Policymakers tend to treat innovation as inherently good, with more being better. But innovation may create winners and losers, and it can be accompanied by the loss of entire sectors, the bankruptcy of companies, and the loss of jobs. Moreover, the transformations brought about by innovations can harm the most vulnerable groups and communities,190 who often have the least capacity to adapt to the ensuing rapid change.191 For example, improved remote-sensing technologies and techniques are difficult for some to access and use and, in the worst cases, can make it easier for unscrupulous actors to locate the targets of their nefarious activities, such as high-value trees. Improvements in – and the lower cost of – consumer goods can lead to increased consumption (which can be considered undesirable in many contexts).192
It is important, therefore, that innovations promote (or, at the very least, are consistent with) economic, social and environmental sustainability; efforts should be taken to avoid unintended consequences and potentially harmful impacts. The concept of “responsible innovation” is an aspirational approach involving a transparent and interactive process by which diverse actors and innovators mutually seek to ensure the (ethical) acceptability, sustainability and societal desirability of the innovation process and its marketable products.193 It also involves inclusion, which means taking into account and integrating the diverse realities, perspectives, needs and rights of all stakeholders, including local communities, Indigenous Peoples, women, youth and poor and marginalized groups. To ensure that new developments suit the needs of users and minimize potentially harmful impacts, it is essential that traditionally excluded people have a voice.
The integration of diverse views and perspectives, including from outside the forest sector, leads to differential thinking arising from, for example, different knowledge bases, thinking styles and experiences.194 In other words, the diversity of stakeholders – and power differentials among them – will determine, in part, the diversity of ideas and potential partners that emerge. Moreover, the uptake of innovation among diverse groups is much more likely if those groups were involved in creating the innovation in a truly inclusive way. The potential for innovation, and its uptake, grows as the network of interactions broadens and diversifies. A supportive and conducive culture is an important determinant of innovating responsibly.
Regardless of whether innovations come from inside or outside the forest sector, or whether they involve new technologies and processes or the adaptation of proven solutions in a new context, efforts must be made to avoid perverse impacts. Potential means for avoiding the pitfalls of innovation include learning from other experiences, adopting best-practice principles, and putting safeguards in place. Innovating responsibly provides a way forward for creating a more resilient and sustainable forest sector.
