Benefit Sharing and the Boreal Forest

The report analyzes diverse resource management models—ranging from sovereign wealth funds in Norway to ecosystem service payments in Costa Rica—to derive a framework for benefit sharing. It emphasizes that successful long-term outcomes require clear leadership, strong legislative frameworks, institutional mechanisms for implementation, and the active inclusion of Indigenous populations in decision-making. The document contrasts successful models, such as Norway's GPFG, with cautionary examples like Alberta's Heritage Savings Trust Fund and Nigeria's oil sector, highlighting the risks of overreliance on non-renewable resources without strategic diversification and robust legal safeguards.

• Successful resource management models are driven by clear vision and leadership, where governments or stakeholders establish a plan to realize specific goals and use that vision to inspire others.
• The establishment of accountable institutional mechanisms with clear governance, mandates, and budgets is a common factor in achieving long-term sustainable management outcomes.
• Strong legislation is critical for formalizing management strategies; without it, benefits are often lost or ineffectively distributed, as seen in the contrast between Norway's Government Pension Fund Act and the lack of legislative requirements for Alberta's Heritage Savings Trust Fund.
• Incorporating Indigenous rights and shared decision-making ensures that planning meets local needs and that benefits reach local populations, as demonstrated by the Société du Plan Nord in Québec and the Land and Resources Forum in British Columbia.
• Economic diversification and long-term risk management are essential to avoid financial ruin once non-renewable resources are depleted, a strategy employed by Plan Nord through investments in tourism and renewable energy technology.
• Integrating robust scientific data with Indigenous knowledge leads to more effective conservation and sustainable development, as seen in the ecosystem-based management of the Great Bear Rainforest.
• Norway's Government Pension Fund Global (GPFG) is a best-practice model for non-renewable resource governance, using a 'budgetary rule' to spend only the expected real return (estimated at 4% per year) to ensure intergenerational equity.
• The Alberta Heritage Savings Trust Fund serves as a cautionary example of overreliance on a single sector and a lack of fiscal safeguards, with the province failing to set aside the planned 30% of annual oil revenues for 27 of its first 39 years.
• Costa Rica's Payment for Ecosystem Services (PES) program successfully transitioned the country to negative net deforestation by assigning monetary value to greenhouse gas mitigation, hydrological services, scenic beauty, and biodiversity.
• Nigeria's oil sector illustrates the 'resource curse,' where massive natural endowments led to corruption, environmental degradation in Ogoniland, and a failure to deliver benefits to the population, with 80% of energy revenues benefiting only 1% of the population.
• The Great Bear Rainforest Agreement achieved the protection of 85% of the region's old-growth forests through a multistakeholder approach and the creation of the Coast Opportunity Funds to support Indigenous conservation and economic development.

APA

Lewtas, K., Gerrard, P., & Roy, D. (2016). Benefit Sharing and the Boreal Forest. International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/benefit-sharing-and-boreal-forest-insights.pdf

Chicago

Lewtas, Kimberly, Pauline Gerrard, and Dimple Roy. Benefit Sharing and the Boreal Forest. International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2016. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/benefit-sharing-and-boreal-forest-insights.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Lewtas |first1=Kimberly |last2=Gerrard |first2=Pauline |last3=Roy |first3=Dimple |title=Benefit Sharing and the Boreal Forest |publisher=International Institute for Sustainable Development |date=November 2016 |url=https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/benefit-sharing-and-boreal-forest-insights.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{lewtas2016benefit, author = {Lewtas, Kimberly and Gerrard, Pauline and Roy, Dimple}, title = {{Benefit Sharing and the Boreal Forest}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2016}, month = nov, url = {https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/benefit-sharing-and-boreal-forest-insights.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }