"I believe that the work of RECOFTC is of greater importance now than any time in its 20 year history. Governments of the region face enormous new challenges as they seek to develop forest conservation and management regimes that simultaneously reduce emissions from forest loss and degradation, contribute to national economic development, and meet the needs and aspirations of forest-dependent people. The people who live and work in communities in and near forests can be the most effective allies in these efforts."

Summary

• Strategic Implications

This study is part of a project implemented by the Regional Community Forestry Training Center for the Asia and Pacific (RECOFTC) in collaboration with the Rights and Resources Group (RRG) to advance policy and market reforms in four countries: Cambodia, Lao PDR, Thailand, and Viet Nam. The overall goal of the project is to reduce poverty in forest areas, expand sustainable forest use and trade, and increase the effectiveness and impact of regional analysts and institutions in advancing pro-poor forest policy and market reforms.

Opportunities for forest managers to gain knowledge and skills in participatory resource management processes are still limited. A recent survey by IUCN has brought this out where a third of PA managers indicated that one of the areas priority training areas for them was related to sustainable development. Recognising the need for such training, a number of organisations including CARE, FAO, MSTCDC, RECOFTC and WWF initiated a series of workshops and training courses on different facets of this topic. 

Under present and foreseeable economic and social trends in the Asia-Pacific region, can we achieve sustainable forest management and better realize the potential of forests and forestry to contribute to improved human well-being? 

The Asia-Pacific region is experiencing rapid changes. There is a major need to strengthen capacities to assist countries and forestry stakeholders to respond in ways that benefit both people and forests.

Over the last two decades, Vietnam has made significant progress in forest tenure reform, which aims to meaningfully include all relevant stakeholders in the management of forest resources. Under these reforms, forest area officially under the management of local people has expanded from almost nothing in the early 1990s to nearly 3.5 million ha (27% of the national forest area) in 2006. However, until now little is known about the extent to which such tenure reform has worked in practice and how it has affected local people’s livelihoods and wellbeing.

The Forest Governance Learning Group (FGLG) Vietnam undertook a survey in Dak Lak and Thua Thien Hue provinces between December 2006 and April 2007. The survey aimed to provide insights into different forms of community forest management, the factors influencing its success, and their contribution to poverty alleviation. 

Funds generated through community forestry offer crucial and significant resources for rural in Nepal. This study examines forestry funds in 100 communities in three districts to assess how large they are and how they are utilized. The study finds that the income from community funds increases local development resources by about 25%. This income is invested in schools, temples, roads, and water reservoirs, which bodes well for rural development.

Debate over the potential of NTFPs for achieving ecosystem conservation and poverty alleviation has grown in the past decade. Concern has been raised that NTFP activities may not always provide the poor with the expected benefits, and could in some cases even act as a poverty trap (see discussion in Overview paper). Considering these concerns, the objective of this publication is to share experiences on how innovative approaches have led to successful outcomes such as increased access of poor forest dwellers to resources and markets, increased participation, and benefit sharing.