Community forestry offers a tried and true model for approaching national Safeguard Information Systems (SIS) under REDD+. RECOFTC agrees with the global consensus that REDD+ SIS should be based upon existing, equitable and participatory systems.

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.

Community forestry supports local level climate change adaptation by enhancing resilience in multiple ways: supporting livelihoods and income, increasing food security, leveraging social capital and knowledge, reducing disaster risks and regulating microclimates. However, adaptation planning has, by and large, not included community forestry as a viable climate change adaptation tool.

RECOFTC and partners recently conducted a national-level expert panel discussion in Myanmar on gender mainstreaming in national forestry and REDD+ initiatives.

This annual report highlights RECOFTC's key achievements for the 2011 and 2012 year. 

Insight: Notes from the Field is a response to this need, and with this publication, we aim to give practitioners a forum to share field level cases and lessons in Community Forestry (CF) or Community-Based Natural Resource Management (CBNRM).  In this edition of Notes from the Field, there are inspirational stories on Community Forestry in Thailand, development of Village Forest Councils in India, experiences on Public Hearing and Public Auditing in community user groups in Nepal, and how to improve buffer zone co-management in protected areas of Vietnam.

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? 

Applications are now being accepted for a regional learning workshop on applying a participatory development communication apporach in forest landscapes in the Asia and Pacific region. The workshop is an event of the Asia-Pacific Forestry Communication Network.

This brief, produced jointly by FAO, UNEP and RECOFTC, outlines the ways in which forests contribute to climate change adaptation in the Asian region. It details current climate changes impacting forest ecosystems in Asia; key components of climate change adaptation and sustainable forest management; the current status of climate change adaptation and forests in Asia; and the way ahead.

Overview:

RECOFTC conducted a review of the linkages between community forestry and poverty, with an emphasis on Asia. The analysis shows that clear empirical evidence exists, demonstrating that community forestry has provided tangible benefits to poor people. However, the evidence is limited to a few cases and there is no clear indication that these benefits have been scaled-up across a wider range. This has been a general pattern across the whole development sector, not just within forestry.

This literature study, conducted under a collaborative framework between NAFRI and RECOFTC, was developed to analyze the status of community contribution to forest resource management in Lao PDR and the modes and extent that communities are or have been involved in the different applied models. The report aims to give an overview of community based forest initiatives up to now, analyze lessons, challenges and opportunities and give guidance for future work.

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