Copy
RECOFTC – THE CENTER FOR PEOPLE AND FORESTS

PEOPLE AND FORESTS E-NEWS

April 2014 

Greetings from RECOFTC!

The forestry world marked two special dates in March - International Day of Forests on March 21st and World Water day on March 22nd. RECOFTC and FAO marked International Day of Forests with student debates in Bangkok on “Forestry in a changing world,” as well as a social media campaign and blog from RECOFTC's Executive Director to raise awareness on the link between people and forests. On World Water Day, RECOFTC released the publication “Forests and water: A synthesis of the contemporary science and its relevance for community forestry in the Asia–Pacific region.” In RECOFTC’s latest blog, Regan Suzuki Pairojmahakij, Program Officer with RECOFTC, reflects on some of the discussions and reactions that have ensued through the development of this paper.

This issue of the People and Forests E-news is full of new resources. RECOFTC and partners released a reference guide for REDD+, a collaborative effort to increase understanding and guide new REDD+ projects. IGES published a guide for community-based forest biomass monitoring. In addition, several new publications from RECOFTC’s Grassroots for REDD+ project have been released, including their latest newsletter. Finally, RECOFTC announced two trainings that are open for registration: one on designing participatory trainings for community-based natural resource management and community forestry, and the other on training on community forestry as a strategy for adaptation to climate change.

These are just a few of the many news items, publications, jobs and opportunities featured in this month’s newsletter.

Until next month,
Nick Wilder
Editor, People and Forests E-News
nicholas.wilder@recoftc.org

 

Help us spread the word:

Did someone forward this to you?
Subscribe

JUMP TO YOUR FAVORITES:

From the Press

Opinion

Publications

Events & Activities

Jobs

RECOFTC Updates

Conflict and Cooperation in REDD+

RECOFTC's latest blogs

FROM THE PRESS

Global: Fresh hope for the world's forests

Bangkok Post, 9 April 2014

Global trends are reshaping how businesses approach sustainability. On one hand, consumers and investors are pushing businesses to raise their standards. On the other, technological shifts are generating more and better information faster, enabling unprecedented levels of transparency and accountability. 

Global: Next big idea in forest conservation? Empowering everyone to watch over forests

Mongabay,10 April 2014

Innovation in Tropical Forest Conservation: Q&A with Dr. Nigel Sizer 

Cambodia: A logging free-for-all

Phnom Penh Post, 10 April 2014

The scale of mass logging in once-dense woodlands in Cambodia’s north now more closely resembles the free-for-all of a gold rush than the sustainable forestry more often associated with these communities.

Cambodia: Vietnamese charged with illegal logging

The Cambodia Daily, 12 March 2014

The Mondolkiri Provincial Court on Tuesday charged 15 Vietnamese nationals with illegally crossing the border and logging protected forest, four days after the group was de¬tained by members of the ethnic Bunong minority in a community forest 20 km from the border.

Thailand: See the wood for the trees

Bangkok Post, 21 March 2014

As countries around the world mark International Forest Day today, Thailand has little to celebrate. Despite successive and costly campaigns to save the dwindling forest cover, deforestation is continuing unabated, leaving the country vulnerable to flash floods, chronic droughts and other natural disasters. 

Vietnam: EVN to replant 9,660 hectares of forest in hydropower projects

Vietnamnet Bridge, 28 March 2014

Vietnam Electricity Group (EVN) will have to replant around 9,660 hectares of forest to compensate for the areas of forest it has chopped down to make room for its hydropower plan

OPINION

Forests and Water: Unraveling the controversy and what it means to local communities in Asia

22 March was World Water Day. To celebrate the day, RECOFTC launches its new report, “Forests and water: A synthesis of the contemporary science and its relevance for community forestry in the Asia–Pacific region.” The report aims to shed light on the relationships between forests and water in both temperate and tropical regions. However, it finds that there is a “popular narrative” that often runs counter to the consensus views of the forest hydrology scientific community. Regan Suzuki Pairojmahakij, Program Officer with RECOFTC, reflects on some of the discussions and reactions that have ensued through the development of the report.

FULL TEXT BACK TO CONTENTS

Local people need a good forest

On the International Day of Forests, Dr. Tint Lwin Thaung, Executive Director of RECOFTC, discusses one of the key challenges in community forestry. To meet expectations about the role of community forestry in poverty reduction, we must promote community forestry models that aim to move beyond subsistence scale. The size and quality of forest land actively managed by local people is crucial.

FULL TEXT BACK TO CONTENTS

PUBLICATIONS

Forests and water: A synthesis of the contemporary science and its relevance for community forestry in the Asia–Pacific region

RECOFTC, March 2014

There is now a solid body of scientific information for understanding and interpreting the relationships between forests and water in both temperate and tropical regions. However, there is also a parallel and deeply entrenched “popular narrative” that often runs counter to the consensus views of the forest hydrology scientific community.

Mediating forest conflicts in Southeast Asia: Getting the positives out of conflicts over forests and land 

RECOFTC, March 2014

This issues paper is based on analysis of six conflict mediation cases in three countries in Southeast Asia (Cambodia, Indonesia and Thailand). The study aimed to increase the understanding of how mediation has been applied in transforming forest conflicts, including what factors led to the success and the challenges encountered. The paper also provides suggestions on how mediation, as an approach for conflict transformation, can be strengthened in Southeast Asia. 

The knowledge and skills needed to engage in REDD+: A competencies framework

RECOFTC, Conservation International, IUCN, CATIE, FCMC, March 2014

From forest-dependent communities to government staff, many stakeholders are in need of comprehensive information to effectively engage in the design and implementation of REDD+ activities. Recognizing this need, members of the Alliance for Global REDD+ Capacity (AGRC) have created “The Knowledge and Skills Needed to Engage in REDD+: A Competencies Framework,” a single reference that enables readers to quickly understand key concepts, policy benchmarks, technical elements, skills, tools and resources for 10 specific REDD+ themes. In addition to covering these 10 REDD+ themes, the Framework also provides guidance on designing REDD+ capacity building programs for a variety of stakeholders, with case studies on existing REDD+ capacity building programs. 

Community based forest biomass monitoring: A Manual for training local level facilitators

IGES, March 2014

Community Based Forest Biomass Monitoring (CBFBM) is the monitoring of forest biomass by communities. It is a form of monitoring that ultimately aims to be “driven” and “owned” by the local communities and “guided” and “facilitated” by outside experts. The information that is generated from the monitoring aids the communities in making wise decisions about their forest management. This manual guides the training-of-trainers to build the capacity of local-level facilitators on selecting, testing and adapting technical parameters and measurement methods for forest monitoring, and how to design effective field trainings and practice effective facilitation skills that are essential for any participatory methodology with local communities.

Breaking the Vicious Circle of Illegal Logging in Indonesia

Conservation Biology, March 2014

The government of Indonesia, which presides over 10% of the world's tropical forests, has set ambitious targets to cut its high deforestation rates through a REDD+ scheme. This will require strong law enforcement to succeed. Yet, strategies that have accomplished this are rare and, along with past failures, tend not to be documented. We evaluated a multistakeholder approach that seeks to tackle illegal logging in the carbon-rich province of Aceh, Sumatra. The multistakeholder results were promising, but illegal logging still persisted at apparently similar levels at the project's end, indicating that efforts need to be further strengthened. 

Challenging perceptions about men, women, and forest product use: A global comparative study

World Development, 2014

Some of the commonly held ideas on how men and women access, manage, and use different forest products are tested. Overall, they found significant gender differentiation in the collection of forest products, which seems to support the claim that there are distinctive “male” and “female” roles associated with the collection of forest products. However, the study also found that men play a much more important and diverse role in the contribution of forest products to rural livelihoods than previously reported, with strong differences across tropical Asia, Africa, and Latin America.

Social networks of corruption in Vietnamese and Lao cross-border timber trade

Anthropological Forum, March 2014

Although corruption is a core issue in discourses on Southeast Asian states and the region's illegal timber trade, its specific meanings, characteristics, and role are poorly understood. This ethnographic study of corruption and timber trade in the lower Mekong uncovers the relationships, dealings, and networks that enable illegal timber flows. They follow the disputed case of a shipment of high-value timber that originated in Laos and was seized by Vietnamese seaport customs officials in 2011. The analysis challenges the current international and national emphasis on law enforcement as a means to tackle illegal logging.

What future for reform? Progress and slowdown in forest tenure reform since 2002

RRI, March 2014

The report -- the third in a series of analyses tracking the transition in statutory forest tenure since 2002 -- finds that not only has the recognition of local land rights slowed considerably since 2008, but the few land tenure laws that have been passed in the last six years are weaker and recognize fewer rights. 

Forest land acquisition by Stora Enso in South China: Status, issues, and recommendations

RRI, March 2014

This report reveals that Stora Enso Oyj (Stora Enso), one of the world’s largest pulp and paper companies, has made substantial progress in reviewing the legality of its land acquisitions in China, but has not yet fully ensured respect for local land rights in their operations. These challenges continue despite important steps by the company since 2009 to improve its land acquisition practices against the backdrop of China’s ongoing nationwide forest tenure reform.

Safety nets, gap filling and forests: A global-comparative perspective

World Development, March 2014

In the forest–livelihoods literature, forests are widely perceived to provide both common safety nets to shocks and resources for seasonal gap-filling. The publication finds households rank forest-extraction responses to shocks lower than most common alternatives. For seasonal gap-filling, forest extraction also has limited importance. The minority of households using forests for coping is asset-poor and lives in villages specialized on forests, in particular timber extraction. Overall, forest resources may be less important as a buffer between agricultural harvests and in times of unforeseen hardship than has been found in many case studies.

EVENTS & ACTIVITIES

Training Course: Designing participatory trainings for community-based natural resource management and community forestry

RECOFTC
Enroll by: 30 April Date: 9-13 June 2014
Bangkok, Thailand

How can you design truly effective trainings? 
What does it take to be a good trainer? 
How can you use participatory approaches to improve your training ability? This course will allow participants to review their training methodologies and improve their training ability in terms of developing and  implementing participatory  approaches in community  forestry,  and environmental and  sustainable natural resource management as a whole. 

Training on community forestry as a strategy for adaptation to climate change

RECOFTC and ASFN
Enroll by: 21 June 2014 Dates: 28 July- 5 August
Chiang Mai, Thailand

This course aims to apply a holistic approach toward climate change adaptation by integrating community-based climate change adaptation, community forestry planning and climate-proofing techniques. Climate Proofing for Development is an approach aimed at mainstreaming climate change into development planning. The course enables development to be analyzed with regard to the current and future challenges and opportunities presented by climate change. The lessons learned can be applied at national, sectoral, local and project level, and is making development measures on these levels more climate resilient. 

Seventh executive forest policy course: People, land use and forestry in the Pacific – Policy challenges in the 21st Century

FAO
12-23 May 2014
Nadi, Fiji

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO) Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific, in collaboration with the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC) and the Asia-Pacific Forestry Commission (APFC), is organizing this course to: provide information on the impacts of global change and processes on forestry in the Pacific region; share experiences of integrated land use as it impacts sustainable land management (SLM); and facilitate the development of tools for policy analysis adapted to the Pacific.  

JOBS

Chief, Asia and the Pacific Service, FAO

Location: Rome, Italy 
Application deadline: 30th April 2014

Director of Governance Research, CIFOR

Location: Bogor, Indonesia 
Application deadline: 30th April 2014

RECOFTC UPDATES

New Grassroots Capacity for REDD+ project publications and newsletter

The Grassroots Capacity Building for REDD+ project has produced several new training materials for all levels of stakeholders, to promote awareness on REDD+ for grassroots stakeholders. Recent publications include a new project brochure, “REDD+ training manual in Bahasa Indonesia,” and “Free, Prior, and Informed Consent in REDD+: Principles and Approaches for Policy and Project Development in Lao Language”.

In addition, the “REDD+ Grassroots Newsletter - Issue 2” offers a summary of recent project activities, while promoting learning and understanding of climate change and REDD+, and associated social safeguards, in the debates around forests and climate change.

All publications can be downloaded at HERE
The newsletter is available at HERE

RECOFTC and FAO celebrate “International Day of Forests” on 21st March and organizes student debates on “Forestry in a changing world” 

FAO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific marked the day by convening a forestry debate: “Forestry in a changing world.” The debate was co-organized by FAO, RECOFTC – The Center for People and Forests and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).   “Forests are the lungs of our planet,” said Hiroyuki Konuma, Assistant Director-General and Regional Representative for Asia and the Pacific, “This International Day of Forests is dedicated to raising awareness about the importance of all types of forests and trees to our economic, social, environmental and cultural well-being.” 

Thailand multi-stakeholder group pushes for stronger cooperation and integrated approach in community forestry

RECOFTC and partners jointly held a national forum on community forestry on March 19-21, 2014. Participants developed a joint strategy and promoted multi-stakeholder cooperation in developing community forestry in Thailand.

RECOFTC 2012-2013 Stakeholder survey report

To seek feedback on how well it is perceived as being effective, RECOFTC commissioned an independently conducted stakeholder survey  in 2013. The survey of partners, training participants, trainers, donors, resource persons and others aimed to document and gauge specific achievements, stakeholder perceptions and satisfaction with RECOFTC’s services and gather recommendations for the current strategic phase. 

International Day of Forests social media campaign

The International Day of Forests was celebrated on 21st of MarchTo mark the day, RECOFTC and partners launched a social media toolkit featuring Facebook banners, e-cards and resources.     

CONTACT US

For more information contact:

Nicholas Wilder
Editor, People and Forests E-News
Strategic Communication
nicholas.wilder@recoftc.org

We’d love for you to join us on:

RECOFTC.ORG

recoftc.org

FACEBOOK

Facebook

BLOG

Our BLOG

TWITTER

Twitter

FLICKR

Flickr Stream

   

Unsubscribe