On February 26th and 27th” RRI convened a series of meetings in Beijing to plan collaborative work over the next several years among RRI Partners and collaborators in China and the East Asian region.

Representatives from RRI Partners Forest Trends” RECOFTC and World Agroforestry Centre met with project collaborators from RDI (Rural Development Institute)” the E.U.-China Natural Forest Management Project” China Agricultural University” and Wuhan University to discuss priorities and research topics for RRI work in China.

Participants discussed the major policy issues that will challenge the success of tenure reforms in China over the next five years” including:

• Compensation for regulatory land seizures;
• Research on sustainable forestry management schemes and their impact on indigenous rights and environmental protection; and
• Contributing to a comprehensive understanding among Chinese policy-makers and the central government of the relationship between provincial-level government policies and local livelihoods.

Representatives from RRI Partners FECOFUN” Forest Trends and RECOFTC also met to discuss plans for RRI work throughout China and East Asia. Participants agreed to collaborate on regional projects that will include more detailed work in Lao PDR and support of the Asia network of the Global Alliance of Community Forestry. Detailed regional plans will be considered and approved in July.