Strategic Planning

The work of the Forest Conservation Programme (FCP) is based on IUCN's Intersessional Programme, a framework planning document developed every four years by the Union to pursue its vision of a just world that values and conserves nature.

For the 2005-2008 Intersessional Programme period, the Forest Conservation Programme has identified five Key Result Areas to work on. These are consistent with the Programme's long-term objectives as stated in the joint IUCN/WWF Forests For Life Policy (PDF 441kb) and in line with its core theme of Livelihoods and Landscapes.

	Understanding forest biodiversity in a changing world;
	Understanding forest biodiversity as a livelihood resource;
	Making forest values count;
	Supporting international forest policy with lessons from field practice;
	Protecting, managing and restoring forest landscapes for people and nature.

To download the Draft FCP Component Programme for 2005-2008, click here (249 kb).

	Integration, management and dissemination of Knowledge on forest conservation and management;
	Empowerment of people and institutions to plan, manage, conserve and use forest resources in a sustainable and equitable manner; and
	Promotion of effective forest Governance at global, regional, national and local levels.

Forest Conservation Advisory Group (FCAG)

The Forest Conservation Programme draws on a Forest Conservation Advisory Group to provide it with guidance in the development, implementation and monitoring of the Programme's work. The FCAG is an interdisciplinary team consisting of IUCN Secretariat and Commission members representing global, regional and country offices, the WWF Forests for Life programme, and other external advisory group members. It meets on an annual basis to review the activities and projects of the Forest Conservation Programme and provide it with strategic inputs for future development. For a list of FCAG members, click here.

Operational Approach of the FCP

Over the years the Forest Conservation Programme has refined a successful operational approach on how it can engage most effectively as an agent of positive forest conservation. This approach has three basic elements:

Linking Policy and Practice: The Forest Conservation Programme has shaped a major part of its operational approach around gathering local and national level lessons learnt from the activities of IUCN's regional and country-offices, and its members, and targeting them into international and regional forest policy dialogues. At the same time, it has also worked to ensure that its field projects and national-level activities are aware of, and benefit from, the "big-issues" being debated in international and regional forest fora.

Joint programming with IUCN regions: To ensure that the Programme remains thematically consistent and receptive to IUCN members, the global and regional forest programmes have identified shared regional priorities (which in turn reflect the priorities of regional members) and used them as a basis for joint programming. Since this process was initiated in 1998, issues such as forest restoration, poverty-focused conservation, community involvement in forest management / public participation in forest policy (and more generally issues of forest governance), landscape (ecosystem) approach, non-timber forest products, forest fires, protected area management effectiveness, economic valuation and emerging markets for ecosystem services have all emerged as key thematic issues for "joint programming" activities.

Partnerships: Even given IUCN's own extensive network of members, commissions and regional and country secretariat offices, it is recognized that we have only some of the skills and resources needed to bring about meaningful and long-term forest conservation. The Forest Conservation Programme has therefore made a point of building strategic alliances and partnerships with others in this field. WWF-International is our closest partner with whom we share a joint long-term forest strategy but we have also built effective working relationships with organisations such as Forest Trends, The Nature Conservancy, World Bank, UNEP, FAO, ICRAF and CIFOR. We are also engaged in a variety of partnerships with governments, local communities, NGOs, and increasingly the private sector. To know more about our Partnerships and Alliances, click here.

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