Representatives from governments” civil society” research institutions and the private sector came together in Hanoi April 21-25 to seek solutions to today’s most challenging forest issues” during the first-ever Asia-Pacific Forestry Week. Participants focused on forests and poverty during the day-long session on “People” Forests and Human Well-being” organized by RECOFTC and supported by the Asia Forest Network and the FAO. The day’s discussions focused on questioning assumptions and deepening conceptual and practical understanding of the fundamental issues affecting people and forests in the context of rapid regional change.
Presentations during the session outlined the numerous overlapping and contradictory paradigms for making forestry matter” noting that all have done little to slow rapacious degradation of resources or reduce poverty:
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Forestry for industrial development |
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Forestry for local community development (Westoby model)” oil crisis” fuelwood crisis |
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Social forestry” community forestry |
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Institutional reform” collaborative” participatory forestry |
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Focus on corruption” illegality” decentralisation |
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Poverty” livelihoods |
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Forestry crisis” climate change” dramatic energy and food price spikes |
Six propositions underpinned the presentations and shaped discussions:
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Read more on the RECOFTC website or the report People” Forests and Human Wellbeing: Managing Forests for People in a Period of Rapid Change