by Dr David Ganz, Executive Director, RECOFTC – The Center for People and Forests

While there are a number of legal entitlements for women to assert their voices in forest decision-making processes, land rights advocacy groups are finding that collaborative land management systems are not yet doing enough to protect the rights of women. This message was voiced by gender experts from around the Asia and the Pacific region who met 23-24 August for a Rights and Resources Initiative (RRI) meeting, hosted by RECOFTC in Bangkok, on gender and land tenure in Asia.

Despite efforts over decades to raise the bar on women’s empowerment in the natural resource management fields, a recent RRI report – Power and Potential – analyzed national laws and regulations concerning women’s rights to community forests. Of the three regions included in the study, community-specific legal frameworks provided the highest level of protection for women’s community level inheritance but the least amount of rights under national legal frameworks (recognizing women’s rights in a country’s constitution, legislation, policy, regulations and/ or contracts). This means that in the Asia-Pacific region, much more must be done to protect the rights of women. Community forestry (CF) and collaborative land management is just an entry point, and other sectors must be engaged for broader advocacy gains. Further, the voice from community forestry advocates is not yet strong enough to lead to national constitutional reforms, thus awareness-raising and broader coalitions are needed.

 
To help address this issue, RECOFTC – The Center for People and Forests – is developing the capacities of a new generation of gender champions. RECOFTC’s leadership and capacity development programs are playing a transformative role in strengthening women’s active participation in civil society platforms, where women’s leadership has proven to be a valuable political voice. For example, community forestry has played an important role in enhancing leadership capacities of women in Nepal. In the recent elections in Nepal earlier this year, 22,000 representatives were directly elected to lead local municipalities. Of these, 712 are CF leaders, including 228 women CF leaders, exemplifying how capacity development of CF leaders, including women, is directly linked to leadership roles in government.

This type of targeted training and capacity development has and is encouraging women to serve more effectively at the national, provincial and/or community levels, as well as in universities and key institutions where they work. By providing technical support to organizations, it will be possible to improve the capacity of these organizations to address issues related to gender inclusion and women’s empowerment, both of which will strengthen the organizations themselves. The Center is continuing to strengthen our work to promote gender inclusion and women’s empowerment through both new staffing in our gender program, as well as stronger initiatives to develop women’s leadership skills on the national, provincial and community levels.

 
These capacity development efforts will not be fully effective, however, if they are not supported by an enabling policy environment that recognizes and values women’s roles and responsibilities. To raise awareness of and advocate for gender equality and women’s empowerment on forestry, natural resource management, and climate change issues, RECOFTC – The Center for People and Forests will facilitate policy analyses, dialogue and networking at the landscape, national and regional levels. Community forestry facilitates strong local and landscape level governance. The participatory decision-making that CF brings at the local level can play an important role in addressing issues of weak governance that often affect forests in the region. The Center will need strong policy analyses, dialogues and a targeted communication and knowledge management strategy to synthesize and disseminate lessons learned to ensure wider reach and impact.

Participants in the recent RRI workshop also discussed the importance of collective contributions to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which are a universal call to action to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure that all people enjoy peace and prosperity. All of the participants in the workshop recognized the importance of contributing to the SDGs but also the ability to go beyond standard reporting to call for more action, better monitoring and institutional reforms beyond just the metrics. Through supporting the SDGs, our collective vision is to empower local people, especially women and marginalized groups, to be more equitably engaged in the sustainable management of forested landscapes. The Center stands ready to work with partners in and beyond its focal countries to achieve the SDGs on gender equity and women’s empowerment in the natural resource management fields so that our local partners may address issues related to gender inclusion and women’s empowerment, both of which will strengthen organizations themselves.

For information on RECOFTC’s work on gender, see: https://www.recoftc.org/basic-page/social-inclusion-and-gender-equity

by Dr David Ganz, Executive Director, RECOFTC – The Center for People and Forests

The potential benefits of improved biomass energy production and use are massive. But for biomass energy to be sustainable, it must be managed responsibly. Dedicated efforts are needed to reach and incorporate the needs of the least powerful stakeholders, in order to ensure that this segment of society benefits.

Just last Tuesday, I had the privilege of opening the RECOFTC, FAO and UNEP 4^th annual student debate on forests and energy on the International Day of Forests. During my opening address, I shared some of my insights from when I worked as an expert consultant on biomass energy and as a Director of Forest Carbon Science with The Nature Conservancy.

I listened intently while the students had a spirited debate on the pros and cons of using forests for biomass energy, including its contributions to reducing poverty. Over the years, I have been fortunate to be a co-author on a number of papers and book chapters dealing directly with this topic. A number of studies have pointed out that each forest context is very different. Thus the sustainable sourcing of forest biomass for energy generation and climate mitigation needs to consider the growth patterns, transportation and full life cycle of the wood to energy process.

Overall, however, the potential benefits of improved biomass energy production and use are massive. Biomass energy can provide a source of light, so a student in a poor household can study after dark. Biomass can be converted to electricity to run water pumps providing clean water. This same electricity can also increase information flows from radio, television, and cell phones. More efficient use of biomass energy can result in improved health by reducing indoor air pollution.

But for biomass energy to be sustainable, it must be managed responsibly and unfortunately the reality is that it is rarely as well managed as we would like it to be. Over use of biomass resources can compromise biodiversity and it can harm the poor because they are the ones most heavily dependent on biomass energy. Poor households can suffer from significant negative health impacts from the misuse of biomass energy. Based upon the student debates that I heard last week, there has been little progress in meeting the challenges of capitalizing on the opportunities presented by biomass energy.

As the new Executive Director of RECOFTC- The Center for People and Forests, we are also debating what our role should be toward advancing community forestry within the food-water-energy nexus in the Asia and the Pacific region. This includes where and how participatory approaches can improve co-management models in each part of the nexus. We must consider how this shift in fuel use could make a huge difference in the quality of life and economic prospects of Asia and the Pacific nations by helping the poor access safer cooking fuels, electric power, and power for transport and running machinery.

Compared with traditional burning of fossil fuels, burning biomass for energy may have  greenhouse gas (GHG) benefits. However, at RECOFTC, we are predominately concerned with the societal benefits and the opportunity to raise the voices of local people on how forest biomass resources are managed and utilized.

As one of the students took the time to explain during his debating stance, there also needs to be particular attention paid to gender issues in biomass energy projects. Women and children are often the collectors of biomass resources, as such a biomass project can have significant unintended negative impacts on the resource collectors. Moreover, the most economically marginal households in many communities are often those headed by females.

Changing how biomass energy sources are used and managed can have detrimental impacts on the most vulnerable in a community. Dedicated efforts are needed to reach and incorporate the needs of the least powerful stakeholders, in order to ensure that this segment of society benefits as well. RECOFTC, with its emphasis on social inclusion and gender, practices a rights-based approach that can be extended to the biomass energy field. This approach ensures that there are equitable returns for resource collectors, upon whom the burden of forest biomass collection rests. This also extends to equitable access to investment (especially micro-finance opportunities) and participation in decision-making processes.

As I sat there at the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization’s (FAO) regional office for Asia and the Pacific listening to the student debate, it occurred to me that I had heard these same arguments under many different socio-economic contexts, from the need for countries that are exporting energy to its neighbors to those developing micro-scale distributed energy projects aimed at sustainability and poverty alleviation at the village level. Ultimately, we are all interested in energy-poverty alleviation approaches that will provide tangible benefits locally without degrading the resource base. This is one debate that I will enjoy entering into for many years to come.

For information on RECOFTC’s work on forest biomass energy, see http://recoftc.org/project/forinfo/static-landing/reports-and-working-papers

by Yosef Arihadi,  Indonesia Country Program Coordinator, RECOFTC – The Center for People and Forests

The Indonesian government is moving further away from achieving CF targets, according to an article on mongabay.com, which highlights Indonesia’s CF budget cuts in 2017 to nearly half of its 2015’s budget. RECOFTC’s Indonesia Country Program Coordinator, Yosef Arihadi, offers another perspective, arguing that as long as people and communities are at the center of development, there is hope.

Two years (2014-2016) have passed since the creation of the now Ministry of Environment and Forestry, during which time there has been a two-year freeze from any expansion in Indonesia’s social forestlands.  During this time, the ministry aimed to streamline forestry bureaucracy and simplify policies and procedures for more efficient delivery of social forestry licenses.

The (central) government budget cut for social forestry into half of that compared to 2015 may seem like it is counterproductive toward achieving its social forestry target of 12.7 million hectares in 2020. However, there is still great opportunity for the forester Indonesian president to deliver on social forestry targets.

Implementation of the national target is moving down to provincial-level governments, where autonomy often lies and where more budget from the provincial sources must be allocated to support and achieve targets in each province. Likewise, donors, the private sector and CSOs can be more effective working with governments at sub-national levels, and develop more piloting with communities in the forests, and share and learn within forestry working groups to improve achievements toward social forestry targets.

Decades of top-down forestry sector decision-making from the central-level to the forest farmer level has ended, as it is clearer now that social forestry is not about forests but about people and their livelihoods, social and cultural needs and beyond. Forestry programs must have long-term development plans that are owned by local people and with finances to and from local sources at village, district and provincial levels. Decision-making must include participation from the provincial and below levels, with people and communities always at the center of development.

On 30 December 2016, Indonesia’s President Jokowi announced legalization of nine customary forests in Jambi, North Sumatra, and West Java provinces, totaling 13,100 hectares. Central and South Sulawesi provinces have also made good progress toward recognizing the customary forest initiatives developed in districts and provinces. For example, the first step of mapping 8.1 million hectares of customary forests (out of a total 12.7 million hectares allocated for community forests under the Jokowi presidency) has already been achieved.

The legalization of the nine customary forests is a result of planned processes from communities and legislators at the district and provincial levels.  This included a series of discussions resulting in drafts and agreed policies for Governor’s Decrees or Provincial Regulations on recognition of Customary Forests. These bottom up processes arising from the community level were able to happen after the landmark Constitutional Court ruling.

Constitutional Court ruling no 35/2012 – which excluded customary forest from state forest – still has a way to go toward becoming more effective.  At the same time, other policy changes also occurred between 2012 and 2016, related with decentralization and local governance. Decentralization law No 32/2004 was replaced by law No 23/2014, which switched locus of local decision-making from district to provincial level. The legalization of customary forest under this new law is in the hands of governors through provincial regulation or governor’s decree.

From 2012 to 2016, after the constitutional court ruling, no single customary forest legalization was made for Indigenous Peoples. The transformation of the Ministry of Forestry into Ministry of Environment and Forestry, which took place during 2014 – 2016,  was the cause of the temporary halt in progression of social forestry models (Hutan Desa, Hutan Kemasyarakatan and HutanTanaman Rakyat).  With the new decentralization law, a lot of work still must be done to effectively formalize customary tenure in forests. Pressures on president Jokowi must continue to ensure effective implementation of central policy to achieve the 12.7 million ha social forestry target through adequate actions and resource allocation from provincial governments.. Initiatives from CSOs to map and document customary forests, and at the same time assist provincial parliament to draft provincial regulations, are essential.

We know social forestry cannot be achieved instantly, but there is great hope that we will reach Indonesia’s social forestry target as long as we continue to ensure that forest decision-making includes participation from the provincial and below levels, with people and communities always at the center of development.

Learn more about RECOFTC’s work in Indonesia: 

• RECOFTC Indonesia country engagement strategy
• RECOFTC programme Indonesia Facebook page

By drawing on simple tools and existing institutions, practitioners can design projects that both mitigate and adapt to the impacts of climate change. One simple tool, known as the community forestry-based climate change adaptation (CF-CCA) framework, was developed by RECOFTC in Nepal.

Until quite recently, climate change observers were concerned with the potential tradeoffs between mitigation and adaptation. They were often wary that discussions on adaptation would derail mitigation efforts. However, given the growing urgency of the climate change problem this discourse has changed. Now, more than ever, adaptation is gaining traction in global climate change discussions. In the recently established Paris Agreement, adaptation is understood as on par with mitigation.

 
In addition, a growing emphasis is being placed on breaking down the silos that divide mitigation and adaptation and finding synergies between the two. This is perhaps clearest in Article 5 of the Paris Agreement, which promotes the concept of Joint Mitigation and Adaptation (JMA). JMA advocates for the integral and sustainable management of forests to simultaneously sequester carbon and adapt to climate impacts.

However, for many with experience in community forestry in Nepal, the concept of JMA doesn’t sound so new. It could be argued that JMA has been practiced for quite some time across the country’s 18,900 formally recognized Community Forestry User Groups (CFUG). In fact, research shows that community forestry in Nepal has already generated a carbon stock of more than 180 million tons over 1.6 million hectares (WRI, 2014). And given that about one third of the country’s total population has been directly affected by the institution of community forestry(Ojha et al. 2009), it is safe to say that it has played a strong role in influencing local adaptive capacity.

So, to facilitate JMA in the context of community forestry in Nepal, we don’t need to reinvent the wheel. Rather, we need to provide simple tools that build on the resources embedded within existing institutions and ensure that benefits accrue to most marginalized populations. To realize that goal, RECOFTC has developed a framework that enables CFUG members to lead initiatives that address both climate and non-climate vulnerabilities in the context of integrated forested landscapes.

Known as the community forestry-based climate change adaptation (CF-CCA) framework, this three-part guide enables practitioners to assess local climate vulnerability, evaluate potential climate change adaptation interventions, and implement adaptation projects. It provides tools to consider the ways in which climate change impacts interact across sectors, and it places the poor, disadvantaged ethnic and caste groups, and women at the center of all of its activities.

RECOFTC’s most recent practitioner’s brief walks through the CF-CCA framework, and provides detailed explanations in order to facilitate its implementation on the ground. In addition, we provide important insights into how the framework was developed in Nepal, and best practices and lessons learned from the piloting process.
We believe that this framework can contribute to JMA both within and outside of Nepal, given its emphasis on sustainable forest management, maintaining ecosystem services, and building adaptive capacity. But, for that to be possible, communities must have strong rights to their forests and a voice in deliberative and democratic climate change decision-making processes.

For more information on RECOFTC’s community forestry-based climate change adaptation framework, click here:http://www.recoftc.org/brief/community-forestry-based-climate-change-adaptation-practitioner%E2%80%99s-brief

For more information on the Paris Agreement, click here: http://www.recoftc.org/q-and-booklet/forests-and-climate-change-after-paris-asia-pacific-perspective

For more information on RECOFTC’s recent training on JMA, click here: http://www.recoftc.org/sites/default/files/uploaded_files/RECOFTC_JMA_workshop.pdf

Citations:

Stevens, C., R. Winterbottom, J. Springer, and K. Reytar. 2014. Securing Rights, Combating Climate Change: How Strengthening Community Forest Rights Mitigates Climate Change. Washington, DC: World Resources Institute. Accessible at www.wri.org/securing-rights.

Ojha, H., L. Persha, A. Chhatre. 2009. Community Forestry in Nepal: A Policy Innovation for Local Livelihoods. Washington, DC:  International Food Policy Research Institute.

Mélanie Feurer, RECOFTC Myanmar intern from 2014-2015, makes the case on why mangroves are vital for coastal communities in adapting to climate change. Her internship was part of her master’s thesis at the Bern University of Applied Sciences, School of Agricultural, Forest and Food Sciences HAFL. Ms. Feurer is set to defend her thesis on 12^th August 2016 in HAFL.

“The mangroves sustain us. We need to find ways to protect them so that they can protect us. Not only do we depend on them, but so will our children in the future,” U Hla Thein said the last time we met as I was coming towards the end of my fieldwork. He is a community forest (CF) chairman in Myanmar’s Ayeyarwady Delta – where the devastating storm surge from Cyclone Nargis killed many thousands of people, and destroyed infrastructure, properties and the livelihoods of many in 2008. One reason for the destructive impact of the Cyclone was the loss of mangroves along the coast. However, since 1999, the initiation of various mangrove restoration programs coupled with community forestry (CF) have helped the communities of the Ayeyarwady Delta to benefit from the mangrove products, as well as potentially reduce the impacts of future storms in the area.

Working as an intern at RECOFTC’s Myanmar Country Program office, I had the opportunity to closely observe the interactions between the people and their mangrove forests, and learn from them. What struck me the most was the seamless integration of people’s daily lives with the mangrove ecosystem. From the houses built mostly with materials from the mangrove forest to the fuelwood it provides – the proof was overwhelming.

Household producing dani sheets in Oke Pho Kwin Chaung village

War Kone villagers drawing changes in natural resources

Nowadays while fuelwood is mainly used for household consumption, mangroves provide other vital livelihood sources – mainly crabs or dani leaves (Nypa fruticans) which the villagers collect daily to sell at a local market. Mangrove products are also part of their daily diet — providing a range of vegetables and fruits as well as protein sources in fish, shrimp, crab and snails, which are all used in delicious local curries.

Sorting crab according to size for trade

But like many areas in the world, the Ayeyarwady Delta and its local inhabitants are at risk of climatic changes. Temperature increase, irregular rainfall patterns and sea level rise have already manifested their increasingly negative effects on agriculture, particularly in rice production in the Delta. Adapting to these changes is a must for the 6.2 million people living in the Ayeyarwady Region, especially for the most exposed communities along the coast who depend on the mangroves for their daily needs.

Here are some benefits that make mangroves key for local communities in adapting to climate change:

Mangroves represent a resilient ecosystem. Mangrove trees are resilient because of their ability to restore their functions after disturbances. Mangroves can also stabilize sandbanks and prevent erosion. Well-preserved mangrove stands can build an important buffer along the coastline and in the estuaries, minimizing the impact of wind and storm surge. In Myanmar, it is believed that mangrove deforestation and forest degradation in the past contributed to the devastating impact of cyclone Nargis in 2008.

Mangroves along the estuary

Mangrove forests provide major contributions to local livelihoods. In the study area, 25 percent of the total income is from mangroves. The main product is crab (80%), followed by timber, fuelwood and dani. Income from these products is especially important for community members ranked as very poor because they derive 34 percent of their income from the mangroves – with potential extra earnings of as much as US$3 per day from selling crabs. Dani thatching (used as house-building material), can also bring daily extra earnings for women. These incomes are on par with the daily labor rates of US$2 – US$3. However, labor opportunities are low in the region.

Girls preparing dani sheets for their livelihood

Community Forest Management Committee member showing me a caught crab

Studies suggest that forests are more sustainable when managed by local communities. In the Delta, I have learnt to understand the importance of mangroves for the local people and have seen their concern about illegal logging and forest degradation. Because of the local people’s long-term interest in maintaining and managing the mangrove ecosystem, they will protect their forests given the right tools and support. Therefore, commitment for sustainable forest management paired with clear rights and alternative income opportunities is an effective way to ensure lasting forest resources and services.

Taking measurments in a mangrove plantation

Community Forestry mapping in War Kone village

Local communities need mangroves not only in times of natural disasters, but more so in their daily lives. To ensure long-term benefits, we need the commitment of all stakeholders and stronger policies that will support the communities in protecting their forests from illegal logging and other disturbances causing degradation in the still young mangroves. We need to value the mangrove forests both for their products and their protective functions — and more importantly, for the people whose lives are harmoniously intertwined with them.

David Gritten, RECOFTC Senior Programme Officer, makes the case on how it is imperative to listen to those who know the forest best – local communities living in and around forests – to achieve the SDGs.

“The strongest voice is the one based on truth” so my (Yoda like*) grandmother once told me. Well, my grandmother would have heard the voice of Ms. Yuliatin, a 29 year-old preacher, from the village of Jember, Indonesia, loud and clear thousands of kilometers away in Scotland as Ms. Yuliatin requested the Asia-Pacific Forestry Commission to hear her voice, and the voice of her fellow villagers.

At RECOFTC, we advocate for strengthening the voices of those living in and around the forests. This is based on the simple understanding that they know the forest best, depend on the forest the most, have proven to be the most effective forest managers and most importantly, have rights to their forests. This is why we feel it vital these voices are heard.

The recently concluded Asia-Pacific Forestry Week (APFW), organised by FAO and DENR in the Philippines, brought together over 1300 people (mainly government officials, and NGO staff) to discuss the challenges facing forests in the region and share stories of success. At the event, RECOFTC together with the ASEAN Social Forestry Network (ASFN) organized a series of sessions on the topic of “Serving society: forestry and people”,  focusing  on the recently launched Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the successor to the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The Stream included sessions covering areas of how community forestry can support achieving the SDGs.

During  the APFW, each of the organisers had the opportunity to share their  findings and a single recommendation with the Asia-Pacific Forestry Commission (APFC). It was a great opportunity to encourage the Commission to support community forestry.

Enter Yuliatin, a participant in RECOFTC’s regional project on Grassroots Capacity Building for REDD+. Speaking in Indonesian language, with only powerpoint slides  translating her message, she more than captivated the Commission members. Her story is one that is felt by millions in the region – the importance of forests for her village, her family and for her. She expressed her desire for people throughout the region to understand this, to hear her voice and to hear the voice of her fellow villagers. She  wants people to understand the insecurity that she and the rest of the village feel about threats to their forests, including  threats driven by the lack of clarity in the tenure and rights they currently have for their forests.   

Looking at the SDGs, one can  see how  community forestry can help us achieve all the Goals, not only only Goal 15, which focuses on ecosystems. Hearing the voices of Yuliatin, of those living in and around the forests, is vital if we are going to achieve the SDGs.  Listening to Yuliatin’s story and heeding the call of those living in and around forested areas is critical to the achievement of the SDGs. After all it is they who hold the knowledge to sustainably manage forest resources and just as importantly the desire to do so.

*She isn’t small and green and talked backwards, it was more that is she is all knowing like all grandmothers.

Hear Yuliatin speak at Asia-Pacific Forestry Week 2016 at 1.30pm,  Tuesday , 23 Feb 2016, Lily room, Fontana Convention Center, Clark, Philippines.  For more information, see http://www.recoftc.org/events/asia-pacific-forestry-week-2016

Yuliatin is a 29-year old female preacher who grew up near Meru Betiri National Park in East Java, Indonesia, an area known as one of the last habitats of the Javanese tiger. One day, Yuliatin, who regularly conducts an Islam study class with other women in her village, receives important news. “I’ve been invited to a training,” Yuliatin tells her friend Paini. “I’m so surprised – it’s usually only men who get these opportunities. But this training is different – it’s for Islamic women preachers to learn about climate change.”

She marks the training day on her calendar – 5 September, 2011. When the day arrives, Yuliatin and Paini, who is also invited, go to another village where the training is held. Yuliatin is very excited, especially because the facilitators are from the national government’s Center for Forestry Education and Training, RECOFTC and LATIN (Lembaga Alam Tropika Indonesia). She also feels nervous about being able to follow the lessons, as her formal education ended at a young age.

Twenty women preachers from five villages participate in the training. Yuliatin is one of the youngest; most of the women are senior preachers. She tries not to feel discouraged, and keeps in mind that her aim is to simply learn something new.

“I would like you to draw what your forest looked like back in 1999, after all the illegal logging,” the trainer asks at the start of the meeting. As Yuliatin thinks about her drawing, her mind flashes back to that time, 13 years ago… “Boom!” Yuliatin could clearly hear the sound of a tree hitting the ground.

As she lived very close to Meru Betiri National Park, she heard the sounds of falling trees almost every day, from morning to evening. It seemed that everyone was felling trees – even her own family. Yuliatin’s father helped support her family by selling firewood, and as a teenager, Yuliatin often went to the forest with her family to gather wood. Next, the trainer asks them to draw “the forest of your dreams.” Cherished memories from Yuliatin’s childhood flood back – she is six years old, swimming in a small river with her friends. The forest is full of big trees, fruits, tall bamboo and singing birds.

As Yuliatin compares the two drawings, she feels a sense of responsibility. She also took part in illegal logging back in 1999. She wants to help bring back the forest of her childhood. Yuliatin learns about climate change, REDD+ and Islamic perspectives toward forests. It is an unforgettable two days – not only does she gain new knowledge, but new feelings when, at one point, she is wrapped in plastic to demonstrate how the impacts of climate change feel!

Inspired by the training, Yuliatin is motivated to share what she learned with others and encourages fellow villagers to plant more trees to rehabilitate the surrounding degraded forest. Her husband is the first person she shares with, “I learned a lot from the training. Now I know what climate change and the role of our forest is. I know why floods have been happening more frequently – it’s because our forest has been badly degraded. We must plant more trees!”

Her husband doesn’t react as she had hoped, “You know that planting more trees will reduce our harvest – our rice, our corn. You talk like you’re smart. But I’m not sure a woman should talk about such issues. Don’t worry about our forest, as a woman you just need to take care of our kids.”

“I’m not against being responsible for domestic work. But this shouldn’t mean that I can’t do other things,” she responds. “If we plant stinky bean, jack fruit or durian trees, we can sell the fruit and earn more income at the same time. If we don’t plant more trees, floods will wash away our crops, and we will lose everything. Do you remember the floods in 2001, 2002 and 2007? Read this if you don’t believe me.” Yuliatin gives him a booklet on climate change and REDD+.

Yuliatin sees that convincing her husband is only the first challenge, and that she may well face more rejection from other people when she talks about climate change. “This is important to me, and I’m prepared to face challenges,” Yuliatin says to Paini. She confides to her friend why it’s so important to her:

“After junior high school, my family could not afford to pay for my education. So I went to Malaysia to find work to send money to my parents for a new house. I was only a teenager, and I was sure that city life would be better than living in a village – instead it turned out to be the hardest experience of my life. For three years, I was a domestic worker. The family I worked for treated me terribly. They didn’t allow me to communicate with anyone, not even my family. I worked from 5am to 2am every day. One time I was accused of stealing clothes and beaten until I was unconsciousness. Another time, I was locked in a storage room for five days, while the whole family was away. They didn’t leave me any food, and I survived on snacks I found in the room. That was the loneliest moment in my life – alone and starving. So that’s why I’m so grateful to be home. Here I have a small patch of land from my father, and I can generate some income for my family. I want to preserve my forest and my home.”

One day after the training, she asks four other women preachers to come to her house to discuss what she learned at the training and how they could teach others. “I want to show you something from the training. I will wrap you in this plastic and ask you how you feel,” Yuliatin says as she copies the activity from the training. The women preachers try it and an interesting discussion ensues.

“Taking care of the forest will reduce flooding and erosion, and will give us more sources for water. Water plays a very important role in our worship – Muslims need water to clean their body and soul before praying,” says one of the preachers. At the end, they all understand they must protect the forest and plant more trees, and they agree that the lessons are worth sharing, especially together with the Islamic perspectives.

One day, Yuliatin’s friend Paini tells her, “Some people are gossiping that during the training you were ‘looking for chicken’. They say you’re dressing differently and using make-up.”

Yuliatin knows that when a married woman goes outside of the village without her husband, people suspect the woman of having an affair – this is what is meant by ‘looking for chicken’. “Women participating in a training is so uncommon – people just aren’t used to it. But my belief is this: when you keep something smelly, it will smell bad. But if you keep something good, it will always be good. I am doing something good for my forest and my people. They will understand this eventually,” Yuliatin says, “I’m  not worried about what people think. My father always told me ‘don’t be afraid to fight for something right’.”

The women preachers arrange their first training and invite 35 women. They soon realize that participants have varying levels of understanding – and agreement. Some question why they are learning about forests during Islamic class and cannot understand the connection. For the next training, Yuliatin develops a new strategy – she plans it together with a religious leader from her village, and also invites a facilitator from RECOFTC’s partner, LATIN. She knows that they are well-respected by the community, and that people will listen to them.

She conducts the training, with back-up from the two. She finds that this time, the participants are in agreement with the lessons. However, she finds that some participants are illiterate, so Yuliatin gives the handouts to their adult children, and ask their children to explain to their moms. Yuliatin also shares the lessons beyond members of her Islamic class.

She conducts a training for 20 community health volunteers in her village, who quickly grasp the  concepts and in turn share with their husbands, asking them to plant more trees. She holds a training for 40 children in primary and junior high school. Yuliatin shares her knowledge in casual conversations with people she meets – during community meetings, or with other parents at school.

Though she still faces challenges – sometimes people say she is ‘showing off’ because she participated in a training – Yuliatin feels she is not alone. She has a network – the other women preachers – that is supportive of each other. She’s also very selfmotivated, “When you are going to war, you need a weapon. My weapon is my big heart for my community. If the government will allow us to keep managing the forest, I can generate more income so my kids can become better educated.”

Now she sees that slowly, people have started to believe in her, including her husband. People are starting to plant more trees. They understand that when they plant trees, they can receive multiple benefits, including non-timber forest products such as stinky beans, mangoes, jack fruit, and more.

Yuliatin’s friend Paini recently told her the latest gossip, “People are saying that you are an important person. They are impressed that you were invited to Jakarta to share your experiences in a national event with RECOFTC.”

With this recognition, Yuliatin feels proud and strong enough to pursue her dream – to see her childhood forest again.

Story and photography by Gabriella Lissa

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While the international debate on REDD+ (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation) has evolved rapidly during the last few years, most discussions on REDD+ and climate change have been limited to policy makers, international organizations and academics, with little or no input from the diverse grassroots stakeholders. Since 2009, RECOFTC has been implementing a regional project on Grassroots Capacity Building for REDD+ with the aim of promoting the effective engagement of diverse grassroots stakeholders in the climate change and REDD+ dialogues in the Asia-Pacific region.

From 2009-2013, the project has raised awareness on REDD+ and developed the skills of grassroots stakeholders through a variety of capacity development activities in Indonesia, Lao PDR, Nepal, and Viet Nam (and recently Myanmar). The project has developed training materials, including manuals, flyers, booklets, posters, radio programs and short videos in national languages of the project‘s target countries, and organized street plays and puppet shows. More than 700 events such as training of trainers, awareness raising, mass rallies and expert seminars at national, subnational and grassroots levels, reaching more than 35,000 stakeholders, where one-third are women. As a result, more than 50 percent of the project stakeholders have gained explicit knowledge on climate change; can explain links between forests and climate change, and the concepts of REDD+; and are aware of potential benefits from and challenges of REDD+.

Regan Suzuki Pairojmahakij, Senior Program Officer at RECOFTC – The Center for People and Forests, explores the findings of a new RECOFTC report Equity in forests and REDD+: An analysis of equity challenges as viewed by forestry decision-makers and practitioners in Cambodia, Lao PDR and Viet Nam.  She finds that the viability and success of any agreement emerging from Paris requires that equity extending to local communities form an essential component of process and outcomes in tackling climate change.

Read this blog originally published in the Bangkok Post: http://www.bangkokpost.com/opinion/opinion/786617/climate-accord-needs-local-support

An army of country delegations, civil society, scientists and journalists are descending on Paris this week to participate in, and try to influence, an expected global climate agreement. There is much at stake as the implications of a 2 degree global temperature increase pose an increasingly frightening specter. Despite this, and efforts by many to push for a temperature increase cap of 1.5 degrees, global commitments thus far to reduce emissions fall far short of what is required to keep global warming below 2 degrees.

Impressive global progress has been made on a number of fronts related to the Millenium Development Goals since their initiation in 1990:  the number of people living in extreme poverty has declined by more than half, the proportion of undernourished people in developing countries has fallen similarly, as has the number of out-of-school  primary age children.  Under-five mortality has fallen by more than three times and the proportion of women in parliament has nearly doubled. Despite this progress in other areas, the world has yet to make tangible, significant progress on addressing climate change. This is due in part to the fact that the global community has rarely, if ever, faced a collective problem as complex,  and requiring such far-sighted leadership, as climate change.

The forests and the land use sector account for a quarter of global carbon emissions, concentrated mainly in tropical countries, and efforts to target the emissions from this sector have had only limited success to date. The forest sector’s role in mitigation remains a focal point of discussion at the climate meetings under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) – offering both potential emission reductions, but also a minefield of social, political and environmental concerns.

However, while political and economic considerations have guided the negotiating strategies of many countries, there is a growing body of compelling work suggesting that incorporating social concerns are not just critical to the success of climate change solutions, but they are within the best interest of broader society as well. We know that equity, also referred to in some fields as equality, has significant impacts of a range of development outcomes. With regards to income equality, we know that societies with a bigger gap between the rich and the poor tend to have worse outcomes on a number of indicators, including for the well-off. While greater equality yields the greatest benefits for the poor, the benefits extend to the majority of the population.

Studies suggest that in contrast to less equal countries, more equal countries have, amongst others: higher levels of education, more trust and community involvement, higher well-being among children, longer life expectancy, lower levels of physical ill health, less violence and higher scores on environmental indicators such as recycling.

What does this mean for forests and climate change?  It means that in countries where equity is strong, we can anticipate less need to degrade environmental resources (including forests critical for climate change mitigation) because poverty and livelihood options are improved. Increased and more equitable rights for land tenure and resource access will strengthen sustainable land management. In countries where equity is strong there is also increased visibility and voice in consultation and decision-making processes, leading to more realistic and fair planning and management processes, thus, rural communities have a greater balance of resources, rights and influence, as opposed to disproportionate influence and wealth in urban centers. All of this combined can be expected to lead to favorable outcomes for forest management and climate change mitigation.

In advance of COP21, RECOFTC – The Center for People and Forests has been working to better understanding of  issues related to equity and forest governance in the Asia-Pacific region. RECOFTC’s new report,  Equity in forests and REDD+: An analysis of equity challenges as viewed by forestry decision-makers and practitioners in Cambodia, Lao PDR and Viet Nam, presents an analysis of findings from national pre-COP consultations in Cambodia, Lao PDR and Viet Nam as well as learning from the USAID GREEN Mekong programme, the Norad Grassroots Capacity Building for REDD+ programme and the ASEAN Social Forestry Network. The report looks at differences in equity and equitable outcomes as understood at national and local levels, and related barriers to the achievement of equitable outcomes.

Given that national governments as well as international partners have limited financial and human resources to draw on, the analysis is designed to present priority forest governance equity challenges and solutions proposed by national-level policymakers and non-government stakeholders. The associated recommendations are intended to support realistic and targeted capacity development for forest equity in the region. With this in mind, the analysis identified four key areas for achieving forest equity: Participation in forest decision-making by local communities, access to information, clear benefit sharing mechanisms, and clear land tenure rights.  The evidence shows that social equity does not only benefit marginalized people, but rather all of society.

RECOFTC’s experiences with national policymakers and government partners in the Asia-Pacific region demonstrate that they value equity in forest governance and are potentially powerful partners in identifying barriers and solutions for improved equity.  The viability and success of any agreement emerging from Paris requires that equity extending to local communities form an essential component of process and outcomes in tackling climate change.

For more information:

• The new RECOFTC report Equity in forests and REDD+ will be launched at COP21 on Sunday, 6 December, 19:00–21:00. The launch will take place as part of a COP21 side event – Low Emission Land Use Development – organized by Winrock and the AFOLU Working Group. For more information about the event and other RECOFTC activities at COP21, see: http://www.recoftc.org/events/recoftccop21
• For the full report: Equity in forests and REDD+: An analysis of equity challenges as viewed by forestry decision-makers and practitioners in Cambodia, Lao PDR and Viet Nam
• For the report’s accompanying policy briefs, which offer concrete and creative solutions and entry points to address equity challenges, see:
• Policy brief: Forests, climate change, and equity in Cambodia – REDD+ equity challenges and solutions according to national stakeholders
• Policy brief: Forests, climate change, and equity in Lao PDR – REDD+ equity challenges and solutions according to national stakeholders
• Policy brief: Forests, climate change, and equity in Viet Nam – REDD+ equity challenges and solutions according to national stakeholders

Regan Suzuki Pairojmahakij, Senior Program Officer at RECOFTC – The Center for People and Forests, argues that the national plans to reduce carbon emissions, submitted in the lead up to COP21 taking place in Paris this December, must not leave forest-dependent people worse off. 

Southeast Asian nations raced to submit their national carbon emission targets last month in the lead-up to the global climate change meeting to take place in Paris this December (known as COP21), where an international agreement is expected to become one of the most significant milestones in climate change history.

From Southeast Asia, these submissions (called Intended Nationally Determined Contributions or INDCs) were made by Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Viet Nam – many of which clearly prioritized forests as a key sector in helping to reduce carbon emissions. The INDCs are a centerpiece of the upcoming agreement in Paris. They provide a concreteness to commitments missing in previous COPs and seen by many as the critical hoped for difference between COP21 and previous failed agreements.

Especially within Southeast Asia, the land sector is an essential part of any strategy to respond to climate change. It represents around 25 percent of total global emissions and is unique among sectors (such as industry and transport) in that it has the potential to not only reduce emissions but also to capture and sequester them. Poorly managed, the land sector can be a source of up to 80 percent of emissions in some countries. If lands are managed sustainably, reducing global emissions and protecting areas that can absorb greenhouse gases becomes possible.

However, it is essential that strategies to reduce emissions do not leave forest-dependent people worse off. In Asia there are 450 million people in Asia who depend on forests, and who are also among the poorest, with the least access to livelihood options and basic services including education and healthcare. While it’s good news that countries in this region are prioritizing forests in their INDCs, it is essential that countries ensure that the principle of equity underlies their climate change strategies. Viet Nam is one country that has included livelihood development and income generation for communities and forest-dependent people in its INDC. But for others to succeed in sustaining forests and meeting their national carbon emission targets, they too must ensure that local forest communities are included in forest decision-making.

The following is a round-up of INDC submissions from countries in the region.

Cambodia: Conditional (on international support) reductions of 27% will be made in emissions by 2030. While these reductions take place explicitly from energy, manufacturing, transport, and other industrial sectors. Land use and forestry are highlighted as one of the primary mitigation strategies with a target of increasing forest cover to 60%.

Indonesia: Ambitious unconditional reductions in emissions by 26% by 2020, 29% by 2030. If international support is provided, these reductions commitment rise to 41% by 2030. Emission reduction strategies cover 5 sectors: energy, industrial processes and end product use, agriculture, land use and forestry and waste. Promisingly, commitments will be implemented through strategies including effective land use planning and sustainable forest management including social forestry.

Lao PDR: Outlines key sectoral actions to be taken (with estimated reductions in tons of CO2 rather than percentages). The forestry sector features strongly – primarily through the key action of increasing forest cover to 70% land area (implementing its national Forest Strategy to 2020). RECOFTC applauds the high profile of an enhanced forest sector, and encourages Lao PDR to undertake measures to increase forest cover through participatory and socially acceptable approaches.

Myanmar: Similar to Lao PDR, Myanmar emphasizes the global value of its forests as net GHG sinks. The forestry sector takes center stage in Myanmar’s INDC, namely actions associated with reaching forest cover targets (National Permanent Forest Estate Target at 30%, Protected Area Systems at 10%). REDD+ and forest law and timber legality programs are listed as key strategies to conserving and expanding forest cover.

Thailand: Unfortunately there was no inclusion of the land use sector or forestry in Thailand’s submission, though it explicitly reserves right to include at later point. Emission reduction strategies aimed at reducing emissions by 20% from projected business-as-usual (BAU) levels by 2030 through actions in transportation and industry sectors.

Viet Nam: Conditional emission reductions to 25% by 2030, unconditional reductions of 8% regardless of international support. The forestry sector and REDD+ are central to Vietnam’s emission reduction strategy with priority sectors for reductions focusing on: energy, agriculture, forestry sector and waste. One of the unconditional emission reduction activities features an increase in forest cover to 45%. Particularly positive is that Viet Nam’s emission reduction strategies include managing and developing sustainable forests, enhancing carbon sequestration and environmental services; conservation of biodiversity associated with livelihood development and income generation for communities and forest-dependent people.

While including the land use and forestry sectors as an emission reduction strategy has proven a technical challenge for many countries in the region, the fact that it features so prominently bodes well for global efforts at halting climate change and for the forest sector – but to succeed vulnerable local communities cannot be left out.

Tint Lwin Thaung, Executive Director of RECOFTC – The Center for People and Forests, explains the importance of including local people in forest decision-making in order for sustainable forest management to be successful. He argues that investing in local people will sustain our forests, and thus, our future. 

In several weeks, on September 7-11, the world’s forestry stakeholders will gather in Durban, South Africa for the XIV World Forestry Congress (WFC). This year, the Congress will focus on how to invest in a sustainable future through forests and people. The event, held only once every six years, will be a vital opportunity to promote the fact that local people must be included in forest decision-making in order for sustainable forest management to move forward.

Sustainable forest management has been a key concept in forestry circles for decades and continues to become more accepted, especially in the advent of climate change: if we sustain our forests, we both retain a key tool for adapting to and mitigating climate change and ensure that the vast quantities of carbon stored in forests are not released into the atmosphere. Moreover, with an increasing societal demand for timber and non-timber forest products, expected to triple by 2050, there is an equally increasing urgency to manage forests sustainably.

But even though forestry stakeholders agree on the need for sustainable forest management, the answer to the question of how to achieve it continues to be debated.

In thinking about how to go about managing forests sustainably, it is important to keep in mind how many people live near or in forests and depend on them for their food and livelihoods. Globally, 350 million of the world’s poorest people depend almost entirely on forests for their subsistence and survival, and 1.6 billion people depend on them to some extent.

These are staggering numbers, and they should not be ignored for two reasons. The first is that the rural people who live in forests are actually the ones who know the forests best and have been effectively managing their forests for decades. To put this point another way, there are already 1.6 billion potential effective sustainable forest managers in place around the world.

The second reason is that these people are the essential drivers of change in sustainable forest management, capable of either making sustainable forest management effective or derailing it entirely.

Natural capital is high in rural areas, and rural people are the world’s poorest group of people. They are thus greatly in need of accessing the natural capital. But whether they value the natural capital they access – attempting to manage it properly and sustain it – depends on four key pillars being in place: clear and strong tenure, strong governance facilitating effective participation, rights to use the forests for benefiting livelihoods and key stakeholders having appropriate capacities.

If rural people have clear and strong tenure rights, are enabled to participate in forest decision-making, are allowed to benefit their livelihoods by accessing forest resources, and they and other key stakeholders have appropriate capacities, they will value and sustainably manage the forests in which they live.

We at RECOFTC thus believe that community forestry – a framework which enables rural people to manage their forests – is not only the best framework to achieve sustainable forest management – and is already in place and successful in many parts of the world – but is also the only framework that is viable. And for us, investing in a sustainable future can only mean investing in local people.

Our side event at the WFC, “I am the forest,” will illustrate just this, and it will do so through presentations by local people themselves. Their presentations will highlight how local people are delivering on sustainable forest management in the region, and specific actions and investments needed to scale up community forestry in Asia.

This year’s WFC prompts the world’s foresters to determine how to invest in a sustainable future by focusing on forests and people. It is by investing in people that we sustain our forests, and thus, our future.

How are local communities in Asia delivering on sustainable forest management? Find out at the World Forestry Congress side event I am the Forest, where smallholders, community forest members and indigenous peoples in Asia will present how they are delivering on sustainable forest management in the region, and actions and investments needed to scale up community forestry in Asia, in an innovative multimedia presentation developed with the internationally recognized creative director Rojana Chuasakul. The event will take place on Tuesday, 8 September in Room 11CDE, in Durban, South Africa. For more information, please visit www.recoftc.org/sites/default/files/WFC_side_event_Iamtheforest.pdf.

Regan Suzuki Pairojmahakij, Senior Program Officer at RECOFTC – The Center for People and Forests, explains the benefits of the international climate change negotiating community now recognizing the importance of capacity development as REDD+ implementation gets underway. Successful implementation, she argues, rests on capacity development efforts. 

Capacity development has long been the less glamorous sibling in the suite of climate change topics typically discussed at the meetings of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). Once sidelined in favor of more dramatic negotiations on REDD+ safeguards, climate finance and agreement on global emission reduction targets, the tables may be turning for capacity development. Corridor talk at the Bonn Climate Change Conference revealed a shift in perspective beyond REDD+ design to what will come next. After 10 years of development, a landmark achievement has been reached with the finalization of the REDD+ framework during the 42nd session of the Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice (SBSTA 42). RECOFTC – The Center for People and Forests applauds the breakthrough consensus and welcomes the positive implications for local communities of further safeguards guidance, non-carbon benefits and joint mitigation and adaption – though stronger safeguard provisions including reference to participatory processes are still required. The anticipated climate agreement in Paris will set the foundation for the next few decades of climate action: moving the global community beyond the design and negotiation of frameworks and firmly on the path of implementation. Yet, for those involved in piloting and other readiness activities to date, it is clear that a major gulf exists between capacities required for implementation and current capacities on the ground. RECOFTC understands this first hand, regularly receiving requests from national REDD+ task forces and working groups for training on the basics of REDD+.

In a side event held jointly with the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) during SBSTA 42 in Bonn, Germany last week, RECOFTC emphasized the evolving role of capacity development in the international climate change arena. The RECOFTC presentation emphasized the need for capacity development in order for the UNFCCC Convention principle of equity (Article 3, and reiterated in the draft negotiating text) to be met. While legitimate questions were raised by panelist Michael Bucki, EU REDD+ negotiator, on compelling reasons for donors to concern themselves with equity in results-based REDD+, RECOFTC takes the position that equity, particularly in forest-based mitigation solutions, is a prerequisite for the sustainability and effectiveness of interventions. As CIFOR’s Grace Wong argued, donors should incorporate equity if for no reason other than ethical imperatives.

Capacity development status and frameworks

The Non-Annex 1, or developing, countries are more than aware of their own capacity limitations. A 2014 Subsidiary Body for Implementation synthesis report on capacity-development implementation included self-identified capacity gaps such as lack of adequate policy frameworks, greenhouse gas (GHG) inventory strategies, national adaptation plans and technology action plans (TAPs), NAMAs and development of meteorological systems and models.

In 2001, the UNFCCC Conference of the Parties adopted two capacity development frameworks that address the needs, conditions and priorities of developing countries and of countries with economies in transition. These frameworks lay out a set of guiding principles and approaches to capacity development that has been widely advocated by Non-Annex 1 Parties and which RECOFTC also supports and expects to be included within the Paris climate agreement – namely, capacity development ought to be country-driven, involve learning through action and build on existing activities.

Capacity development in the new climate agreement

The Geneva negotiating text contains capacity development as one of its key substantive sections.  While options proposed for the text remain bracketed, all of the referenced options under capacity development institutional arrangements refer to the establishment of an international capacity development mechanism. RECOFTC lauds the attention and ambition that capacity development is generating in the draft climate agreement. However, words of caution are warranted. As mentioned above, existing national capacities may be considerably thinner than imagined as a starting point for some of the ambitious capacity development programs being envisioned. Balanced attention to national stakeholders is required; and not only attention to senior officials or grassroots communities alone, but towards entire stakeholder chains, including sub-national officials, other line agencies and the next generation of policymakers. Finally, for climate solutions to be sustainable, capacity development must be undertaken equitably. And, as CIFOR’s Maria Brockhaus noted in her presentation, there are significant differences in how equity is reflected in national and local-level discourses. More work needs to be done on developing context-based understanding of what equity and equitable capacity development will mean for countries involved in REDD+. Lofty principles of equity as laid out in the Convention ultimately need to be operationalized and made relevant on the ground.

On 2-8 December 2014, RECOFTC – The Center for People and Forests hosted “Application of Community Forestry in Rural Forestry Reform: China’s Experience,” a community forestry champions network regional workshop held in Lin’an Zhejiang Province, China. Marlo D. Mendoza, Assistant Professor at the Department of Social Forestry and Forest Governance and Associate Dean of the College of Forestry and Natural Resources at the University of the Philippines Los Baños, reflects on the positive land tenure reform made in Lin’an.

I am very thankful that I was one of the participants in the RECOFTC’s workshop: “Application of Community Forestry in Rural Forestry Reform: China’s Experience.” Those working in the forestry sector are aware of the role that forest landscapes play in national development, especially in poverty reduction. Secure tenure rights and equitable access to resources by people living in and around forest areas play an essential role in addressing rural poverty, which in turn benefits sustainable forest management: rural poor will manage forests sustainably if their livelihoods are ensured.

And what I saw in Lin’an, China was exactly that: a successful working model based on the villagers having both tenure and access rights to their resource, as well as flexibility in how to use them. Through interviews with villagers, local government officials, members of farmers’ cooperatives and private business owners, I learned that the principles of FAO’s Voluntary Guidelines on the Governance of Tenure (VGGT) were vigorously pursued.

The Chinese government specifically instituted various policy and institutional reforms to help motivate the farmers to productively manage their land: land-use rights certificates, responsive extension services, livelihood support services, insurance coverage and  the securitization of land resource assets, among other key innovations. These reforms, moreover, were supported by the private sector, all branches and levels of government, particularly the local government, as well as all stakeholders involved. The forestry bureau was also redirected and retooled and its role was expanded to respond to the new land tenure policy conditions.

The positive outcome of the tenure reforms was amazing to see. The villagers’ ability to benefit from their resources was greatly enhanced by the possibility of raising loans based on the projected value of those resources. By receiving loans, the villagers can in turn improve the productivity of their resources by investing the loans into improving their resources. Prior to the land tenure reform, the state and village-owned lands were unproductive and degraded; but following the reforms, they were transformed into productive and profitable micro and small-scale agroforestry enterprises.

With the new wealth created by the rural population, the local economy significantly improved, creating jobs and allowing Lin’an to invest in other critical infrastructure and support services to encourage further investment in the community by the private sector. This, moreover, created further downstream opportunities and economic growth on a much larger scale: the establishment of several forest-based industries such as bamboo shoot processing, nut processing, furniture-making from wood and bamboo, and most notably, the China Roasted Nuts Food Mall, a multibillion yen, multi-use complex providing services to the growing Lin’an nut industry.

Secure tenure rights and equitable access to  forest resources supported by all branches and levels of government helped villagers make the most from their resources. Effective tenure governance reform should not only be limited to Lin’an, however. We should push such reform not only in my home country, the Philippines, but also across the Asia-Pacific region.

Regan Suzuki Pairojmahakij, Senior Program Officer at RECOFTC – The Center for People and Forests, argues that the private sector should be involved in international climate change negotiations. By partnering with local communities, the private sector has the ability to develop solutions not only to climate change challenges, but also to the economic and overall development of the world’s most marginalised communities in the process.

On 19 December, the Bangkok Post published “Time to take the power away from the polluters,” an op-ed piece written by Dorothy Grace Guerrero. In the piece, Ms. Guerrero argues that the private sector should not be involved in international climate change decision-making. This would be wrong.

Ms. Guerrero does, however, make a number of valid points. Ambition at the 20th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP20) held in Lima, Peru was disappointingly low; the resulting Lima Accord expresses “grave concern” over the likelihood that existing commitments will fail to keep temperatures below 2 degrees Celsius, much less the preferred 1.5 degrees. This will further raise pressure and backload expected progress to the Paris COP21, the next United Nations climate change conference in December 2015.

There is, moreover, as Ms. Guerrero argues, a deep and worrying chasm between the wealthier developed countries and the developing countries where populations are disproportionately suffering the impacts of droughts, typhoons and sea level rise. Similarly worrying is the inequities within countries, where marginalized populations of indigenous, forest-based or otherwise poor communities heavily dependent on natural resources are now being affected by climate-related disasters and unpredictability.

Ms. Guerrero goes on to lament that the United Nations includes the private sector in discussions leading to agreements intended to mitigate climate change and help countries adapt to the current and future negative impacts:  “The UN process has sadly been captured by and largely subordinated to market mechanisms as supposed solutions to climate chaos.”

However, market mechanisms – the tools of the private sector – provide precisely the type of innovation and agility that is required to develop the responses needed to tackle climate change.

Already, there is a growing global push towards a ‘green economy’ that is low-carbon, resource-efficient and socially inclusive. Strategic public and private investments in developed and developing countries are being directed to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, improve resource efficiency and prevent the loss of biodiversity and ecosystem services. The private sector is essential to this push and can accelerate the necessary transition to a green economy by building on the synergies between green economy initiatives and climate change opportunities.

To put the issue in more specific terms, let’s consider the issue of forests, which are a key part of the global climate change equation given the role they play in mitigating global warming through sequestering carbon emissions. They are also an important part of helping local communities adapt to climate change impacts.

In order for forests to stay standing and continue to provide a rich and diverse habitat for biodiversity, there must be direct economic benefits for all concerned, particularly rural communities, the importance of which is underlined by the fact that in the Asia-Pacific region, over 450 million people are dependent on forests for their livelihoods. The private sector can play an increasingly important role in ensuring economic benefits for local communities by, for example, providing a market for these communities’ forest products, and help in assuring appropriate recognition of the rights of local communities in forest landscapes. Such private sector-local community partnership is growing as it is being encouraged by an international community which understands the potential the private sector has in sustainable development and poverty reduction. National governments are also encouraging such partnership, recognizing the valuable role the private sector can play in supporting sustainable rural development, including environmental stewardship, when the conditions for its engagement are appropriately designed.

Ms. Guerrero is correct in arguing that addressing climate change is urgent and related measures have thus far been insufficient. She is also correct in her claim that there are major equity and power differences between and within countries.

However, rather than seeing the private sector only as a threat, we should also see it as a critical part of the solution. It is through sustainable supply chain development by communities in partnership with private sector actors in an intelligent and strategic policy environment that we have the best chance of developing solutions not only to climate change challenges, but also, crucially, to the economic and overall development of the world’s most marginalized communities.

This piece was originally published by the Bangkok Post and has also been republished by The Jakarta Post.

Regan Suzuki Pairojmahakij, Senior Program Officer at RECOFTC – The Center for People and Forests, argues that while the latest IPCC report is groundbreaking in its strong call for global mitigation efforts, local communities can no longer be left out of international climate change negotiations because the negative impacts of climate change are affecting them more than any other stakeholder.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), a United Nations panel of climate experts, has struck an unfamiliar tone of aggressive urgency with the recent release of its Fifth Assessment Synthesis Report. The report issued stark warnings in the face of minimal action on climate change mitigation to date. According to the report, reducing emissions is crucial if global warming is to be limited to 2˚C . Failure to do so, the report found, could – and already has even – lead to food and water shortages, flooding of islands and cities, mass extinctions of plants and animals and climate refugee crises.

Although the report’s unusually stark language brings hope in the lead up to the pivotal international climate negotiations in Paris next year, the report leaves out an essential stakeholder: local communities. These communities will not only be most negatively impacted by climate change, but are essential actors in the success (or failure) of climate change mitigation efforts. Here are five reasons why local communities must be taken off the sidelines of climate change discussions and placed front and center:

1. Local communities have clout in virtue of their numbers. Mitigation action must be taken now. Governments, however, have been hesitant to do so due to fears that this will antagonize powerful interests (typically in the energy production or associated sectors) and erode this political base. However, at least in theory, governments are accountable to their constituencies, and popular pressure (even in non-democratic countries) can be a powerful factor in shaping policy decisions. Grassroots communities are beginning to be seriously concerned about climate change (few things are as compelling as firsthand experience with climate related adversity, whether crop failure, natural disasters or an increasingly untenable living environment). Mobilizing local people, despite their limited (disaggregated) economic clout, will create necessary political pressure due to their clout in numbers, and may well serve as a compelling counterbalance to powerful economic interests.

2. Local communities are on the front lines in suffering adverse climate change impacts, while urban populations and policymakers tend to be removed from the day-to-day realities of shifting seasons affecting crops, increasing water scarcity, changes in biodiversity due to ecological transitions and a diversity of related natural disasters. Local people have the most at stake in decisions policymakers make now (or fail to make) in reducing emissions. From both a practical and an ethical perspective, it is imperative that local people be involved in the decisions that will affect their future livelihoods.

A community meets to discuss climate change adaptation responses

3. Land use change is a major source of emissions. Taken together, forestry and agriculture (the leading driver of deforestation) currently make up around 30% of global emissions according to the United States Environmental Protection Agency. Local people, and the national policies and regulatory frameworks that relate to their land use and most critically, their livelihoods, are key to reducing these emissions. Sustainable forest management and sustainable harvest, use and sale of forest products within an integrated landscape level approach, is necessary to reduce deforestation due to conversion for agriculture and commercial purposes. To coin a phrase: if the forest pays, it stays.

4. Reducing deforestation is one of the most promising options for mitigation. Local people residing in and around forests are both one of the greatest potential allies in leveraging this mitigation option or one of the greatest obstacles, potentially de-railing it if their needs, interests and rights are neglected. Moreover, there are concerns about the potential erosion of local community and indigenous rights as market-based approaches to REDD+ (Reduced Emissions through Deforestation and forest Degradation) – the most promising mechanism for land-use based climate change mitigation – take shape. In order to optimize and safeguard the important role of organized local communities as valid stakeholders in rural landscapes, they must be recognized and empowered as architects in REDD+ design, implementation and monitoring.

5. Mitigation is only half the battle in responding to climate change. If we succeed in absolutely halting emissions , even as soon as tomorrow, there will continue to be global warming for years to come, which will require adaptation to an increasing range and intensity of climate change impacts. Local communities are the canaries in the coal mines, both in providing insights into the impacts that the rest of the world will eventually experience, and in drawing upon traditional knowledge in pioneering innovative ways toward adapting to the impacts. Thus, local level experiences and strategies in adapting to climate change will (and should) necessarily re-orient the climate change discourse from international levels to a focus on local levels.

When UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon spoke to reporters at the release of the Fifth Assessment Synthesis Report in Copenhagen, he warned, “The science has spoken. There is no ambiguity in the message. Leaders must act now. Time is not on our side.” Alden Meyer, director of strategy and policy for the Union of Concerned Scientists made the point even more strongly, saying that the IPCC climate experts have given policymakers a clear choice: “either put policies in place to achieve this essential shift, or… spend the rest of [your] careers dealing with climate disaster after climate disaster.” An essential part of this policy shift requires an urgent and genuine engagement with local communities globally as key partners, and support for this critical stakeholder group to play its much needed role in climate change decision-making.

This piece was also later published by Outreach, a multi-stakeholder publication on climate change and sustainable development produced by Stakeholder Forum for a Sustainable Future.