Asia
Introduction to Forest Connect Asia
One of the greatest challenges facing forest communities in developing their livelihoods and forest enterprises is their isolation from other like-minded communities, policy makers, markets and providers of services and finance. Excluded from policy decision making processes and disconnected from supporting services, physical and financial resources, and knowledge exchanges, forest communities face enormous barriers to enterprise development and market engagement.
Formed in 2013, Forest Connect Asia is an alliance of organizations aiming to support forest communities in the Asia-Pacific region in developing their forest based livelihoods and strengthening their capacity for enterprise development through facilitating stronger linkages with their peers and other key actors, supporting services and necessary resources and knowledge. The alliance builds off the idea of Forest Connect, an international network formed in 2007 by the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) and the Forest and Farm Facility (FFF) hosted by FAO.
What are the issues?
Following the formation of Forest Connect Asia, member organizations alliance articulated the main challenges facing communities in developing forest-based enterprises in the region:
• Lack of community capacity in business development and planning
• Inability to developing sustainable market access
• Inadequate access to financial and physical resources
• Isolation from support services, ongoing research, knowledge exchanges
• Seclusion from equitable benefit-sharing options
• Lack of appropriate and supportive policies and legal framework
What can we offer?
Forest Connect Asia aims to provide concrete support to communities and supporting organizations in the following ways:
• Developing a capacity development framework for forest communities engaging in enterprise development
• Focusing on prioritized curriculum development and delivering joint trainings covering marketing, business competencies, and value chain development
• Providing knowledge and technical support to communities through leveraging resources and linking to support organizations
• Investing in collaborative action research and co-managed pilot sites to better develop pro-poor and sustainably managed community forest enterprise models
• Facilitating the sharing of best practices and lessons learned, at regional and national networking events and trainings
• Developing joint policy briefs for a variety of platforms to further advocate for community forestry enterprise support
• Enhancing interaction between the private sector and community enterprises and stimulate ‘win-win’ partnerships through facilitation
Moving forward, the alliance is actively seeking out other interested organizations to provide them with a forum to contribute their strengths and leverage resources aimed towards securing community forestry livelihoods and enterprise models.
RECOFTC – The Center for People and Forests
Martin Greijmans
P.O. Box 1111, Kasetsart Post Office Bangkok 10903, Thailand
Phone: +66 (0)2 940 5700 Ext. 1998 Email: martin.greijmans@recoftc.org http://www.recoftc.org/
Asia Network for Sustainable Agriculture and Bioresources (ANSAB)
Puspa Ghimire P.O.Box 11035 Kathmandu, Nepal
Phone: (977-01)-4497547 / 4478412. Email: PuspaGhimire@ansab.org http://www.ansab.org/
Non-Timber Forest Products – Exchange Program (NTFP-EP) for South and Southeast Asia
Ruth Canlas
92-A Masikap Extension, Barangay Central
Diliman, Quezon City 1100 Philippines
Phone: +63 2 920 4201 Email: ruthpcanlas@yahoo.com http://www.ntfp.org/
Enterprise & Development Consultants (EDC)
Buakhai Phimmavong P.O Box 9997
Naxay Village, Saysettha District Vientiane, Lao PDR
Phone: +856 21 454 6501 Email: buakhaiedc@gmail.com
World Wildlife Fund (WWF)
Amy Maling Thibault Ledecq House #21, Street 322, Boeung Keng Kang I, PO Box 2467, Phnom Penh, Cambodia
