In Mali, the World Agroforestry Center (ICRAF) and RRI brought together representatives from governments, donors, NGOs and forest communities from the Sahel region to discuss ways to move beyond current forestry laws and improve regional forest management. It created a platform for collaborative research, community participation, devolution and decentralization of management responsibilities and collective learning and action among Sahelian countries. The workshop was attended by Sahel Eco, the West and Central African Council for Agricultural Research and Development (CORAF/WECARD), the International Development Research Center (IDRC), International Fund for Agriculutural Development (IFAD), and a number of European government agencies.