh-water swamp forest: Here the forestry is directly connected to the aquatic
ecosystem.
 Mangrove forest: And here the marine and forest ecosystem has blended.
SDG-15: Life on Land
Life on land, SDGs goal no fifteen which is completely addressing the forestry and forest
ecosystem, biodiversity components, flora-fauna and others. The forestry sector is completely
involved in achieving the goal.
 Forestry and its ecosystem: The ecosystem services forestry provides are the key
ingredient for life on land. Forest trees absorb Carbon Dioxide whereas produce O2.
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 Forest biodiversity: Biodiversity is very important for life on land. And to conserve them
collaborative participatory work is needed.
 Afforestation and Artificial Regeneration: To reduce the loss of degradation,
afforestation is needed in forest to grow the secondary forest via artificial regeneration.
SDG-16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions
For the sustainable development of peace, justice and strong institutions is a must, SDG-16
ensures that. The forestry sector is not directly involved here in this goal, but all the previous
goals are inter-connected with this, so the forestry sector is passively working on this goal as
well.
 Carbon trading to compensate smaller countries: Large countries like USA, China are
the biggest carbon emitters of the world. And the carbon they emit causes green house
effect and everyone suffers from it. Small countries like us, Bangladesh are suffering for
their emissions. So, for justice the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) is here, where
we can trade the carbon with the emitters that are trapped in our forest and trees.
SDG-17: Partnerships for the Goals
To achieve all the goals of SDGs, the must have criteria is working with global cooperation and
partnership. The cooperation must be regional, national as well as global. The forestry sector is
working here silently passively.
 Local, National and Global partnership: For the success of many forestry projects,
there is always seen collaboration of regional, national and global partners. For example,
many forestry research projects of Bangladesh is funded from USAID, JAICA and done
with the collaboration of faculty and students. This could be a vivid example of how
forestry is helping in achieving this goal.
This is how forestry is helping achieving this goal.
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Conclusion
United Nations established Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to mitigate the current socio-
economic, and environmental challenges and save planet earth from the adverse effects of the
future to be achieved by 2030. Forestry sectors is huge sector and has a lot to do in achieving
SDGs, so it need to be properly utilized to achieve sustainable development goals.
References
https://www.undp.org/sustainable-development-goals/partnerships-for-the-goals
Aguayo Lopes da Silva, R., Cesar Gonçalves Robert, R., & Purfürst, T. (2023). How Is the Forest
Sector’s Contribution to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Being Addressed? A
Systematic Review of the Methods. In Sustainability (Switzerland) (Vol. 15, Issue 11). MDPI.
https://doi.org/10.3390/su15118988
Baumgartner, R. J. (2019). Sustainable development goals and the forest sector-A complex
relationship. Forests, 10(2). https://doi.org/10.3390/f10020152
de Jong, W., Pokorny, B., Katila, P., Galloway, G., & Pacheco, P. (2018). Community forestry and
the sustainable development goals: A two way street. Forests, 9(6).
https://doi.org/10.3390/f9060331
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