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This report presents the findings from an institutional capacity assessment of Liberia's Forestry Development Authority (FDA) based on a survey of FDA employees. The FDA plays a pivotal role in managing Liberia's forest resources, and its Strategic Plan (2018-2030) prioritizes institutional strengthening for achieving its vision of "sustainable forestry for sustainable development." The FDA employee survey was conducted to provide scientific evidence on the main organizational and personnel dimensions of institutional capacity, including staff skills, management practices, staff attitudes and behaviors, experiences of corruption and undue political interference, stakeholder interaction, and factors determining project success. A total of 438 FDA employees, or approximately 82 percent of the staff, were interviewed, and the sample covered Monrovia andthe field offices. The survey's findings are relevant to key FDA strategic pillars of improving staff productivity, strengthening internal governance, and improving the agency's customer service charter. These findings identify four key reform pillars that, when supported by a strong foundation of better data and more regular monitoring and evaluation, will help strengthen FDA's institutional capacity: improving skills through merit-based recruitment and competency-based training; stronger management practices, in particular, performance assessments, targeting and monitoring; more equitable pay; and greater community engagement. Administrative data and regular staff surveys can be the basis of a key set of indicators on public employment and management that the FDA can use to assess progress toward institutional strengthening.

Agriculture --- Environment --- Forestry --- Forestry Management --- Public Sector Development --- Rural Development --- Sustainable Land Management

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Natural capital in Lao PDR is a major source of wealth for the country and becomes even more strategic in times of economic stress. While forest products directly benefit vulnerable rural communities, ecosystem services from forests support key economic sectors such as energy, agriculture, industry, and tourism. Forests and downstream industries also offer important job and livelihood opportunities in rural areas in Lao PDR that can be expanded. This country forest note provides an upstream analysis of the status of forests as well as investments and policies relevant to the forest sector in the Lao People's Demographic Republic. The analysis looks at forests in a programmatic and cross-sectoral manner to strategically position the World Bank Group to support the country in delivering on forest-relevant interventions.

Agriculture --- Climate Change --- Deforestation --- Environment --- Forestry Management --- Natural Resources Management --- Sustainable Land Management

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Liberia is one of the most forested countries in West Africa, with more than two thirds of its land surface covered by forest. The National Forest Inventory, conducted by the Liberia Forestry Development Authority in 2018 and 2019, estimates the forest cover in Liberia to be 6.69 million hectares which is approximately 69 percent of the total landmass. Liberia's formal (measured) forest contribution to the national economy runs between nine and 10 percent of gross domestic product (GDP). Forestry is the fourth largest contributor to economy, after services, agriculture and fisheries, and mining and panning. According to the 2020 Forest Resources Assessment produced by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), as of 2015, around 39,880 full time equivalent workers (of which about 35 percent women) were formally employed by the sector.2 However, the formal sector is just a small part of the story. Clearly, forest-related products and environmental services make significant contributions to the subsistence, incomes, employment and coping needs of poor rural households (HHs). Yet, in national income accounting, these contributions are often ignored, or are only partially measured. This is as true for Liberia as for many other countries worldwide. Without detailed data on HH and forest interactions, policy makers are unable to understand the economic and social interactions between HHs and forests and the effects these have on both people and forests. This data-gap was emphasized in the Liberia Country Forest Note prepared in 2018 and the Liberia National Household Forest Survey (NHFS) was implemented to close this data gap. Significant dependence of forest proximate HHs on forests for subsistence needs and incomes was the main prior assumption for the survey.

Agriculture --- Deforestation --- Environment --- Forestry Management --- Gender --- Natural Resources Management --- Sustainable Land Management

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Forests are an important economic and social resource, critical to the culture and livelihood of communities across Myanmar. Forest resources are key secondary income sources for more than half the rural population, and close to two-thirds of rural energy demands are met by traditional forest fuels. Hence, forest-dependent rural communities need secure access and use rights to forestland and resources. Building on several ongoing reform measures and public consultations, this assessment is being undertaken by the Forest Department (FD) of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Conservation (MoNREC) to contribute to debates on forest tenure in Myanmar and is financed by the World Bank office in Yangon. It will also serve as input for the government's policy reforms and its national strategy on rural development engagement within the context of forest tenure. The overall goal of this assessment is to outline an improved approach and policy roadmap to strengthen forest tenure. This will enable enhanced government interventions, better services, improved risk-management in rural development, and better livelihoods for forest-dependent rural communities. It is being undertaken within the global framework and international principles on forest tenure and governance. The assessment was carried out between September 2019 and January 2020.

Biodiversity --- Environment --- Forestry --- Rural Development --- Rural Land Policies for Poverty Reduction --- Sustainable Land Management

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This El Salvador country forest note (CFN) presents a forward-looking business case for the World Bank to invest in forest management, conservation, and restoration (FMCR) in El Salvador. The CFN demonstrates why forest resources (trees, soil, water) are important for economic development, poverty reduction, and sustainability in El Salvador, especially their importance as suppliers of public goods, such as environmental protection and ecosystem services. It explains what the factors driving forest loss in El Salvador are and the barriers that prevent forests from attaining their full potential. It outlines how FMCR interventions can take advantage of opportunities and contribute to nature-based income and services, key actions needed for achieving these goals, and how these actions may be incorporated into the World Bank's assistance programs. The document is structured as follows. The first part lays out the context of El Salvador's forests including the legal and institutional framework, incentive programs, and the country's international commitments regarding forests. The next section discusses the contributions of forests to the national economy and existing threats, challenges, and opportunities for maintaining or increasing forest-based green infrastructure, ecosystem services, and the production of timber and non-timber forest products (NTFPs). The document ends with sections dedicated to a schematic description of how interventions may be packaged, a summary of key actions, and the relationship of these actions with the World Bank's engagement and existing projects.

Agriculture --- Climate Change and Environment --- Deforestation --- Degradation --- Environment --- Environmental Disasters and Degradation --- Forestry Management --- Land Tenure --- Sustainable Land Management