The economic value of east Africa?s forests

This is a brief introduction that will pave way to a series of subsequent Policy Briefs to be produced as outputs of the Economics Component (Project No. UNTS/RAF/008/GEF P. O. No: 93330) of the GEF/UNDP/FAO Project Reducing Biodiversity Loss at Selected Cross-Border Sites in East Africa. A series of policy briefs will be produced on an ongoing basis highlighting the progress, findings, and recommendations at regional, national, and site levels. The Cross Border Biodiversity project is a joint initiative between GEF/UNDP/FAO and the National Environment Management Authority of Uganda (NEMA), National Environmental Management Council of Tanzania (NEMC) and National Environment Secretariat of Kenya (NES). The economics component of this project is being coordinated by IUCN – The World Conservation Union, and aims at integrating economic instruments for the reduction of forest biodiversity loss into sectoral policies and strategies in East Africa.