Alliance participation in “The Second Regional Forum for People and Forests” 2011

Written by Hans Guttman Wednesday, 07 September 2011 11:08

On the 8-9 August 2011 Hans Guttman, Coordinator of the Wetlands Alliance, participated in The Second Regional Forum for People and Forests, organised by the Royal Forest Department of Thailand and Regional Community Forestry Training Center (RECOFTC) in Bangkok. The Forum aimed to review the progress in community forestry and identify the critical issues ahead. The forum focused on further expansion of people-centred forestry in the years ahead.

The keynote speaker, ASEAN Social Forestry Network Secretariat Chairperson Dr. Haryadi Himawan, emphasized the important role of local people in sustainable forest management and the importance of supporting the livelihoods of some of the poorest and most vulnerable populations in Asia – who often pay the highest price in forest loss and climate change. Following the keynote speeches was a “Knowledge Fair” highlighting local and country-specific experiences and lessons learned in community forestry.

The second day focused on drafting a Call for Action, a collaborative document outlining expectations for governments, local people, civil society, the private sector, and academia to support and bolster community forestry. After much spirited debate, we settled on a final draft that will be released later this month after being ratified by Forum participants. RECOFTC is a dialogue partner in the Alliance and there is hope that areas of cooperation on the ground in the region will develop in the near future.

For more information see http://www.recoftc.org/site/resources/Second-Regional-Forum-for-People-and-Forests.php