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Previous Highlights
- Illegal Logging: Need to Look Behind the Chainsaw
"What is the impact of small-scale logging operations on the national economy? On urban and rural livelihoods? On biodiversity?” asks CIFOR’s Paolo Cerutti, in Cameroon. Photo: Marieke Sandker
Since the nineties, global concern over illegal logging in tropical forests has mounted. Numerous initiatives have been established and agreements signed to promote the sustainable use of forest resources and combat illegal forest practices.
The European Union's Action Plan on Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade (FLEGT) is one of the most comprehensive and ambitious attempts of timber-consuming countries to reduce illegal logging.
However, a lack of understanding of what causes illegal logging jeopardizes the success of any action against illegal forest activities, according to CIFOR researcher Paolo Cerutti. more - CIFOR Touches the Grassroots
"Through this cooperation and support from CIFOR and ICRAF, we will e able to establish a library at LAHO. These books will be hugely beneficial in adding knowledge to our staff and trainees," said Alfredo
A unique project in Timor Leste has provided a tangible demonstration of CIFOR and ICRAF impacting at grassroots level.
Through the Defense Cooperation Program of Australia (DCP), CIFOR and ICRAF, the World Agroforestry Centre, recently donated 53 books on agriculture to LAHO, a local community organization in Timor Leste.
LAHO runs a silk production program and a training center for mulberry and silkworm cultivation, as well as broader agricultural and horticultural programs, including forestry and propagation of fruit trees.
Alfredo Jeronimo Guterres, Project Manager for LAHO, spoke of his gratitude to CIFOR, ICRAF for their crucial support. more - Forests and Trade: the Challenge of Selling Tree Products in Central Africa
In Central Africa many factors prevent local communities from maximizing the income potential of non-timber forest products (NTFPs), like Njansang (pictured)
In our globalized world, products can be produced in one country and sold at the other end of the world, often with huge profits. In Central Africa, these profits can 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 Center (ICRAF) recently joined forces to advise rural households how to better take advantage of these hanging profits.
In Central Africa, poor roads, the seasonality of products, limited knowledge of markets, inadequate networking and lack of education about storage and processing capacity means that income from the sale of tree products often fails to outweigh the costs.
The Farmer Enterprise Development (FED) project seeks to improve farmer household incomes through training in marketing and domestication. more - Managing conflict over natural resources
Compensatory facilities provided by logging companies such as clean water are often delayed and unsatisfactory, and promises are continually postponed
Conflict over natural resources can be a catalyst for constructive change, but needs careful management, according to Dr. Yurdi Yasmi from the Bangkok-based Regional Community Forestry Training Centre (RECOFTC).
Yurdi, whose interest in conflict and natural resource management issues includes several years research for CIFOR, says conflict emerges when a stakeholder is harmed or impaired in some way and involves far more than a mere difference of opinion.
Anxiety and frustration are the initial signs of an escalating conflict. These are generally followed by debate, lobbying and protest, with the issue sometimes capturing national or international attention.
Commodity and Conflict
Yasmi experienced conflict first hand when undertaking research for his PhD in Bulungan, East Kalimantan, when he looked into allegations that local communities suffered water and air pollution caused by logging companies. According to Yasmi, they were excluded from negotiations and denied rights to use wood from the forest for their houses and churches. more - Bamboo And Poverty Reduction In China
Classified as a 'non-timber forest product' (NTFP), bamboo is one of the most utilised forest resources in the world. Photo by Widya Prajanthi
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 contributed to an unprecedented rise in living standards, and yet China still has well over 100 million people living in poverty.
Since October 2006 Australia's Nick Hogarth has been based in China, seeking to understand the relationship of forests and forest-products to the livelihoods of the rural poor.
His research is part of CIFOR's Poverty and Environment Network (PEN) project and focuses specifically on the case of bamboo in Tianlin County, Guangxi Province, with the aim to determine its potential as a natural resource for economic development and poverty alleviation. more - Illegal Logging In Indonesia - Causes, Progressto Date And Further Steps
Opinion piece by Krystof Obidzinski, CIFOR Forests & Governance Programme
An ongoing imbalance between supply and demand is the key underlying structural problem driving illegal logging in Indonesia.Photo by Agus Andrianto
Quo vadis Indonesian forestry?
Indonesia's forestry sector is in deepening crisis. Once among the world's leaders in round wood and plywood production, today the country's logging and woodworking sectors are in steep decline. During the last three years, the export of plywood decreased by nearly 75% while the export of sawn timber products fell by nearly 50%. Production and export reductions of such magnitude have had significant economic and social impacts in terms of shrinking foreign earnings and employment loss.
The reasons for this situation are many, but they start with the uncontrolled expansion of timber processing industries in Indonesia in the 1980s and the subsidized promotion of pulp and paper mills in the 1990s - all without ensuring a sustainable supply of timber. The resultant supply - demand imbalance has continuously been dogging Indonesia's forestry sector and is the key underlying structural problem that drives illegal logging and the movement of illegal timber within and out of Indonesia. more - CIFOR's Sven Wunder Discusses How REDD Can Learn From PES
REDD can finance improved command-and-control systems: more forest guards, better remote-sensing monitoring, and more efficient judiciary systems to prosecute and convict offenders. Photo by Sven Wunder
With so much talk lately about Reduced Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD), CIFOR's Sven Wunder - Principal Scientist with the Forests and Livelihood program - draws on his extensive 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.
1. "The ideal PES recipient is the guy who has enough capital to buy a chainsaw, and is on the verge of putting it to work" (POLEX). May that also happen with REDD schemes?
SW: Indeed! Most REDD compensations will need to pay people that are seriously planning to deforest, and leverage a tightly monitored change in their 'business plan'. Otherwise, REDD risks becoming another 'feel-good' market, producing PR for buyers, yet achieving no real reduction in emissions.
more - Journalist Interns Learn About Forestry Issues at CIFOR
Clare Rawlinson, an Australian journalist intern, will work with CIFOR’s Communications Unit, assisting with writing and media liaison, while further expanding her knowledge of forestry issues.
On January 17th, 2008, 25 Australian communications interns, who will be working as journalists and other media professionals across Indonesia, visited the CIFOR headquarters in Bogor to improve their knowledge of forestry issues, such as illegal logging, climate change, biodiversity, forest fires and livelihoods.
The large group of communication interns were led by Louise Williams, a senior Australian journalist and long term foreign correspondent in the Asia-Pacific region, and were supported by the ACIJ (Australian Centre for Independent Journalism), a non-profit organization based at the University of Technology, Sydney (UTS). more - PEN: The Long Walk to Impact
Forty five PEN partners and resource persons descended upon Barcelona - the beautiful capital of Catalonia, in north east Spain - from 8-12 January to launch the second phase of the Poverty Environment Network (PEN) project.
Forty five PEN partners and resource persons descended upon Barcelona - the beautiful capital of Catalonia, in north east Spain - from 8-12 January to launch the second phase of the Poverty Environment Network (PEN) project.
PEN is an ambitious, tropics-wide collection of uniform socio-economic and environmental data at household and village levels. The project was launched by CIFOR in 2004. While data collection is still ongoing in many sites across the tropics, the second phase of PEN is about how to make sense of the 300 000-odd questionnaire pages collected from 9 000 households in 26 countries. more - Government of Burkina Faso and CIFOR sign Host Country Agreement to Help Forests and People
Of all the states in West Africa, Burkina Faso has the highest percentage of its population living in rural areas, and will remain the base for CIFOR’s work in both dry and humid areas of the region. Photo by Daniel Tiveau
The signing of a host country agreement with the government of Burkina Faso significantly reinforces CIFOR’s work in West Africa.
Signed in December 2007, by the Burkina Faso Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Cooperation, Mr Djibrill Yipènè Bassolé, and CIFOR’s Director General, Frances Seymour, the agreement formalises the partnership and sets the stage for CIFOR to build on its vital research aimed at reducing poverty through improved management of forests and woodlands in West Africa. more - A New Dawn For Community Forestry In Bolivia
Bolivia’s so-called “agrarian revolution” has set out to institutionalize community forestry, but under models developed by community-based organizations. CIFOR has been strongly involved in informing and facilitating public debate. Photo by Peter Cronkleton
Bolivia is moving forward on agrarian and forest reforms aimed at facilitating access to land and forest resources for indigenous people and rural communities. These reforms will enhance their livelihoods while promoting the sustainable use of forest resources in keeping with land-use potential. The focus is on consolidating community-based forestry management, a process in which CIFOR is playing an important role informing the public policy debate.
Susana Rivero, Bolivian Minister of Rural Development, Agriculture and Environment
In early 2006, a leftist government was carried into office in Bolivia on a wave of popular disenchantment with neo-liberal reforms that dated back to the mid-1980s. These policies had failed to achieve the promised economic growth and poverty alleviation, but they did bring some changes for the nation’s forests. more - Forest Animals: Eat and/or Protect? - The Bush Meat Dilemma in Central Africa
The Bush Meat Dilemma in Central Africa
Bush pig, antelope, and monkey, Makokou bushmeat market, Gabon. Researchers estimate that the current harvest of bush meat in Central Africa is more than 1 million tonnes annually, the equivalent of almost 4 million cattle.
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?
The scale of bush meat hunting has become so large that some species are now threatened with extinction. Researchers estimate that the current harvest of bush meat in Central Africa is more than 1 million tonnes annually, the equivalent of almost 4 million cattle. more - Looking beyond the forests to save them – livelihoods and biodiversity in multifunctional landscapes
The platform was launched in recognition of the role that multifunctional landscape mosaics have in preserving biodiversity, both within and outside of protected areas. Photo by Manuel Boissiere
As more of the world’s forests rapidly disappear and become increasingly fragmented, conservation efforts have focused on establishing protected areas to conserve these key ecosystems that support a diverse array of flora and fauna. More recently, conservationists and scientists have observed that protected areas are necessary but not sufficient for the conservation of biodiversity. In this context, the role of multifunctional landscape mosaics, especially those surrounding protected areas, has become increasingly important. more - Collaborative Partnership on Forests presents recommendations to UNFCCC Executive Secretary
Forests are a key issue for climate change discussions. Yvo De Boer, speaking at the first Forest Day held parallel to the COP
Media release, Bali Dec 8, 2007: The Executive Secretary of the UNFCCC, Mr. Yvo de Boer, was presented with a set of key recommendations on the role of forests in combating climate change for consideration at the 13th Conference of the Parties in Bali (COP 13).
Mr. de Boer welcomed the contribution that the many world-leading experts and forest organizations attending Forest Day could make in influencing forest and climate policy at the global level.
more - Failure to understand deforestation’s causes may jeopardize REDD: CIFOR Report
Fire burns on degraded forest peat land near the city of Palangkaraya, on the island of Borneo in Indonesia. Photo by Charlie Pye Smith
BALI, INDONESIA (7 December 2007)—A new study by one of the world’s leading forestry research institutes warns that the new push to “reduce emissions from deforestation and degradation,” known by the acronym REDD, is imperiled by a routine failure to grasp the root causes of deforestation. The study sought to link what is known about the underlying causes of the loss of 13 million hectares of forest each year to the promise—and potential pitfalls—of REDD schemes. more - Forests earn poor farmers more money left standing than if they’re cut down for planting crops
Deforestation offers little income compared with potential post-Kyoto carbon deals.
With the European carbon market last week paying 23 Euro per ton of CO2 and some emissions in Indonesia receive as little as 0.23 Euro per ton of CO2, there is a very real opportunity for the country to benefit from a carbon market which compensates for Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation (REDD). Photo by Ryan Woo
BALI, INDONESIA (5 December 2007)—Deforestation in tropical countries is often driven by the perverse economic reality that forests are worth more dead than alive. But a new study by an international consortium of researchers has found that the emerging market for carbon credits has the potential to radically alter that equation. more - CIFOR and ICRAF’s Female Staff Dig In for 10 Million Trees!
A nationwide program for planting and preserving trees has been facilitated by the Indonesian Women's Alliance and will enable women from all over Indonesia to demonstrate their support for the global fight against climate change and to take genuine, practical action to prevent global warming.
More than 750 Indonesian women will participate in signing the Declaration of Planting and Preserving Trees, on November 28 in Jakarta. This declaration will be followed by the planting of 10 million trees all over Indonesia, between December 1 – 22 2007.
Those signing the Declaration will represent a range of Women's Associations, including the Indonesian Woman’s Alliance for Sustainable Development (IWASD), Kongres Wanita Indonesia (KOWANI) and Solidaritas Istri Kabinet Indonesia Bersatu (SIKIB). more - Balancing Conservation with Livelihoods in Vietnam
A resettled community in the buffer zone of Cat Tien National Park, South Vietnam. The settlement was built in 2003 when the government enforced strict regulations that prevent utilisation or habitation in the forest. Photo by Widya Prajanthi
It is often perceived - particularly by conservationists - that the human struggle against poverty is a major cause of biodiversity loss. On the other hand, human rights activists see conservation efforts to stop biodiversity loss as limiting human access to vital resources.
What is often missed in such an argument is that biodiversity conservation can actually contribute to livelihoods by helping to maintain a healthy ecosystem, which can then improve productive capacity and general human well-being. more - Indonesian scientist shares in the kudos of UN Climate Change Panel’s Nobel Prize
Says Indonesia must prepare now for climate change
Dr. Daniel Murdiyarso says awarding the Nobel Prize to the IPCC, helps to increase not only people's awareness of climate change but also people's commitment to address it.
31 Oct 2007: As Indonesia’s forests assume an increasingly significant position in the global fight against climate change, it is fitting this year’s Nobel Peace Prize is shared, in part, by an Indonesian scientist dedicated to ensuring his country’s forests are managed sustainably.
Dr Daniel Murdiyarso – a climatologist at the Bogor-based Centre for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) - is a member of the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), which was recently awarded the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize, alongside US global warming crusader and former Vice President Al Gore. more - Former President Clinton welcomes forests-climate commitment
CIFOR, Indonesia and partners launch global initiative
Bill Reilly (right) former Administrator of the US Environmental Protection Agency, presents CIFOR Director General, Frances Seymour, and Wahjudi Wardojo, the Director of Dephut’s Research and Development, a certificate signed by former President Bill Clinton. The certificate was presented at the Clinton Global Initiative’s Annual Meting in New York. It was given in recognition of multi-million dollar commitment by the Government of Indonesia, CIFOR and partners to address the role of forests in climate change.
Former U.S. President Bill Clinton has recognized a commitment by the Government of Indonesia and the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) to address the role of forests in climate change. The commitment was featured at the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) Annual Meeting in New York. The September 27th event attracted hundreds of international leading figures from government, industry, academia, philanthropy and civil society. more - Sowing The Seeds Of Gender Equity
Rural women in developing countries make significant contributions to forestry and agriculture. Still, cultural and organizational barriers prevent them from taking up leadership positions in natural resource management. Photo: Marie-Claude Simard
They are every day images of rural Asia or Africa: women working hard in a field or rice paddy, collecting kindling for a fire, pounding grain into flour, selling crops by a dusty road, or taking them home in a string basket for the family meal. According to the FAO, women account for more than 50 per cent of the workforce necessary to produce the food consumed in developing countries.
They are involved in every facet of agriculture.
Except one: making the decisions. more - Sustainable Forest Management Project assists Asia Forest Partnership
Aerial view is very useful for monitoring forests, but it cannot provide all the information that good forest management needs. Photo by Gen Takao
Sustainable forest management (SFM) is almost always the product of good planning. And good planning is almost always the product of reliable data, intelligence, and sufficient detail about the current situation.
Remote sensing technology, with its use of satellite imagery and aerial photos to cover wide areas of landscape, is an extremely valuable tool in monitoring forest cover and providing the data. more - Forests and Human Health Closely Linked
A recent seminar in Belem, Brazil, organized by CIFOR and the Government of Sweden, has brought the important role forests play in community health to the attention of senior policy makers and forest stakeholders.
Forests are a vital source of food and medicines for many people around the world. They also provide important environmental services, such as filtering drinking water, that contribute to good health. more - Andiroba - First Aid from the Amazon
Quiandeua women learn to make medicine from forest plants. Workshops based around CIFOR publications are bringing information to life for forest communities. Photo by Flavio Contente
"Are you watching your badly sprained ankle swell and turn purple? Are you nervously swatting the dengue-carrying, white striped mosquito to avoid disease?" The questions are posed by Patricia Shanley, a researcher at the Centre for International Forestry Research (CIFOR), to researchers working with local communities living in the Amazonian forests of northern Brazil.
Traditionally, Amazonian communities use oil from the andiroba tree (Carapa guianensis) to repel insects such as mosquitoes and to relieve skin problems, fever and sprains. But increasingly, this member of the mahogany family, which can grow to over 80 feet tall, is being targeted for its valuable red-tinted timber. more - Science key to better environmental decisions
A CIFOR researcher is assisting local informants to draw a natural resource map, informing about local perception and uses of the landscape. Photo by Nining Liswanti.
An opinion piece by CIFOR’s Douglas Sheil and TNC’s Erik Meijaard published in the Jakarta Post July 30 argues that improving Indonesia’s science and research capacity will lead to better environmental policy. The authors call on international donor agencies and Indonesian institutions to implement a range of initiatives. These include translations of cutting-edge environmental and forest texts into Indonesian, making texts available for free on-line, and improving the library and digital services available to scientists. more - Media Release: Deforestation & Climate Change
Frances Seymour, Director General of the Center for International Forestry Research, in the small forest surrounding the center’s headquarters in Bogor, Indonesia. Photo Eko Prianto, 2007.
International efforts to assist developing countries fight climate change by reducing deforestation can succeed, but will require time, money and a willingness to take often politically difficult decisions, according to the head of a leading international forest think-tank. Frances Seymour, Director General of the Indonesia-headquartered Center for International Forestry Research, is an invited speaker at the Australian Government’s international High-Level Meeting on Forests and Climate, Sydney, July 23 – 25. more - Women for Change
Helene Eboto understands the challenges women face in the forests of Cameroon. Helene divides her time between her children, working the fields to feed her family, charity work and leading the Platform of Rural Women of Campo Ma’an. Photo by Marie-Claude Simard.
In their village of Akom II on the border of Cameroon’s Campo Ma'an National Park, the women leave home six days a week to dig in the fields, forage in the forests, and feed their families.
Among them is Mrs. Helene Eboto. When she has time, Helene writes about environmental, social and women’s issues for the theater. But time is a scarce commodity for Helene, a dynamic individual forever busy with her community and her family.
One of Helene’s more demanding tasks is fulfilling the duties expected of her as the President of a rural women’s group.
When she is not helping the women in her community, Helene is likely to be helping the younger people in Akom II through the agency she established to support children born out of marriage. more - DRC Government seeks CIFOR’s advice on forest tax scheme to reduce poverty
The government of the Democratic Republic of Congo is planning to redistribute forest taxes to improve local livelihoods. Photo by Abdon Awono
The importance of good governance in implementing forest-related poverty reduction schemes has been highlighted in a recent report on Cameroon forestry tax initiatives aimed at helping local people.
According to CIFOR's Paolo Cerutti a co-author of the report, Forest Taxation in Post 1994 Cameroon*, using forest taxes to reduce poverty have shown mixed results in Cameroon.
"If forest taxes are to reduce poverty, a large amount of redistributed money is not enough," Cerutti says.
Cerutti discussed the findings of the report during a forestry workshop in Kinshasa for the government of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), which is considering implementing a similar scheme. more - Biofuels: putting out fire with gasoline?
Biofuel plantations promise to be an important energy source, but they must be developed with close consideration of local environmental and social needs. Photo by Hari Priyadi
The promise biofuel holds as an alternative to petroleum based products has received considerable attention this past 12 months from industry, scientists, environmental organizations and governments. It seems likely oil palm development will be on the minds of more than a few delegates attending the Conference of the Parties (COP) on Climate Change in Bali later this year.
One of the big questions is whether biofuel production is the panacea that many of it proponents often claim. Or will extensive plantation of biofuel crops help solve only one problem while opening up a Pandora’s Box of other environmental and social issues. more - Paying Countries To Save Forests
On Ecuador’s Palachuro River, residents in the town of Pinampiro pay farmers living upstream to protect the local watershed. This helps ensure they receive clean drinking water. Photo by Sven Wunder
One of the key issues at the Conference of the Parties (COP) on Climate Change discussions in Bali later this year looks set to be payments to countries for protecting their forests. More correctly known as payments for environmental services, such measures have long been earmarked as a potentially high-impact low cost tool in the international fight against climate change.
But what is meant by the term ‘payments for environmental services’ (PES)? In technical terms, a PES scheme is an arrangement where a well-defined environmental service is “bought” by one or more external service buyers from one or more local service providers. more - Government Overseeing Malinau Research Forest Wins Environmental Prize
Malinau Regent, Dr. Marthin Billa (2nd left), was awarded the Kalpataru prize for his efforts to make Malinau a conservation district. Accompanying Dr. Billa at the Presidential awards ceremony were CIFOR’s Kresno Dwi Santosa, Mrs. Yuari Itun Billa, and Ir. Junus Poddala from Indonesia’s Environmental Impact Agency (BAPEDALDA)
Malinau Regency head, Dr Marthin Billa, has been awarded Indonesia’s highest environmental prize in recognition of his efforts to establish Malinau as a conservation district.
The Kalpataru environmental prize was presented by the President of Indonesia President, Soesilo Bambang Yudhoyono, in conjunction with World Environment Day, June 6. Each year the Government of Indonesia awards the Kalpataru to communities and individuals who show leadership in protecting and preserving the environment. more - Small Communities See Big Future In Teak
Dr. Michael Blyth from ANU’s School of Resources, Environment and Society (left), meets with CIFOR’s Ani Nawir, Parman, a tree grower from Gn. Kidul, and Dr. Nunung Nuryartono from IPB’s InterCAFE to discuss the Australian funded project, Improving Economic Outcomes for Smallholders Growing Teak in Agroforestry Systems in Indonesia. Photo by Widya Prajanthi
CIFOR headquarters in Bogor was proud host to several major forestry organisations from May 28 - May 30. The reason for the presence on campus was the launch of a new Australian supported initiative to develop profitable smallholder teak plantations in Indonesia.
Known as ‘Improving Economic Outcomes for Smallholders Growing Teak in Agroforestry System in Indonesia’ and funded by ACIAR (the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research) the project's key objectives include: more - New World Bank Forest Alliance
Andrew Bennett, Chair of CIFOR’s Board of Trustees, addresses the Seventh Session of the United Nations Forum on Forests, New York, late April 2007.
The World Bank is currently developing a new Global Forest Alliance to tackle many of the challenges facing the world’s forest sector, according to the World Bank’s Environment Director, Warren Evans, in an address to the recent 7th Session of the United Nations Forum on Forests (UNFF7).
During a panel discussion with members of the Collaborative Partnership on Forests (CPF),* an affiliate organization of the UNFF, North said the Alliance aims to achieve challenging but achievable goals by 2015 in poverty reduction, sustainable production-forest management, biodiversity conservation and climate change mitigation. more - 2011 Year of Forests a Proud Achievement
Celebrations for the International year of Forests in 2011 should help increase public awareness of forests’ important ecological, economic and social functions. Photo by Manuel Boissiere
The United Nations Forum on Forests officially launched the 2011 International Year of Forests at its Seventh Session in April. The launch followed a resolution initiated by Croatia and passed by UN General Assembly in December 2006.
In adopting the Croatian resolution the UN said dedicating 2011 to be the UN international Year of Forests would be a celebration of the importance forests play in everyday life. more - Farmer to farmer exchanges strengthen conservation in Amazonia
Community members of Baiao, Brazil, participating in a “Local Knowledge of the Forest” workshop conducted by CIFOR researcher Flavio Contente. Photo by Flavio Contente
In eastern Amazonia, along the Capim River, João felt he’d made a good deal when he accepted a company’s offer of an outdoor stove in exchange for logging 25 hectares of his pristine forest. Not far away, Pedro traded five 35 meter trees of excellent timber so his sick son could get an injection. In Curumi’s village, a logger offered about US$2 a tree for six month’s of timber extraction. They logged the forest, but neglected to pay Curumi’s village. more - Training Workshop On Climate Change Sparks Strong Media Interest
Journalists increased their understanding of global warming at a training workshop presented by CIFOR and WWF. Indonesia will be the focus of international media when it hosts the COP 13-UNFCCC meeting in December. Photo by Widya Prajanthi
CIFOR & WWF prepare for COP 13-UNFCCC in Bali, December 2007
A training workshop in Indonesia has helped journalists identify some of the key issues they face when reporting on climate change and forests. The CIFOR-WWF workshop was held in early May in Jakarta with the aim of enhancing the media's knowledge and reporting of the often complex issues surrounding climate change. It also presented scientists and communication specialists working on climate change issues with an opportunity to better understand the needs of journalists when producing stories about this often complex topic. more - UN Adopts Proposal To Fight Illicit Timber Trade
A vessel carrying illegal timber from Indonesia heads for Sarawak, Malaysia. Photo by Agus Andrianto
Indonesia plays key role
International cooperation in combating the illegal timber trade has received a significant boost following the adoption of an anti-timber trafficking resolution at the meeting of the United Nations Economic and Social Council (UNESC) in Vienna, April 23-27, 2007.
Put forward by the UNESC subsidiary body, the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice (CCPCJ), the resolution is entitled ‘International cooperation in preventing and combating illicit international trafficking in forest products, including timber, wildlife and other forest biological resources’. more - CIFOR Paper Suggests Changes to UNFF’s Works Programme
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Director of CIFOR Forests & Governance Programme, Doris Capistrano, presents her jointly-authored paper, “Revitalizing the UNFF”, at the Indonesian and German organized Country Led Initiative in Bali, February, prior to the UNFF’s 7th Session in April. UNFF chairman Pekka Patosaari observes the meeting in the background. |
One of many agenda items for discussion at the 7th Session of the United Nations Forum on Forests (UNFF-7), New York 16 -27 April, is the UNFF's Multi-Year Programme of Work, which sets the agency’s global priorities for forest related actions for 2007-2015.
During the lead up to the 7th Session, the Governments of Indonesia and Germany in collaboration with 12 governments and international organizations, including CIFOR, organized a Country-Led Initiative (CLI) in Bali, Indonesia, 13-16 February. more - Australian Environment Minister Visits CIFOR
CIFOR Assistant Director General, Yemi Katerere discusses forests with the Australian Minister for the Environment and Water Services, Malcolm Turnbull. Photo by Widya Prajanthi
$167 million ‘Global Initiative on Forests and Climate’
CIFOR recently hosted a visit from Australia’s Minister for the Environment and Water Resources, Malcolm Turnbull. Mr. Turnbull and senior government officials visited CIFOR following meetings with Indonesia’s Minister for Forestry, MS Kaban, and Minister for the Environment, Rachmat Witoelar.
Mr. Turnbull was in Indonesia as part of a tour to several countries to promote the ‘Global Initiative on Forests and Climate’, a new international endeavor to combat deforestation and its impact on climate change, kicked off by Australia with a contribution of AUD$200 million (US$167 million).
Two day’s earlier Mr. Turnbull met with senior US officials, leading to a joint statement from the Australian and US Governments committing to work together on the global initiative. more - Living on the edge: Central Africa’s crossborder trade
Moving goods from the trans-border region of Sangha to Douala port in Cameroon is costly and sometimes deadly. Often local officials levy unofficial fees on drivers and rugged forest tracks exert a heavy toll on trucks. Photo by Julius Tieguhong
“Trade not aid” is often championed as the best solution to Africa’s problems. It’s usually said in reference to thedifficulties African countries face in exporting their products to Europe or America. The unfortunate irony, however,is many African countries find it difficult to trade with each other. Tariffs, custom duties and other barriers seriously hamper intra-African trade. And have for a long time.
The Economic and Monetary Community of Central Africa States (CEMAC) has been trying since its establishment in 1994 to improve trade relations between the Central African countries of Cameroon, the Central Africa Republic, the Republic of Congo, Gabon, Equatorial Guinea and Chad. more - Full Steam Ahead For African Dry Forest Project II
Women producing shea butter in Ouagadougou. Photo by Henri-Noël Bouda
Forest-based enterprise development: from local action to national policy reform
Following the positive outcomes of CIFOR's dry forest research in West Africa between 2003-06, the Swedish International Development Agency (Sida) is now funding a second phase of the project.
Titled “Achieving the Millennium Development Goals in African Dry forests: from local action to national policy reform” the three year project will focus on action oriented research in Burkina Faso, Ethiopia and Zambia. In addition, where appropriate, CIFOR will use the Sida project to develop links with institutions doing similar research in neighboring countries through other donor agencies. more - Enhancing the role of forests in Ethiopia
Staff of Wondo Genet College of Forestry and Natural Resources and CIFOR's Habtemariam Kassa discuss their experiences of a water harvesting project for a home garden in the Langano area of southern Ethiopia with a woman who says her family has benefitted significantly. Photo by Douglas Sheil.
Ethiopia’s tropical, subtropical and temperate climate allows it to produce a diversified range of products to support rural livelihoods. Some of the most significant products for local livelihoods are found in the country’s forests. These are largely dry forests, not the lush green forests normally associated with the tropics, though there are also patches of evergreen forests in the highlands of Ethiopia. Unfortunately, the survival of Ethiopia’s forests is severely threatened. more - New Brazil Forestry Policy Process Speaks for All People
Successful changes to Brazil's transportation laws covering Non Timber Forest Products (NTFPs) are attributed to improved multi-stakeholder discussions. This could benefit hundreds of traders at Belem's frenetic Ver-o-Peso market. Photo by Trilby MacDonald.
In recent years CIFOR’s research has placed considerable emphasis on ensuring National Agricultural Research Centres (NARS), policy makers and the development community have access to advanced analyses and techniques in the areas of policy making and public management. One example of facilitating policy processes is in Brazil.
According to CIFOR scientist, Dr. Patricia Shanley, the Government of Brazil recently showed great foresight by deciding on a the use of a multi-stakeholder seminar to formulate transportation policies for non-timber forest products (NTFPs). more - Government of Cameroon and CIFOR sign Host Country Agreement to help forests and people
Cameroon’s Minister of External Relations, Mr. Jean-Marie Atangana Mebara and CIFOR’s Director-General Ms. Frances Seymour hand over the signed documents. With the signing of the Host Country Agreement, CIFOR and the Government of Cameroon have become official partners in protecting Central Africa’s forests and reducing poverty. Photo by Patrick Nyemeck.
Yaoundé, March 9, 2007: The future of Central Africa's forests in supporting millions of livelihoods and providing a vital habitat for much of the world's rich biodiversity was significantly enhanced today with the signing of a Host Country Agreement between the Government of Cameroon and the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR). more - New World Bank Report on Indonesia’s Forests
A new World Bank report released and produced in partnership with six other institutions, including CIFOR, examines the challenges facing Indonesia in optimizing the management of the nation’s significant forest resources to better assist economic development, rural livelihoods and environmental protection. Launched on February 20, the report is aimed at helping both the private and public sectors and civil society implement sustainable and equitable forest governance and management programs. more - Fundación Natura Bolivia and CIFOR: Partners in winning CGIAR Award
CGIAR Chairman and World Bank Vice-President, Kathy Sierra (right) and USAID's Franklin Moore (left) congratulate Fundacion Natura Bolivia's Maria Teresa Vargas and CIFOR's Michael Hailu for winning an Innovative Market Place Award at the CGIAR Annual General Meeting in Washington.
CIFOR and its research partner Fundación Natura Bolivia (Bolivian Nature Foundation) were winners of one of four Innovative Market Place Awards presented at the December 2006 CGIAR Annual General Meeting in Washington. The $30,000 awards recognize successful and innovative partnerships between Civil Society Organisations (CSO’s) and CGIAR centers. more - Outgrower Tree Schemes Growing Up
One of the more significant changes to the global forestry sector in recent times has been the shift away from centralized to local forest management. In at least 60 developing countries, forest management responsibilities now rest in one degree or another with local councils and authorities. more - Stern messages on forests and climate
The 12th session of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and the 2nd meeting of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol wrapped up in November with forest issues rising in prominence. An important outcome of the meetings in Nairobi was the elevation of adaptation to climate change to its rightful place on the global climate agenda more - Conflict and Illegal Logging in Papua
Sound information and constructive engagement will help reduce the potential for conflict in Papua’s forestry sector and reduce differences between stakeholders. This is the underlying logic of a current CIFOR project in Papua called ‘Mitigating conflict and strengthening the capacity of civil society groups to limit illegal forest activities in Papua.’ more - CIFOR’s new DG meets with Indonesia’s Minister of Forestry
In her first formal and public meeting with the Ministry of Forestry since being recently appointed CIFOR’s new Director General, Frances Seymour, met with the Indonesian Minister of Forestry, M.S. Kaban on 14 November 2006 at the Ministry’s Manggala Wanabakti headquarters in Jakarta. more - Sharper eyes watching the Amazon
If loggers in the Peruvian Amazon know they’re going to be audited they’re more likely to follow the rules,’ according to CIFOR scientist, Cesar Sabogal. This could be the key to better managing timber extraction in these important environmental areas for years to come. more - Turning publication into practice along a tributary of the Amazon
When CIFOR research assistant Flavio Contente first visited the community of Quiandeua in Pará, Brazil José was a tired and listless little boy, sapped of energy by persistent anemia. By the time Contente returned five months later, José was up and about, running and playing with the other children. The boy’s dramatic recovery shows what can happen when good science meets good communication. more - Haze Solutions Must Not Overlook The Rural Poor
They appear every year just like Santa Claus. Except they’re unwelcome, stick around too long and bear unwanted gifts. Fires. The fires in Indonesia that each year apply a long and slow torch to thousands of hectares of farming and forest lands, send tonnes of carbon into the atmosphere and hang a hazy shroud across much of South East Asia. more - External review gives thumbs up to CIFOR
'CIFOR is the leading international forest research centre within its mandate… its research and policy oriented outcomes are significant and in many cases outstanding.' These were the words Niels Elers Koch used in summarising the findings of CIFOR’s most recent External Programme and Management Review (EPMR). As Chair of CIFOR’s second EPMR, Mr. Koch led a team of independent experts widely acknowledged for their skill and experience in research. more - CIFOR’s New Director General on the Job
 CIFOR’s recently appointed Director General officially commenced duties on August 20. Frances Seymour, former Director of the Institutions and Governance Programme at the World Resources Institute, takes over the reins from David Kaimowitz, now with the Ford Foundation. Frances’ arrival coincided with CIFOR’s Annual Staff Meeting, which took place 28 August – 1 September. The Meeting brought together staff from around the world and provided a valuable opportunity for discussion and interactions with the new DG. more - New CIFOR book launched
CIFOR’s new publication, ‘Beyond Timber: certification of non-timber forest products,’ is off to a flying staff, with over 200 people attending its launch at the 2nd Brazilian Fair of Certified Products in São Paulo, Brazil. more - Forests and Environmental Services
But what exactly are Payments for Environmental Services (PES)? Is it a feasible concept? And how successful are they so far?
A PES scheme is an arrangement where a well-defined environmental service, or a resource-use likely to provide the service, is “bought” by one or more external service buyers from one or more local service providers. more - Our Forests: A two-part film series based on voices from Malinau about the future of one of Asia's richest rainforests
The forests of Malinau, East Kalimantan, are amongst the most species rich in Asia. Logging, mining and plantation developments are reducing these forests day-by-day. How are these changes viewed by local people?
How can local people have more say in decisions about the forests on which they depend? How can competing needs and visions for these rainforests be balanced?
Local communities have legitimate needs and visions about forest that can be quite diverse. Yet local governments often do not acknowledge this legitimacy or diversity. They are usually more concerned with “modernization” and income generation at cost of traditional livelihoods, conversion of forest, and risk of increasing economic dependency and vulnerability. more - Biotropica award
CIFOR scientists, Douglas Sheil and Agus Salim have been awarded the highly regarded Biotropica Award for Excellence in Tropical Biology and Conservation. The award is from the Editorial Board of Biotropica magazine for Doug and Agus’s article, "Forest tree persistence, elephants, and stem scars". more - CIFOR successfully launches DfID Sponsored Book in Hanoi
CIFOR and Vietnam’s Forest Sector Support Program Coordination Office successfully launched “Poverty Alleviation and Forests in Vietnam” on March 14 in Hanoi. Funded by the UK’s Department for International Development (DfID), “Poverty Alleviation and Forests in Vietnam” provides useful guidelines on how future research into forests and livelihoods can best be used to improve national poverty alleviation programs. more - Do Forests Really Prevent Floods?
Every year, the media is dominated by stories about floods in Asia - floods that bring death, misery and poverty to millions of people, and economic havoc to developing nations. and every year the floods are blamed almost universally on upland farmers and loggers clearing and degrading forests. But in reality, the direct links between deforestation and floods are far from certain. more
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