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East Kalimantan loses US$ 100 million annually in timber revenue
The East Kalimantan provincial government is losing over US$ 100 million a year in lost business tax revenue due to illegal logging and unreported timber processing, according to a report by Ferdinandus Agung Prasetyo and Krystof Obidzinski from the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR). more

'Men in a dress?' gender, equity and forests
Giving women forest dwellers equal rights in community forestry is not easy, especially when local culture can be very different to what outsiders might expect. Gender and equity are crucial to the success of community forest management, allowing women, and other marginalized groups, to participate effectively in processes of good governance in forests. more

Major event on  Gender & Forestry, 1-10 August   2004, Tanzania
The Second Worldwide Symposium on Gender and Forestry, in Arusha, Tanzania, will focus on women and forestry, gender, poverty and sustainable development, forest resource utilization and income generating activities for local people, ideology, religion and environmental responsibility.  more

Old plots stand the test of time
Old plots of trees in a Ugandan forest are still providing valuable data 40 years after they were first measured. And they are showing that there is no substitute for long-term data collecting to give real insights into forest growth. more

A future for Mahogany
Mahogany is a rare and beautiful timber that has been logged almost to extinction in many countries. Illegal loggers are driving ever deeper into South American forests in their search for the highly prized, dark red wood, sometimes bringing with them disease, slavery and violence. more

Forest on the pen's edge: Writing workshop
No matter how good the research, its findings will only be widely read and understood if the final report is well-written and accurate.  more

CIFOR makes important biodiversity discovery
A recent "discovery" by CIFOR scientists in Indonesia underscores how much there is still to be learned about the extent of the world's biodiversity. The Rafflesia flower, named after the 18th century Singapore and Indonesia colonial administrator, Thomas Raffles, was originally found in Sumatra.  more

China's timber imports raises concerns
Following the death in 1998 of more than 4,000 people due to floods blamed on excessive deforestation, China implemented a widespread ban on logging. The ban seems to have been good news for China's forests. But there are fears that as a result of the ban, China's import of timber is now exerting enormous pressure on the forests of South East Asia and eastern Russia, often in the form of illegal logging.  more

Bigger trees
Tree growth, estimated from changes in the size of the stem, are used in many aspects of forest science. But recent research is questioning the accuracy of the measurements used in many published studies. It now appears tropical trees swell and shrink quite significantly during the day. A behaviour that is not related to actual growth at all. more

Nature, wealth and power to defeat poverty in Africa
Many rural Africans remain mired in poverty, falling behind the rest of the world, even after 20 years of natural resource-based development. Natural resources, land, minerals, forests, wildlife and water are central to the livelihoods of 70 percent of the African population. They are a major source of wealth and power in Africa. But natural resources are often mismanaged, rural people are often largely disenfranchised, and growth has not always benefited the rural poor.  more

Understanding local forest needs in Cameroon
In the village of Nkolbibanda, 50 kilometers south of the Cameroon capital of Yaoundé, CIFOR research is providing a better understanding of the environmental needs and priorities of the communities living next to the Ottotomo Forest Reserve. more

CIFOR: Impact in the Amazon
CIFOR's work in Amazonia is benefiting both forests and those who live in or near them. more

CIFOR supports Indonesian and Switzerland workshop on decentralization
Since the early 1990s an increasing number of governments at the local, regional or provincial levels have been taking on the role of managing national forests - an area that was once felt better left in the hands of central governments. more

Background to the Interlaken workshop
In March 2002 at the 2nd United Nations Forum on Forests the Governments of Switzerland, Indonesia and the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) announced they would organize a country led initiative to support the UNFF in facilitating international dialogue and the exchange of information in decision-making related to decentralization. The purpose of the country-led discussions is not to determine if the growing role of local and regional governments is effective or ineffective but, rather, to find ways to improve the quality of "on the ground" forest-related activities. more

CIFOR signs MOU with LIPI
A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed by CIFOR and the Indonesian Government's Institute of Sciences (LIPI) will enhance Indonesia's research into the country's forests and those who depend on forests for their livelihoods. more

Book review. more

Forest certification symposium. more

New regional coordinator for CIFOR's South America regional office
CIFOR has appointed Alvaro Luna Terrazas as the Coordinator for CIFOR's Regional Office in Belem, Brazil, commencing 3 May 2004. Alvaro's appointment marks a new approach to the South America Regional Coordinator position. more

CIFOR staff. more

BOT - members. more