Forest Day: A Day to Remember!
The fact that over 800 people attended the first ever 'Forest Day', organized by CIFOR and the Collaborative Partnership on Forests (CPF), reinforced the extent to which forests have moved to centre stage in the global climate debate. more

The Bali Road Map - Highway or Cul-de-Sac?
"I realize that you have been waiting a long time for this moment and I can assure you that it was well worth the wait. We have a Roadmap! I am delighted to say that we have finally achieved the breakthrough the world has been waiting for: the Bali Roadmap!". more

Do Trees Grow on Money?
As the world's leaders gathered to discuss the anticipated adoption of REDD, CIFOR took the opportunity to release an in-depth report, 10 years in the making, which warns that this new push is imperiled by a routine failure to grasp the root causes of deforestation. more

Youth Make Cool Change for Climate!
"While the older generation writes policies for the world, it is the youth who set trends which shape these policies. We may not be the policy makers yet, but we can shape policy through society. The effort to combat human induced climate change is a long-term effort and it is the youth today who will carry the stick and continue the run." more

Joint Biodiversity Platform: Looking Beyond the Forests to Save Them
In December 2007, as the Bali Conference of Parties took centre stage in the global fight against climate change, another group of scientists was gathering just across the Lombok Straits to prepare for a different fight - the fight to save the world's biodiversity. more

AFP: From Strength to Strength
The Asia Forest Partnership (AFP), which was initiated in 2002 to promote sustainable forest management through a regional forum for forest stakeholders, has renewed its commitment for a second phase of eight years (2008-2015), at the 7th Annual Meeting in Yokohama, Japan, November 2007. more

Poverty Alleviation in China: The Case of Bamboo
Perhaps never before in history has a nation seen such rapid economic development and social change as China has in the past 25 years. This spectacular economic growth has led to an unprecedented rise in living standards, yet China still has over 100 million people living in poverty. more

The Poverty & Environment Network (PEN)
What is the current role of forests in poverty alleviation, and how can that role be enhanced through better policy formulation and implementation? more

Adaptive Research, Adaptive Management: Research Thrives in Nepal Despite Conflict
Field work in developing countries can be challenging at the best of times, but with Nepal in the grip of a Maoist insurgency, a research project into community forest management became an exercise in ingenuity and courage for all involved.  more

The Bush Meat Dilemma in Central Africa
It's a common view along roadsides that border forests in Cameroon: dead monkeys and other wild animals hanging from a stick, for sale. The meat of forest animals - bush meat - is a common dish in many tropical countries, especially in West and Central Africa. For many forest dependent people of the Congo Basin, bush meat is their primary source of protein and of income. But for how long? more

Forests & Trade: The Challenge of Selling Tree Products in Africa
In Central Africa, potential profits hang in trees, but often stay there because they can not reach the market. And so fail to bring in badly needed income for rural families. CIFOR and the World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF) recently joined forces to advise rural households how to better take advantage of these hanging profits. more

CIFOR Cements Itself in West Africa
The signing of a Host Country Agreement with the government of
Burkina Faso has significantly strengthened CIFOR's work in West Africa. more

Forest Day - Cameroon, 24 April 2008
Shaping the Debate on Forests and Climate Change in Central Africa
Palais de Congrès, Yaoundé, Cameroon. more

A New Dawn for Community Forestry in Bolivia
"Bolivia is moving forward on agrarian and forest reforms aimed at facilitating access to land and forest resources for indigenous people and rural communities. The focus is on consolidating community-based forestry management, a process in which CIFOR is playing an important role informing the public policy debate." more

REDD & PES: CIFOR's Sven Wunder Breaks Down the Acronyms
With so much talk lately about reduced emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD), CIFOR's Sven Wunder – Principal Scientist with the Forests and Livelihoods program – draws on his experience with Payments for Environmental Services (PES) to discuss some of the key issues that will need to be addressed if REDD is to be successfully implemented. more

Quo Vadis Indonesian Forestry?
Once among the world's leaders in round wood and plywood production, today the country's logging and woodworking sectors are in steep decline. CIFOR's Krystof Obidzinski – Principal Scientist with the Forests and Governance program – looks at the causes of illegal logging in Indonesia, the progress made towards combatting it, and the next steps required. more

Acknowledging Excellence
In December 2008, the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) convened in Beijing for its Annual General Meeting. In recognition of their outstanding work, CIFOR nominated a number of its scientists for prestigious awards. more

Global Community Exceeds the Billion Tree Challenge
An indigenous pencil cedar, or perhaps an African olive tree, planted in the Horn of Africa has become a living symbol of enduring hope, optimism and action for communities and countries determined to combat climate change and revive biodiversity. more

Message from the DG
Welcome to the first edition of CIFOR News for 2008. more

Upcoming Events more

Staff Update more

CIFOR Board of Trustees more