In the dynamic socio-demographic contexts of the world’s forests and their users, climate change, including climate change mechanisms such as Reducing Emission from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+), along with energy and food security issues, have brought emerging challenges for women and men in adopting new roles in resource management. Consequently, a renewed focus on the world’s forests and their users is warranted.

Community Forestry (CF) can play a fundamental role in achieving nearly all the SDGs through its focus on improving livelihoods, strengthening local governanceand, halting deforestation and improving forest quality.Various experiences of CF in the region have demonstrated that the allocation of forest management rights and responsibilities to local people is an effective strategy for sustainable forest management and provides potential contribution to improved outcomes for forest cover and condition and local livelihoods.

While participation is seen as an important part of sustainable natural resource management, it is not always successful – a number of studies to date indicate conflicting values and power inequalities can significantly undermine participatory processes. A new paper in the Journal of Forest Policy and Economics examines another source of conflict: differing views of reality and underlying cultural biases.

I am very glad to have this opportunity to be at the World Forestry Congress.

My name is Theya Chaw from Layshi township, Khantee district, Sagaing region of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar. I am from the Naga ethnic group, and come from a remote area near the tri-junction of India, China and Myanmar.

Where I come from, land is divided and ruled according to our local ancestral customs, and traditionally managed without the main purpose of forest  conservation. In the past, local communities made their living through Taung-ya or shifting cultivation.

"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

Over the past two decades, the Government of Vietnam (GoV) has experimented with a variety of policies seeking to include local people in sustainable forest management. For example, Decree 02/CP (dated January 1994) marked a radical move in shifting forest management responsibility away from state organizations to individual households. IGOs are expected to encourage local people’s participation in forest management, which would make a significant contribution to sustainable forest management.

In search of excellence deviates from the path that most authors have taken. Instead of dwelling on the failures and the negative, it celebrates the “good” and the many positive management efforts in the Asia–Pacific region. It highlights the many people who are striving for excellence in forest management and seeks to encourage others to emulate these positive efforts. Collectively, the story of forestry that emerges may be more about endeavour and ingenuity than greed, indifference and incompetence.

The stories in this report illustrate the invaluable contributions being made by community members, pioneering government personnel and others who are actively participating in forest management – leading to improved livelihoods, and more equity and a fairer share of benefits. The stories highlight the challenges faced and opportunities created by people in Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Myanmar, Nepal, Thailand and Viet Nam who are promoting community forestry.

เอกสารที่รวบรวมข้อมูลพื้นฐานของชุมชนบ้านซำผักหนามไว้อย่างครบถ้วน เหมาะสำหรับผู้ที่สนใจทั่วไป

งานเสวนาครั้งนี้เป็นหนึ่งในชุดการประชุมและเสวนาภายใต้การดำเนินการโครงการเสริมศักยภาพการจัดการระบบนิเวศป่าพรุเพื่อเพิ่

Research from seven countries (Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Nepal, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam) in the Asia-Pacific region shows that sustainable practices are inherent to the community forestry enterprise (CFE) business model and vital for communities to sustain and enhance their livelihoods. Preliminary research findings based on two cases in Lao PDR and Thailand are shared in this working paper.

This guide is for forestry practitioners from local communities, governments, the private sector, civil society and academia in Southeast Asia. It explains the fundamentals of forest landscape restoration (FLR) and serves as a starting point for future exploration and design of FLR initiatives.