Ecosystem Approaches to Sustainable Forest Management
IUCN, in collaboration with PROFOR, and the World Bank, submitted a paper to the fourth meeting of the United Nations Forum on Forests (UNFF) on the relationship between sustainable forest management (SFM) and ecosystem approaches (EsA) - as applied to forests. This paper is in follow up to discussions held at UNFF 3. It is also a response to a decision at the 6th Conference of the Parties of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) seeking clarification of the relationship between the two concepts.
World Bank CEO Forum in Africa
In order to address governance issues, and in particular illegal forestry activities, a management program was developed to promote change in current practices in production forestry. The CEOs Africa Working Group on Forests is co-facilitated by IUCN and a private timber company. Highlights include timber companies committing to implementation of the Operational Work Plan of the working group, discussion on independent monitoring, and development and signing of a Code of Conduct.
Liberia Forest Initiative
The Liberia Forest Initiative (LFI) is an informal mechanism for coordination of activities amongst several national and multilateral government and non-governmental organisations (including IUCN) working on forestry in Liberia. The aim of the LFI is to promote sustainable forest management by: - supporting the rehabilitation and reform of Liberia's forestry sector; and - enhancing cooperation and coordination of activities in Liberia.
LFI support to Liberian forestry sector reform is organised around three main themes: commercial forestry; community forestry and conservation. In addition, the LFI works on cross-cutting issues, such as: governance and the rule of law; transparency and information management; policy development; legislation; capacity building; and security. For anyone interested in forestry in Liberia or forestry in post-conflict countries more generally, information and a comprehensive collection of documents can be found on the LFI website.
Forest PACT
Forest PACT, Forest Partnership for Action and Commitment Today is an action-oriented partnership aimed to reward and encourage leadership in forest conservation and improving sustainable livelihoods. It seeks to mobilise stakeholders who are already making a difference thereby institutionalising a culture of success. With clear forest conservation and sustainable management objectives, partners jointly contribute to actions that could not have been achieved alone. The secretariat is currently run by IUCN and WWF and the first phase of this initiative is being implemented by the IUCN Asia Regional Office in Thailand.
The Forests Dialogue
IUCN is an active participant of the The Forests Dialogue (TFD) and currently serves on its steering committee. TFD provides an international platform to discuss pressing issues concerning the conservation and sustainable use of the world's forests. Thesteering committee, comprised of leaders from all forest-related sectors, governs and convenes TFD. Participants in TFD events represent a diverse group of interests and through dialogue and debate, seek common ground on often controversial issues. Dialogues culminate from years of work and often serve as grounds for launching innovative concepts aimed at improving forest management. TFD's secretariat is hosted by Yale University's School of Forestry and Environmental Studies in the United States.
Secretariat for the nine-country Conference of Central African Moist Forest Ecosystems (CEFDHAC)
This project provides support and promotes dialogue among concerned stakeholders involved in the sustainable management of the moist forest ecosystems of Africa. It provides a platform for sub-regional and national dialogue, as well as specialized networks. Themes focus on good governance in management of resources, peace and security, and biodiversity conservation in Central African forest ecosystems.
