Social protection and forestry

Social protection is a set of policies and programmes designed to help reduce and prevent poverty and vulnerability, and ensure income security. Most food insecure and poor people with the greatest need for social protection live in rural areas and depend on natural resources – including forests – for their livelihoods. Forests serve as a safety net in times of crisis and increase the resilience of forest communities. However, forest-dependent communities are also vulnerable to ecological degradation and climate change, and are often in remote and disconnected rural areas characterized by low levels of market development and poor access to public goods and social services.

Social protection involves three pillars: 

• Social assistance: alleviating chronic or transient poverty through non-contributory programmes, which are publicly provided, for most vulnerable individuals or households with limited other means of adequate support that can be provided in-kind or in cash. 
  
• Social insurance: mitigating risks associated with poor health, old age, pregnancy (and post-natal care), unemployment, work injury and disability.  Social insurance is derived from contributory schemes with part funding coming from the state. 
  
• Labour market protection: creating employment and promoting livelihoods through generated economic opportunities, improved quality of employment and protects workers through improved working conditions, as well as training and skills development that target unemployed and underemployed rural workers.