§ Mr. SoleyTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will make a statement on her Department's policy towards forestry projects. [33106]
§ Clare ShortThe Department for International Development's (DFID) approach to forestry is to support work to improve management of forest resources in ways that lead to a range of benefits to poor communities. My Department's aim is to help people, in particular poor people, in developing countries gain long-term benefits from their trees, while also helping secure the global environmental benefits that forests offer. For the world's poor, trees and forests are vital for everyday survival.
DFID is presently working on over 150 projects with partners in 34 countries. DFID's approach towards forestry projects is explained in "forests MATTER", a 25W publication prepared by my Department last autumn. DFID-supported forestry projects are described in our publication "Forest Sector Projects, January 1998". Copies of both documents are being placed in the Libraries of the House.
§ Mr. SoleyTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assistance her Department has given to the Indonesian government towards forestry programmes; and if she will take steps to offer assistance in respect of the recent fires in Borneo. [33107]
§ Clare ShortWe currently support one forestry project in Indonesia which is helping develop a sustainable model of forest management which will give poor forest-dependent people greater influence, and will be seeking changes to the incentives that encourage forest to be converted to other uses. We are not involved with forests in Borneo and elsewhere in Indonesia, who are affected by the fires.