Forests for People

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It is expected that funds will flow to those countries – from

Indonesia to Lao PDR – that can demonstrate and deliver reduc-

tions in emissions from deforestation and forest degradation. This

is creating a powerful political and financial incentive to introduce

the fundamental reforms in government policies, land-use planning

and land management that are absolutely essential for the long-term

health and well-being of forested landscapes throughout the tropics.

Solutions

Taking advantage of the emerging opportunities requires the adoption

of enabling public policies and a commitment to progressive corpo-

rate and private practice. It is the intersection of policy and practice

that will ultimately deliver a new approach to forest management.

Expanding responsible forestry and trade

Policies and market demand have shifted in favour of responsible

forestry and trade and there is an urgent need to continue to build

capacity to respond across the forest sector.

The Responsible Asia Forestry and Trade (RAFT) Program is a

partnership led by The Nature Conservancy and involving six other

NGOs, government agencies, intergovernmental bodies and compa-

nies working across eight countries in Asia and the Pacific.

The partnership approach has enabled the RAFT Program to

channel the practical experience and analytical capacity of leading

organizations in this field into policymaking processes.

As the regulatory framework to promote improved forest

management emerges, RAFT partners have taken this

work full circle with training initiatives and demonstra-

tions to support implementation at the field level.

One example of this is found in Indonesia, where

RAFT partners have been active participants in the devel-

opment of the new Timber Legality Assurance System,

bringing on-the-ground experience in forests and facto-

ries to the table. To help ensure that the system gets off to

a fast start, RAFT partners have developed and launched

a training programme to help forest staff across the

country meet this new requirement. This programme has

been endorsed by Indonesia’s national Forestry Training

and Education Center, and is meeting demand from

timber concessionaires that did not exist five years ago.

Together RAFT partners have helped bring nearly

1.3 million hectares of tropical forest under Forest

Stewardship Council (FSC) certification,

with another

2 million on the way. With these results, RAFT part-

ners have helped build momentum across the region

in favour of legal and sustainable forest management.

To sustain this momentum and translate intention into

results, two things need to happen:

Segah River, East Kalimantan, Indonesia