Background and Rationale

Given that positive movements have been seen in some countries and recalcitrance in others" we are now well placed to review this mixed experience with the aim of facilitating further innovations in the interests of promoting community and forest well-being. Such an assessment can benefit from considering how the larger tides of economic and political developments (such as the financial crisis" the REDD+ agenda" resource commodity trade) have influenced the transformation of forest tenure and rights. This conference aims to provide a venue for open discussion of not only the gains of different dimensions of tenure and regulatory reform" but also on what stands in the way of further improvements where there has been progress as well as how reforms can be advanced in other countries in order to enhance forest governance. In this way" we can identify what steps are necessary to move forward as well as reduce the risk of rollback.

By holding the conference in China" we hope to highlight the bold moves taken by the Chinese administration since 2005 that helped set up the institutional foundation for a more secure community and household tenure system improving forest governance.  At the same time" we recognize that there are still great challenges ahead. In addition" it is also important to consider what form of grievance redress mechanisms need to be put in place to ensure that the forest institutions deliver the outcomes originally sought.  Simultaneously" this conference seeks to facilitate a comparative discussion of how the perse experiences" in China and other Asian countries" can help identify the critical lessons learnt so that further new initiatives can be considered. This conference will explore these lessons and other overarching issues that impact the tenure security of forest peoples in Asia. 

This conference builds up on the International Conference on Collective Forest Tenure and Regulatory Reform in China" co-organized by Peking University" State Forest Administration" the World Bank" and Rights and Resources Initiative in China in February 2008. It seeks to facilitate the sharing of experiences across Asia. 

Concrete objectives of the conference include:

• Examine China's forest tenure with a view to identifying good practices" successful experiences" and the lessons to be learned  
• Examine regulatory frameworks governing China’s land ownership and markets and the framework governing forestland use and timber harvesting 
• Analysis of the larger political and economic forces affecting the forest tenure and rights regimes governing the use and management of Asian forest landscapes
• Examine the status of forest tenure reform as well as implementation in a range of key Asian countries
• Review how these have been accompanied by necessary changes in the forest regulatory framework
• Discuss in what ways current trends in the REDD+ agenda impact further improvements in forest tenure and regulation
• Build collaborative and long-term relationships between key actors on these issues in Asian countries
• Identify a regional agenda to advance reform across the region

Participants

Participation is by invitation only.  A total of 140 Participants are expected to attend the conference. 80 participants will come from forestry related policy makers" provincial leaders" farmers" NGOs" conservation practitioners" and industries in China. It is expected that at least 30 of these Chinese participants will be from outside Beijing. The other 60 participants include 40 policy makers and other key players from Asia-Pacific region and selected countries from the world and 20 participants will be resource persons from out of region. We expect at least 20 countries to participate" majority of which will be from Asia-Pacific region

Organizing Partners

RRI will co-host the event with the State Forestry Administration of China. Department of Rural Forestry Reform and Development of SFA will co-host this conference in collaboration with Peking University. RRI partners" World Agroforestry Centre" Forest Trends" and RECOFTC will be the other major collaborators and will be members of the organizing committee.

Resources

• Agenda
• List of International Participants

Presentations

Friday" 24 September

Opening Session:

Can You Imagine?

Opening Remarks by Andy White" Rights and Resources Initiative

Session Two:

Collective Forest Tenure System Reform in China

Zhang Lei" State Forest Administration (SFA)" China

Innovations to Promote Tenure Reform

Zhejiang Forestry Department

Collective Forest Tenure Reform in China: Outcomes and Analysis of Performance

Xu Jintao" Peking University

China's Forest Reforms in a Global Context

Dr. Uma Lele (panel presentation)

Session Three (Parallel Sessions):

Supporting Policy" Legal and Institutional Frameworks for the Reform of Forest Tenure in China's Collective Forests and Promoting Knowledge Exchange

Jiang Chunqian" UN-FAO China

Forest Tenure Reform in Nepal: Experience from Community Forestry

Keshav Raj Kanel" Nepal

Rights" Authorities and Power: Forest Tenure Transition in Indonesia in relation to REDD

Ujjwal Pradhan & Gamma Galudra" World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF) Southeast Asia

China Rural Grassroots Governance Mechanism Research After Collective Forest Property Right System Reform

He Donghang" Huazhong Normal University

Forest Tenure Regimes in Nepal: What Made us to Re-think?

Indra Sapkota" Ministry of Forests and Soil Conservation - Nepal (panel presentation)

Indonesia Law and Forest Tenure

Basoeki Karyaatmadja" Ministry of Forestry - Republic of Indonesia

Law" Regulations" Forest Right and Tenure Reforms of Thailand (1 of 2)" (2 of 2)

Preecha Ongprasert" Riyal Forest Department - Thailand

The "Five-in-One" Loan Model to Solve Farmers' Financing Problem

Huoshan County" Anhui Province

Proposed New Forest Regulations: Implications for Community Forest Rights in Nepal

Naya Sharma Paudel" ForestAction Nepal

Undoing Historical Injustice: The Indian Forest Rights Act" 2006

Madhu Sarin" RRI Fellow

Consolidate trading platform" and establish unified and standardized forest rights trading market covering southern neighboring provinces

Southern Forestry Exchange" Jiangxi Province

Forest Tenure in Vietnam: Achievements and Challenges

Nguyen Huu Dung" Vietnam National Administration of Forestry

An Overview of Federation of Community Forestry Users" Nepal (FECOFUN)

Apsara Chapagain" FECOFUN

Let the Farmers Master their Own Affairs in the Forest Tenure Reform (1 of 2)" (2 of 2)

Jingshan County" Hubei Province

The Creative Implementation of the Forest Tenure Reform and the Benefits of "the Four Locals" Project (1 of 2)" (2 of 2)

Tengxian County" Guangxi Province

Changes on the verdured mountain-side" benefits to the villagers

Shaowu County" Fujian Province

Let the Farmers Get Rich with the Resources: Forest Tenure Reform Experience in Changjiang

Autonomous County of Hainan

Develop Under-forest economy" Enrich local people

Heshui County" Gansu Province

Fulfill the dreams of people" increase the wealth of people

Taibai County" Shanxi Province

Saturday" 25 September

Session Five:

REDD-plus and Forest Tenure: The Emerging Philippine Experience

Tony La Vina" Ateneo School of Government

Indonesian Initiatives on REDD+

Ahmad Fauzi" Ministry of Forestry - Republic of Indonesia (panel presentation)

REDD+ and Community Forestry in Nepal

Bharat Pokharel" Swiss Intercooperation Nepal (panel presentation)

Session Six:

The Volatile Mix: Land Grabs" Commodity Booms and Conflict

Jeffrey Hatcher" RRI

China's Forestland Tenure Reforms: Challenges and Recommended Solutions

Li Ping" Rural Development Institute (RDI)

Emerging Challenges to Forest Tenure Security of Communities: Some Observations

Don Roberts" CIBC World Markets (panel  presentation)

Expériences de la République Démocratique du Congo en matière de tenure forestière: opportunités et défis

Sebastien Malele Mbaba" Ministry of Environment" Conservation of Nature and Tourism - Democratic Republic of Congo (panel presentation)

Session Seven:

What we can learn from the forest tenure reform of China and other Asian Countries

Denis Koulagna Koutou" Ministry of Forestry and Wildlife - Cameroon

état des lieux des réformes forestières en République Démocratique du Congo

Frederic Djengo Bosulu" Ministry of Environment" Conservation of Nature and Tourism - Democratic Republic of Congo

The Challenge of Land Management in an Era of Climate Change

Leslie Weldon" US Forest Service

Session Eight:

Exploring Areas of Learning and Cooperation

Ahmad Fauzi" Ministry of Forestry - Republic of Indonesia

Forest Tenure and Regulatory Reforms

Soulivanthong Kingkeo" National Agriculture and Forestry Research Institute (NAFRI) - Lao PDR

Exploring Areas of Learning and Cooperation on Forest Tenure Reform in Nepal

Ram Prasad Lamsal" Ministry of Forests and Soil Conservation - Government of Nepal

Forest Tenure in Cambodia

H.E. Chea Sam Ang" Forest Administration - Cambodia

Exploring Areas of Learning and Cooperation on Forest Tenure Reform of Asia

Preecha Ongprasert (on behalf of Pramuk Tichakorn)" Royal Forest Department - Thailand