1. IFRI-SESYNC MEETING October 28-31, 2013
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Local People Hold the Key to Healthy Forests
Strengthening and Expanding Community Forestry in the Asia Pacific

2. IFRI’s newest CRC
November 2012
welcomelittlestranger.wordpress.com

3. Our mission: enhance the necessary capacities
at all levels to enable local people to manage
Asia-Pacific’s forest resources for optimum
social, economic and environmental benefits.

4. Donors
Core
Project
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5. Brief Organizational Background
• Founded in 1987 with support from FAO,
Government of Switzerland (through ADB) and
Kasetsart University, Thailand.
• Gained international organization status in 2000
• Engages with governments, international and UN
agencies, NGOs, research and educational institutes,
civil society, the private sector and local people
• Trained over 20,000 people from more than 27
countries over past two decades

6. Guiding Principles
Clear and strong
rights
Essential for local
people to actively
engage in and benefit
from forest
management, and
ensuring they have
incentive to do so.
Good
governance
Essential for the
development and
implementation of
‘community friendly’
national forest policies,
programs, and
regulatory frameworks.
Internal governance
must be inclusive,
participatory,
transparent and
accountable.
Fair share
of benefits
Essential to help
reduce poverty and
motivate active
participation in forest
governance and
management.
Ensuring everyone
gets a fair share will
promote equity and
social inclusion for all
stakeholders,
irrespective of their
gender, social status
or economic and
political power
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7. Thematic Areas
Maintaining
and
expanding
community
forestry
• RECOFTC country programs work with partners in local communities, national and
local NGOs, and all levels of government to set up and maintain community forestry
initiatives
• Keys lessons are shared nationally and internationally to accelerate the scaling up
of community forestry’s impacts
• RECOFTC advocates for pro-poor climate change strategies and policies and works
to ensure that all forestry stakeholders, especially those at the ‘grassroots’,
People, forests, understand and are prepared to meet the social, economic and financial challenges
and climate that lie ahead
change • Mitigation through conserving and enhancing forest carbon, and adaptation
through improving community resilience
Transforming
Forest
conflict
• By better understanding conflict dynamics, RECOFTC promotes lasting solutions at
both the policy and community levels, to help mitigate and prevent the destructive
impacts of conflict.
• RECOFTC’s work on livelihoods seeks to realize the full potential of forest-related
Enhancing
Livelihoods
and markets
resources by developing the opportunities and tackling the constraints of local
people’s access to market-based forest activities and promotion of alternative
livelihoods.
• Ensuring that all local people have the skills and knowledge to engage
meaningfully in opportunities for the long-term sustainability of community forestry
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8. Where we work
Countries in the Asia Pacific
Country Program Offices
Cambodia, Indonesia,
Thailand (HQ), Vietnam,
Myanmar
Well-established partnerships
China, India, Laos, Malaysia,
Nepal, Papua New Guinea,
the Philippines
Other countries
Afghanistan, Bangladesh,
Bhutan, Mongolia, Pakistan,
Sri Lanka, Timor Leste and
some countries in Africa
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9. IFRI Data Collection 2013

Three Sites in Cambodia during Feb-April 2013

10. IFRI Data Collection 2014
 Indonesia
(2 sites)
 Myanmar (1-2 sites)
 Vietnam (2 sites)

11. IFRI Data Collection 2014
Indonesia- Bantaeng, South Sulawesi
One
of the first Village Forests in Indonesia
Collaboration with Government,
University, Village Officials
Village Forest
Honey
Coffee
Clove

12. IFRI Data Collection 2014
Indonesia- Meru Betiri, East Java
REDD+
Pilot Site
Rehabilitation area
Collaboration between National Park
and local community
Rehabilitation
Area
Medicinal
Products
Women Preachers teach
about climate change

13. IFRI Data Collection 2014
Vietnam- 2 sites in Hue (Central Vietnam)
Possible collaboration with Hue University
(IFRI trained faculty)

14. IFRI Data Collection 2014
Myanmar- Scoping visit planned Jan
2014
 1.
Southern part of Rakhine where RECOFTC worked
together with Oikos/Banca/RCA organizations for CF
development, 5 year old CF
 2.
Pyapon township, Ayeyawady Delta, CFs in
mangrove areas, more than 10 year old CF

15. IFRI Data Collection 2014
 Indonesia
(2 sites)
 Myanmar (1-2 sites)
 Vietnam (2 sites)